Interesting morning commute

Fire started at ~630am, I got to where I took the pictures sometime after 8am.

Was kind of like driving into the gates of hell

According to news it's either 2000 or 6500 acres on fire. Very windy and hot day today making matters worse. Driving up was pretty gnarly, I can't imagine firefighters running into a fire and knowing they have to stay and fight it. Ash and bits of embers flying around the road. Surprised they didn't close it and let us drive through. It's the worst I've ever seen it.

The freeway was closed for a bit but open for me to drive home, for awhile we were worried we'd be blocked off as there are only a few ways down the grade. The fire has moved to other parts of the mountain heading towards the ocean, thankfully, no injuries or casualties. A plant nursery caught fire and they had to call hazardous materials crews in.

Our office is the first exit off the grade and we could see the smoke plumes from there. Driving back down the smell and smoke was strong and looking into the valley you could see it blanketed in smoke.

Some residential areas evacuated, the local university on the back side of the mountain was evacuated and will be closed tomorrow, high school too. 600 firefighters engaged. Hoping they come home safely tonight.

Holy Smokes!!

Pleasant Valley Road isn't looking so pleasant.

helicopter pic is sweet, taken from fast lane of freeway!

Woa. I'm looking at a job in Northridge, trying to figure out how big of a shock the NYC->SoCal transition would be.

I was wondering what it would be like to live a little further out and have some nice outdoor space nearby. Even looked online at a community off exit 32 there.

Now I'm not so certain...

If I had waited 2 more seconds I would have gotten a pic of it mid-water drop. Fastlane in my $480 Saturn

Yes, yesterday wasn't so pleasant on Pleasant Valley Road. I see what you did there, Toyman01

peter wrote: Woa. I'm looking at a job in Northridge, trying to figure out how big of a shock the NYC->SoCal transition would be. I was wondering what it would be like to live a little further out and have some nice outdoor space nearby. Even looked online at a community off exit 32 there. Now I'm not so certain...

Once in awhile we get fires, but mostly it's just a slight smoke smell and some ashes on your car in the morning. Northridge isn't usually one of those places, my sister lives out in that area and it's just another urban Cali city. Oh, there was that huge earthquake in the 90s...

My (admittedly limited) experience with New Yorkers who move out here, aside from the fact that they won't shut up about how great NY is and how much they miss the place. They either never leave to go back, or they go back and then I see/hear them lamenting about how much they hate it and then they end up returning to CA.

DuctTape&Bondo wrote: Once in awhile we get fires, but mostly it's just a slight smoke smell and some ashes on your car in the morning. Northridge isn't usually one of those places, my sister lives out in that area and it's just another urban Cali city. Oh, there was that huge earthquake in the 90s... My (admittedly limited) experience with New Yorkers who move out here, aside from the fact that they won't shut up about how great NY is and how much they miss the place. They either never leave to go back, or they go back and then I see/hear them lamenting about how much they hate it and then they end up returning to CA.

There are some things I'd miss about NYC, certainly the ability to not be stuck in traffic for half my life would be one of them. But I'm also at a point in my life where stepping out my back door, running a mile, and being on the edge of a park/wilderness/mountains would be a welcome change.

Definitely not interested in living in Northridge, but it seems like within a 30 minute commute (often against traffic) there are some not-too-hellish places to live.

I may have to hit you up for advice if I can get them to give me the offer!

I was coming the opposite way on the 101 at lunch time and got a good view of the large hill at the top of that grade on fire. The fire line was just marching across the hill, pretty impressive.

I was working in a building yesterday that is about 100 yards from where the helicopters where refilling (I think they were using a fire hydrant next to an open field). The helicopters would buzz the building at takeoff. For some reason the guy in the Blackhawk was making very low departures. I suspect he was a more recent ex military guy who was used to doing that.

We got some SEROUS gusts of wind yesterday. Today is pretty calm by comparison.

aircooled wrote: I was coming the opposite way on the 101 at lunch time and got a good view of the large hill at the top of that grade on fire. The fire line was just marching across the hill, pretty impressive. I was working in a building yesterday that is about 100 yards from where the helicopters where refilling (I think they were using a fire hydrant next to an open field). The helicopters would buzz the building at takeoff. For some reason the guy in the Blackhawk was making very low departures. I suspect he was a more recent ex military guy who was used to doing that. We got some SEROUS gusts of wind yesterday. Today is pretty calm by comparison.

Yeah I could see them flying from wherever they were getting water all day yesterday from my office window. Lots of "excitement" that's for sure.

Winds have shifted again, it's moving back this way. Not close, not yet anyway, but the smoke is creeping in. Take care if you're in the area working today.

10,000 acres reported now. Pt Mugu base is evacuating some of the homes.

peter wrote: There are some things I'd miss about NYC, certainly the ability to not be stuck in traffic for half my life would be one of them. But I'm also at a point in my life where stepping out my back door, running a mile, and being on the edge of a park/wilderness/mountains would be a welcome change. Definitely not interested in living in Northridge, but it seems like within a 30 minute commute (often against traffic) there are some not-too-hellish places to live. I may have to hit you up for advice if I can get them to give me the offer!

Beaches, mountains and hiking trails, snow being all accessible make it a very hard place to leave. I'm originally from the midwest and I've spent a little time in the south as well, I don't think I could live anywhere else.

There are a few of us on here that reside in Ca, Aircooled above posted some good area breakdowns in an earlier thread, lots of good info about different areas when you're ready.

From around noon on Friday.

Mount Doom, the hill I saw on fire yesterday (101 in the foreground):

The smoke over the town after the wind shifted:

We were instructed to go home around 2:00 pm