= Excellent
= Good/Very Good
= Okay read
= Not recommended
= Ugh! Don't waste your time.
Update on Northern California Fires
Thank you to all who have commented here or emailed me and are keeping us in their thoughts and prayers. We have been under the threat of evacuation since Sunday afternoon. There are two fires burning close to our home.
- The Shingletown Ridge Fire has burned 675 acres but is 100% contained (not controlled) at this time. This fire is 3/4 of a mile south of our development. Photos of this fire are posted at Redding.com. That site posts updates throughout the day on the largest fires in Shasta County.
- The Withrow Road Fire has burned 500 acres and last night was reported at 40% containment. However, listening to the scanner this morning they are reporting the 40% containment at the western edge of the fire is being lost…more engines are being requested; unfortunately no planes or helicopters are flying due to the very poor visibility (smoke) in the area. This fire is located approximately 2 miles northwest of us. Our development is uphill from this fire, which makes it at risk if the fire were to grow or the winds were to change (currently winds are coming out of the south so the fire is burning north now - away from our home).
Updates on the fires are posted periodically at the CalFire website.
I have lost track of the number of fires currently burning in Shasta County. Engines and support are coming in from Nevada and Oregon as well as other parts of California. National Guard helicopters have been sent up here, but are grounded due to poor visibility. We are expecting the Governor to declare Shasta County in a State of Emergency, which would help us to get more funding to pay for the cost of fighting these fires.
I want to take a moment to acknowledge the courage and hard work of our firefighters. They are simply amazing and doing a tremendous job. So far NO STRUCTURES have been lost to any fire in our county. This is astonishing given that so many of these fires are burning near homes.
My husband and I are ready to evacuate if need be…the most important thing is our lives and the lives of our pets, so we won’t stay if things deteriorate here. But, we hope we will remain out of the danger zone. Your continued good thoughts and prayers are appreciated and comforting. Please keep ALL the residents of our county who are near these fires in your prayers. The strain of uncertainty is perhaps the most difficult to deal with…
June 26th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Praying for your safety and that of your home Wendy. Please keep us updated as you are able.
June 26th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I’ll keep you guys in my prayers.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Amy and Vasilly: thank you…it means a lot to me. There are no new updates to report right now.
June 26th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I am so glad you all are okay and safe. But I can’t imagine what it smell like there! Please keep yourselves safe and sound. Keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers!
June 26th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Thanks Jill
We’re hanging in there.
June 26th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Thanks for writing this. Citizen journalists like you really help us to understand what is going on better than the media in many respects. God bless you all.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:08 am
Michael: thanks for visiting - it is pretty frightening up here in Shasta County…and updates on the fires are sporadic which tends to increase anxiety all around. I am quickly learning that in disasters of this magnitude people must be prepared to take care of themselves by staying alert, listening to their scanners and being prepared to evacuate on their own.