UNCLE! No More Fires!

Last night was nothing short of frightening for many people in Santa Barbara. If you weren't being evacuated you had the glow of flames and the smell of smoke to keep you company. It isn't over yet either. The winds are supposed to kick up a bit today, but hopefully the fire crews can keep the fire from spreading in to more neighborhoods.

The fire started about 5:45 last night and was small at first. I was playing my normal game of old man basketball in a gym about 1 mile from where it started. Being dumb old men we decided to keep playing even though someone came in to warn us about the fire. After all the fire was in another canyon, not the one where we were.

The wind was howling and the roof of the building was making some really strange noises. Why stop, we needed the exercise. So we played until about 7pm and probably would have played longer, but as our good luck would have it the electricity went out and we couldn't play in the dark. (My team was behind by 2 points)

So, we headed down the hill and it is a good thing we did, the further down the hill I drove the more I knew I probably should have left sooner. The traffic was awful coming down the narrow windy roads that blanket that area of our city. Once you got back in to town the traffic lights were all out and traffic accidents were a common occurrence with people just driving through the intersections because they didn't realize the lights were out.

I was sure glad to make it home and I am fortunate to live away from the hills and closer to the ocean.

Now I'm getting a good assessment of the area that is burning and the people that I know that have been affected and the stories aren't fun. I know many people that have lost their homes and or been evacuated. One of the best Christian Colleges in the country, Westmont has had structures burn and was evacuated. I personally know many people on the faculty as well as families who have students going to school there. If this College is not around it will be a huge loss.

Today in the office it seems a bit like a war zone. Helicopters flying over head, smoke in the air and emergency vehicles filling the streets.

I want to get back to seeing what I can do, but if you want information on the fire, here are some good sources;

Noozhawk (some of the photos here are amazing)

KEYT (our local news station that has very good info)

Edhat(a local blog, news site with interesting stories)

Sorry I didn't make this post a bit prettier. Keep the firefighters, and people in our community in your prayers until we see how this is going to play out.