My prayers are with all of you in Southern California. I hope everyone will stay safe.

FJ

My goodness...My prayers are with all of you`all in Calif. Your pictures say it all. It looks like California is on fire and I would be out of my mind in fear. Please be safe...take care and God bless. Lesley

How scary for you! So glad to hear you and your dogs are safe, along with your home.

We could see smoke from the Malibu fire yesterday, and my folks' porch is full of ashes down in Irvine from fires very near them. Lake Arrowhead, Santa Clarita, San Diego, several parts of the San Fernando Valley.

What a mess!

wow! praying that you stay safe... I would be outside digging up roses..lol

stay safe, hoovb!

Gives new meaning to Do you spray or not.

Stay safe!

Oh my goodness. Praying for you and all the others who were not so lucky. Thanks for the update. Stay safe.

Cough cough! We had a power outage too. The whole house smells like smoke, despite stuffing towels at the base of the doors.

On the bright side, isn't all the sulpher in the air supposed to prevent diseases on our roses?

- Hershi

This is so bad. You are all in our prayers.

Sammy

Good grief! I am so glad that you are safe Gail!

I hope y'all stay safe and if they tell you to evacuate that you do.
There's not enough sulphur in the smoke to do anygood. The ash could make some slight basic moisture if it were to moisten after it stuck to the leaves.
About four or five years ago, Kentucky was burning and ash was dropping on our roses for almost a week and even with our morning fogs, no damage to their leaves nor goodies for the roses.

Glad you're ok and hope you stay that way. I also hope everyone else in all the fire areas stay safe, especially with the way the winds kick up. It is a very scary feeling to see the fires and that angry smoke boiling up.

This is why I'm so relieved not to live in the mtns anymore. Our son is part of a law enforcement relief responding tomorrow from his county.

Hoovb:

This summer in Plumas County we have had two large fires. The last of which burned close enough that we were breathing smoke for about two weeks. An experience I am in no rush to repeat. Looks like yours is closer. Our weather in California has been so unkind this year hasn't it? Especially when combinsed with forest fires.

About packing up and fixing to leave please be careful. Living in the middle of a national forest I have promised myself the only thing I will take in that situation is my husband and cats. The rest can be replaced.

Please take care of yourself and loved ones.

Kate

It's strange to drive around different areas of So. Cal. and see
smoke in the distance. Such unpredictable winds. No wonder
these Santa Ana's are called "Devil Winds". There is ash, in the
air, in parts of the city. The drought sure has added fuel to the
fire, literally! I guess Hoovb, you are closer to the San Diego
fires? Well, stay safe and prepared. Good Luck always.

Gail,
I thought about you today and wondered if you were doing okay up where you live. The business where I work was voluntarily closed down this morning about 10:30 when the flames just came a bit too close. Between the high winds and the helicopters flying overhead, it was pretty unnerving.
Mary
Looking north towards Irvine from Lake Forest.
{{gwi:336653}}

There are a lot of very brave people out there right now fighting those fires. Let us keep them in our thoughts...

This is so tragic. I hope everyone stays safe and you will all be in my thoughts, as well.

Please stay safe. You are in my thoughts.
Kathy

Adding onto the Southern Cal fire story- hoovb- hope you don't mind & glad you are safe.
I just returned last night from an all day "Wine & Roses Tour" to Temecula when we drove through smoke on the I-15 on our return trip South.
We had a sellout crowd on our 55 seat bus; visited four gorgeous private rose gardens; went to a wine-tasting and visited Wine Country Flower Farms who specialize in roses and hanging pots. I picked up "Glad Tidings" - an ironic twist to the trip it turns out- as I returned to a shocking series of fires that had developed- almost everywhere it seemed- in San Diego County.

We've been packed for hours waiting for the reverse 911 call or our neighborhood to be mentioned specifically in the news but so far not. Tonight we will sleep in shifts just in case. The dog food is packed, the pictures, clothes, my pruners, gloves & hat! etc. Some good signs- my daughter's HS nearby is an evac center; I-15 reopened from the 56 up to the 78. The fire seems to have moved past us to the Northwest.

Everyone of 1800 horse stalls is filled at the Del Mar fairgrounds with evacuated horses and they can't take anymore people either! Qualcomm Stadium has est. 5-10,000 people. At least 500 homes are now estimated to be gone.

I watered all my roses, including Glad Tidings, really well, wondering if I was saying goodbye. Picked a few blooms and washed their sooty faces. I took some roses to a friend nearby to give her something else to smell besides the acrid air.

Seeing them does give me hope.

Virginia

OMG, I did not know about this. We have been away for a few days, had no idea. Hoove, family and pooches and all involved, be safe, how scary for you. Pictures here tell a story for sure.

You, the fire fighters and all at risk are in my thoughts and prayers. Please take good care.
Pauline - Vancouver Island

I will keep you all in the danger zone in my thoughts and prayers, as well as any life in fear or of threat, and hope that you will all do whatever it takes to protect yourselves, your families. Just stay safe and help the fireman by heeding their call and keeping them in your thoughts and prayers.

Virginia my heart goes out to you. And to all of the others that have checked in from California.

Hoping everyone in the fires' path, and the firefighters stay safe and make good decisions.

I'm never complaining about our drought again.

How sad. Hoov, that is scary picture! I hope everyone is safe and cared for. God bless the firefighters.

Carla

Our hearts and prayers go out to all of you, and the brave men and women fighting those horrible fires.

