Wildfire Weekend, Part 2

So, back to my story. Last I left off we were in Mel's Drive-in watching a fire headed for Canyon Country.

We pay the bill and take off for home. Roger puts on the news and we are hearing reports of fire in Canyon Country and that parts of it are under evacuation. I immediately give Kim and Sandy both a call. Neither one answers so I leave a message for both to call me so I know they are okay. We get to where the 5 and 14 freeways meet and they are surprisingly not to full, but you can see the smoke from up over the hill into the Santa Clarita Valley. As we enter Canyon Country from the 14, all you see along the ridgeline on fire. Baby is terrified that her bear that she has at home is going to get burned up. (Poor thing... she was really scared... She kept covering her ears so she wouldn't have to hear the news.)

We get to their house and there is no fire nearby, but you can see the red smoke from the fire on the other side of the hill. By the way the wind is blowing, we know that the fire isn't going to hit their place. I grab all my stuff and head out of there "before the traffic starts getting bad from people evacuating." I get on the freeway and head to my mom's house to wait for word that everyone is okay. I'm hearing that all of Canyon Country is on an evacation notice at this point, right when I get a call from Kim who is sounding kind of nervous and wants to leave. I tell her to grab her stuff and calmly get out--better safe than sorry. Mike doesn't want to come though. He doesn't think it's going to get them and wants to stay behind in case there are people who need help.

I get to my mom's and finally hear from Sandy. They are okay, but no one seems to want to go anywhere. What I get from Sandy is that Juan's sister is up right in the middle of the worst of it, but has been told to evacuate. I'm just thinking, "Get your butt out of there already." Kim calls me again because she just needs to talk to someone so that she doesn't get to anxious. She finally gets to my mom's and I tell her to call Sandy and ask where she is already. She talks to Sandy who tells her that the smoke is really bad to where her eyes and throat are burning. We tell her that the baby is probably feeling the same thing and they should get out of there already.

Katie finally gets home with Tirsa and another friend. She tells me that she has told Sandy to get that baby over to my mom's house already. They are on their way. We all get in a circle and pray.

Finally, Sandy and Juan arrive with the baby. Phew! I can finally relax because I know they are all safe. I tell Juan that I was ready to slap them for taking so long to get there (harsh, I know, but they had me beyond worried). To which he replies that I shoudn't give him sh** because his sister is trapped up in Whites Canyon... they won't let her evacuate. She is right in the middle of it. I immediately feel bad and now understand why they were lagging. Oops.

I see that everyone's okay and then take off. I have to wake up early the next day and go to work. I don't get home until 11:30 PM. What an ordeal. Thankfully everything turned out okay in the end. The fires are raging, but they are no longer threatening Canyon Country too much.

I feel horrible for the hundreds of people who have lost homes or a loved one, and who have been injured. This is one of the worst disasters to hit S. California. We really got to keep these people in our prayers...