Sad day in our canyon in So Cal...We're fortunate but many folks, animals & firefighters need our thoughts & prayers. We're packed & already have family photos & our animals out of the house. Incredible seeing horses running loose through the canyons. We have 3 down the driveway going crazy in their corral. Nothing else to do but sit here...it's going to be a verrrry long windy night.

Michele, Those are incredible photos. Our thoughts are certainly with all of you. Hope it worst is over! Do stay safe!!!!

My thoughts and prayers are with you and Don, Michele! What very frightening pictures!!

Michele, we'll be praying tonight along with you and Don!

Hi Michele,

I was thinking you might be up near the Castaic Fire. It's a very scary experience. We evacuated last year for the Oak Park fires. Poor animals.

We've been watching out for the news all day in between packing and some paperwork we have to do before we leave. We're right between the Malibu and the Santa Rosa Valley fire - no visible sky here and lots of ash falling. Very hard to breathe here with the smoke and ash. Winds here are near hurricane strength and above - whirling winds. We lost some trees. No immediate fire danger. Fire is about 5 miles away but we have a ton of brush and it's VERY dry.

Yikes! We are keeping you in our prayers. Very scary stuff, indeed.

Hugs, Anne

Michelle and Don -- stay safe!! Keep us posted.

Saw this on the news tonight, everyone in SOCAL, hoping you will all be safe. Having lived much of my life in SOCAL, thru the yearly Santa Ana's I know how scary and devastating these can be - we saw a report tonight how they are so much worse in these last few years, and this year, the SA's are much much stronger than normal. I am so sad to see/hear this.

Thoughts and prayers with all of you. Please keep us posted.

Michelle - amazing photos. Can't believe it.

Here's the view from the front of my house a couple hours ago...courtesy of the Corral Fire (Michele's Fire) and the Malibu Fire and The Santa Rosa Valley Fire...

Michele,

I was just asking Alan if your area was affected. What dramatic and frightening photos! Just say the word and we will make plenty of room for you and Don! We certainly hope it doesn't escalate! Take care. :hug:

The winds have been incredible. While we aren't in an affected area, Alan just heard on the news that there is now a fire in the Orange County area. The sky is very surreal looking and the smell of smoke is clearly evident here.

For all our LCT friends who may be in harms way, please know that we are hoping and praying you remain safe!

Our CA LCTers, please stay safe! This is very scary indeed.

Michele,

Wow, keeping you and yours in our thoughts and prayers. I can't believe these winds. Have been watching this on the news most of the day. The canyon behind us is dry, too, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Take care and know we are worried about you and ChatKat. :hug:

Michele,
How frightening. Please stay safe.

Mary Ellen and Jim

Miriam,

Thanks but we're fine...just smokey here. The windy and dry is what is scary. Just hope no sparks head out from the bigger fires...anywhere.

ChatKat,

Glad to hear you are ok. Take care!

We've been intently watching the news. The Santiago Canyon fire in Orange County is spreading and fierce. It's going to be a long night in so many areas of SOCAL. The winds are steady at about 21mph, and gusting frequently. Humidity is 7%. Terrifying recipe for disaster.

Our lights have been flickering all evening and the wind causes the house to tremble.

Our thoughts and prayers to all of you in So. Cal. Please stay safe. Michelle and Don, I hope all will be ok for you both.

Hope you all stay safe.

Thinking about all of you in Socal ... :(

Masaki

I just wish we could send you some of our rain!
Thinking of you as we watch the news....
Stay safe.

Frank and Wendy,
Cairns, Australia.

Not a drop of sleep last night. The winds have taken the Orange County fire very close to our doorstep now. Voluntary evacuation north of us, about 15 miles away. Winds are tremendously fierce now. Not sure how much closer this will get. No voluntary evacuation for us at this point, but the winds will dictate our course of action, if any.

Many thoughts and prayers are asked for us all at this frightening time.

We are sending thoughts and prayers to all impacted by these awful fires - so frightening watching tv - please be safe!!

We are too sending all our thoughts, prayers and positive thoughts to everyone impacted. Be careful everyone, keep yourselves safe first and foremost. Will be watching the news during the day. :hug: :hug: :hug: To everyone.

It sure does help to have you all here with us virtually. Thanks everyone so much for your kind words & prayers.

