San Diego Wildfires: UPDATED
(Commentary by Val)

October 28, 2003
6:30pm

  All is well here in Normal Heights. Devin and I both went to work today (Devin has a contracting job doing Java programming at the moment). I dropped him off at the Carlsbad office on my way up to Santa Ana.

On the return trip home we encountered a minor traffic jam due to a fire which had broken out right along Interstate 5. The clouds of smoke were thick and unsettling. And even though it is daylight savings time, the sky seemed to grow unsually dark...far earlier than it should have.

Ash still falls from the sky. But, the air feels a little less heavy at the moment. Both Devin and I are suffering from the typical symptoms: sore throat, blocked sinuses.

Anyway, just wanted to give a quick update on our status. Here's what the wildfires look like right now:

October 26, 2003
10:45pm


  We've come to the end of our first day of wildfires. Though they had been raging on several days before, today was the first day we'd been able to experience the actual effects of it.

I awoke around 6am to see an erie golden light shining through the blinds in our bedroom. I got up and opened the front door to see the sky above shrouded in thick black clouds. The sun, like a golden spotlight, shone through a thin crack of clear blue sky on the horizon. A light dusting of black ash covered everything.

The air was hot and still. I could see birds sitting on the electric wires above the street...but they remained silent in the eerie darkness.

The fires are raging on still. However, Devin and I are situated in a relatively safe area right now. Normal Heights is situated atop of a hill, so we have not been subjugated to the stiflingly thick clouds that those in the valleys are experiencing.

Below are some images I...borrowed from one of the local news websites. I will keep a running log of our adventures as the wildfires continue.