It is a horrifying scene I see on my television screen, I am praying for all of you to be safe and stay safe, please evacuate when asked, nothing will replace your life. I am sure when this is all over many of you will receive gifts of new roses to plant on the scorched and parched earth, they will breath new life into California.

valerie

Leslie, Thank your son for his service down here. We *really* appreciate it. :0)

My plants are drying out but they didn't even make my grab 'n go list... although I could fit the young ones in the car. Maybe just Smith's Parish and a mini. We're all packed up but I doubt we'll have to go.

So sad praying for you and friends is SO CA.

Hoov.....are you OK??????

For everyone in CA, I just cannot image the loss of such beautiful gardens. My heart breaks when I think of it.

I know that things can be replaced but to lose a home and garden is just too much. You all are in my thoughts and prayers.

Perhaps those of us on Garden Web can help re-establish the gardens of our forumers in California. Better yet, lets pray we wont have to.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hoov's Garden

Oh Dear
Just heard the news yesterday afternoon
watching CNN.
Hope everyone that lives in and around the area stay safe.
My thoughts and prays are with you all.
Take Care.

Niecey

Please be safe everyone!

I lived very close to the Oakland Hills during the October 20th Firestorm of '91. They are so incredibly scary. This time of year is so very dry in CA.
I was in Lake Tahoe for the North Shore Fire this summer too. I know just how scary fires can be!

To all the firefighters ~ Thank you so much for helping and being brave for our friends in So Cal.

Thinking of you and wishing we could send our rain down to you.

Rhonda---thanks for posting that film of Hoovb garden----iy is gotgeous ---Praying that everyone is safe.

Florence

We're fine, it's just smokey here now. The real disaster is south of us in Santiago Canyon/Modjeska Canyon, people are losing their homes. Even worse is San Diego County, where hundreds of thousands were forced to evacuate.

Here's the hill that burnt near us, the firefighters were up there protecting that communications tower because it handles 911 communications, they saved that one, I think some other ones might have burned. The hill was pretty bare because of the drought. There wasn't much there to burn in the 1st place, so it went up fast. There are some citrus trees there that did not burn, but the fire's heat was so bad they died and turned brown.
{{gwi:336654}}

This was the sunrise. It was red because of all the smoke.
{{gwi:336655}}

The wind has stopped blowing. Hopefully the tanker planes can get things knocked down now very quickly.

Oh Hoov! Thank heavens you and your family and your house and gardens are OK. We've been so worried ever since your first posting. Thanks for letting us know you are OK.

Hope you stay very safe. My Brother lives in So. California too but so far he is safe. Please keep us posted.

I had an e-mail this afternoon from one of our forumers from malibu, she is fine, her home is safe, they did have to evacuate but things are ok there now, maliburose is great. Thank goodness. Good to read you are ok too Hoov.

Valerie

Got evacuated. Learned there are several levels of evacuation:
1. Advisable zone shown on media
2. Mandatory zone shown on media
3. Mandatory announced by sirens in your neighborhood at 1am and police in megaphones blaring "This is the San Diego Police Dept. This is a mandatory evacuation. Pack up your things and get out now!"
4. Reverse 911 may precede or follow #3.
5. Police knocking on your door- "Fire!-Get out now!"

We left at #3. Some people left at earlier levels and some never left. I took a vase of blooms to my sisters. Seems the ash, soot and acrid air were inescapable anywhere you went. We were back 36 hours later. There were no fires in our neighborhood thankfully. We're settled in. The roses look a bit ashey. A good rain would help- in a lot of ways!
I took a vase of blooms in to the office today- including "Firefighter".

Thanks for all who voiced concern. I think the firefighters saved an unknown number of lives, homes and livelihoods for their efforts. I'm thinking about donating some "Firefighter" roses to my neighborhood station in the spring.

Sunnyrose

My thoughts have been with you and others all day every day of this fire. I wish all the best for your saftey.

I was asleep when the reverse 911 call came in.
I knew we had Santa Ana conditions and a fire was way, way up in the mountains. Never imagined it would come to this ... Nearly 1 million Californians displaced.
I woke up the kids and called my husband who was working late to come and get us! We left at 2 a.m Monday and saw the flames advancing over the ridge.

After 5 days with just the clothes on our backs and the 5 of us living pretty much out of our van 100 miles north, we're back in Escondido today and thankful our home was spared.
Many of our neighbors were not so fortunate and it's difficult to see all the charred foundations where houses once stood.
I drove up the mountain to check on some of our kids' schoolmates and after much confusion mixed with some denial, I realized I couldn't find or see their homes because . . . well, the homes were not there anymore! The schools are getting lists together of kids whose homes burned to the ground. It is so sad.

The firefighters who saved our neighborhood commented that we were extremely fortunate since there were walls of flames almost 360 degrees around us. Our kittens are safe but scared and weak. I gave them baths, cleaned out their eyes, ears and noses which were filled with soot.
We have lots of ash and some came into the house through the door jams. We will be cleaning all weekend and for weeks to come.
I lost some of my rare roses (from the wind, 99 degree heat and not being there to water them) Fatalities were Burgundy Iceberg, Julia's Rose, Spellcaster, Ruby Pendant and others.

But I have NOTHING to complain about ... we got out and our kids have a home to come back to .... just a whole lot of cleaning up to do.
Very Thankful,
Denise

Holy Moly! Denise, I'm so glad you and your family are safe. What an ordeal for you.

Sunnyrose, Denise and everyone here who may have nearly or completely evacuated, I just want to say how happy I am that it turned out OK for you and you are safe. How very scary and I am so terrible sorry for your neighbours who were less fortunate.
What a wonderful gesture Sunnyrose, to donate Firefighter roses to the guys at your fire station who risked their lives.
Happy you are all settling back. Fingers crossed it will be completely over soon.
Thinking of you.
Pauline - Vancouver Island