What a horrible night....So many areas in So Cal are in big trouble. All I know here, pre-dawn, is that our poor little Santa Clarita Valley is being hit, house after house (Canyon Country, Saugus, Newhall, Valencia, Agua Dolce, Castaic). Fires are now approx. 5 miles from us as the crow/embers fly. The wind is kicking up again now. Praying for the fixed wing plane to get airborne at daybreak. Several fire helicopters flew half the night voluntarily. Amazing in this wind. Our biggest fear is flying embers & not hearing an evacuation horn since we're high up on a ridge & not near a neighbhorhood road. Kept spotlights on all night on house. I'm shocked to hear predictions of 90 mph gusts for today. I've never seen anything like this. Denise, you must have not gotten any sleep either. Please take care. Another 24 hours of this - hopefully, no more.

I thought about everyone in the fire areas as soon as I woke up this morning. Please don't take any chances - stay safe!

Michele,

You know how much we have been thinking of you and Don, as well as all others affected throughout SOCAL. This is far and away the WORST Santa Ana event I can ever recall in the 38 years we've lived here.

No sleep for us, either. I heard planes, on and off, all night. We are very close to John Wayne Airport and I can only imagine the sight from above, not to mention navigating landings.

Winds are whipping again right now. We just heard that voluntary evacation in our area has been called off. Yet, the winds dictate the direction we need to take as the day goes on.

Bless the firefighters who, tirelessly, fight these blazes to ensure our safety and that of our properties.

For you, Michele and Don, as well as all those actually and/or potentially in harms way, prayers and thoughts that we all come through the safely. SOCAL is an inferno of monumental proportions.

Please let us all check in. LCT friends are so important to us.

I am praying that all of you in the vicinity are not directly affected by these awful fires. Pls stay safe and keep us posted.

I am following this every minute - sending hugs and good thoughts until all fires under control -

I'm shocked and concerned for all of you in harms way. Watching news this morning it looks surreal and latest news is it's fast approaching Michele's canyon area. Devastating. My thoughts and prayers to all :hug:

Prayers and good thoughts continue to flow your way ... how very, very frightening for all affected. Hang in there, Denise, Alan, Michele & Don. Just awful.

Cheers, Anne

Wow - Michele those pictures are so scary - we are sending our best thoughts & prayers to you, Don, Denise & Alan.

Michele, Don, Denise and Alan - keeping you all in my thoughts and hoping things get better real soon.

Nancy

Watching the local news for So Cal. The fire in OC was an arson fire. I have family in Irvine, near where Denise lives and they too are under evacuation but safe. Very scary stuff. Some new fires overnight too.

Schools in my neighborhood are closed because they are the evacuation centers for the Mailbu fire. The wind is surreal. All the leaves are off my trees and trees are down. Smoke is so thick. Respitory alert. It's sunrise and the winds have kicked up. Expected to gust as high as 80 miles per hour.

Checking in from Tustin (Santiago fire)...lots of smoke and ash but the wind has shifted for now. We've had the doors and windows shut since yesterday but there is still a strong smoke smell inside the house. We could see the orange glow of the fire in the night sky and now the smoke plume in the daylight.

We are just one mile from the boundary of last night's evacuation area but we live in a highly developed residential area, so hundreds of homes would be burned if the fire got any closer to us. Thankfully, that didn't happen. It did burn right up to one of the major local streets that divides the undeveloped canyons from the residential areas, but I understand that no homes have been lost.

Having lived here all my life, I remember many Santa Ana winds and brush fires in October. However, we had so little rainfall in the past year that the brush is very dry which I believe is making the situation worse this time.

Dena

I have been watching the news and thinking and praying for you all in the midst of this disaster.It has been such a dry season down there which is sure making matters so much worse. Keep us posted.

Michele, Don, Denise, Alan, Dena and Grant, Alan and I are keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. This is such a scary situtation. Thanks for keeping all of us who worry about you informed. Michele and Don, I'm especially thinking about you as your situation seems to be the most serious. Please take care.

My goodness! Stay safe. I simply can't imagine how scary it must be.

Stay safe, you are in our prayers.

Has anyone heard from Marcie?

Kathy your added description to Denise and Michelle's this morning and now Dena's is just so frightening - worrying about all of you. Thanks for taking the time to keep us updated - know you must have a lot more on your minds right now.

We are in the midst of a terrible drought this summer/fall, but at least we don't have those Santa Ana's, they can wreak so much havoc.

<img src="http://smileys.sm...i%253D17%252F17_1_10/image.gif"> to you all.