Fire on the Mountain
This past Friday night, around 8:30 in the evening the dog started barking; she was running back and forth between the front door and the back door getting really worked up. Finally, the wife opened the front door to see what she was barking at. Well, it didn't take long to figure it out:
The hillside at the end of our street was on fire! It was crackling away; sounded like lots of little fireworks. I grabbed the video cam and headed out for a closer look.
Before I get too far along, I should show you a map:
Our house is right in the middle of the map. The street to the north of us is where the fire fighters had set up their command post. We had a few fire engines on our block as well. The blue area is where the fire burned the hillside; it's about 200 yards away from our house.
Take a look at some of the video I shot:
Those firefighters worked long and hard to keep that blaze under control. We went to sleep after 1 AM, and you could hear the chain saws buzzing as they cleared a fire break.
There was a small article about the fire in Saturday's paper, but it did not mention the cause of the fire. I went out and shot some more video in the daytime on Saturday morning. There was also a little piece in Sunday's paper as well, but again, there was no mention of the cause of the fire.
I find it odd that there was no cause mentioned in Sunday's paper; when I was out on Saturday morning, the Batallion Chief was at the end of my street making up his report. I asked him if they knew what caused the fire. He answered that it was almost certainly a bottle rocket:
This really kind of gets me because, as some of you may recall, I expressed my concern over the use of illegal fireworks in my Letter to the City Manager post. He seems to feel that breaking the law and shooting off some fireworks is just some harmless fun; take a look at his commentary for yourself. Now, watch that video again, and you let me know if you think shooting off fireworks is just some harmless fun. As I have repeatedly said, Rick Cole is an idiot!
One thing that was mentioned in Sunday's paper is the new need for monitoring the hillside. Due to the lack of vegetation, it is now a distinct possibility that we could have La Conchita style mudslides this coming rainy season.
Ah, well, such is life in Paradise: Earthquakes, Wild Fires, and Mudslides.
©2005 hpb©reations
posted by Preston @ 4:19 PM
8 Comments:
Scary shit, Henry. It's frightening to be that close to losing it all! As if it weren't enough that natural causes may bring down ... or up in smoke an entire community, you also have to deal with human indifference or ignorance. A match thoughtlessly dropped, a smoke not put out properly, a campfire half-doused, and fuckincrackers!! Those responsible should be dealt with in the harshest way. Their stupidity put in danger so many lives, those of the community they affect and those of the selfless heroeswho jump in to save our skins. Thank God for saving your home and limb, and bless those men and women for being our guardian angels. I have dial-up so I didn't see the video, just the first 3 seconds, but I am sure it is way too scary. Be well, bro.
H, that was an awesome video, technically and journalistically. I'm going to be very unladylike here (LOL) and say that I hate SCUMBAGS who set off fireworks. If I were the cause of something like that, I'd never be able to live with myself; I'm sure whoever did this is sleeping soundly tonight, or off making more mischief.
Yes, the firefighters are awesome. I don't know how they do it, but thank the Higher Power that there are some people who will risk life and limb to save others.
Great piece, H.
Ok, Henry, awsome video. Thank you for sending it. On my slow clonker I would have never been able to appreciate the scope of the fire nor enjoyed its careful composing. Masterfully composed, and reallistically HERE! The accompanying soundtrack makes it even more erie. I am so grateful you didn't lose your home. Btw, it is such a lovely place and reflects the love you've put into it. (from the wedding pics).
That IS pretty damn scary! I remember when I happened to be visiting friends in San Diego (I'd previously lived there during my postdoc) when the fires ripped the hell out of things quite close to the city outskirts and decimated Julian and the Lake Cucamongo area. Scary stuff!!!
Whoa...WAY AWESOME video (I hadn't actually watched it before the last comment I made)...
Thanks for the compliments.
Everything is fine.
That is really cool (the video). How do you post video on your blog?
Hip E.:
Thanks for the comment on the video. To use video in your blog, try using the "EMBED" command.
Atom:
Too bad you missed the action; it was very exciting. I'm glad I was able to preserve the moment for the locals to enjoy. One hope is that more people can learn of the dangers of the idiots who think it's "fun" to shoot off illegal fireworks, and then we can call for their removal from our community.
Post a Comment
<< Home