Northern California Fires - Consultant and others

I have been exchanging emails with Bob today.  He appears to be safe, but he describes the area as like a "war zone."

Here in San Francisco the skies are gray. The air is filled with the smell of smoke. We are 30 miles away, I can't imagine what it's like being in the middle of it all. Several properties that I do business with up in Santa Rosa have been totally destroyed. Fortunately, no injuries that I'm aware of. It's a total mess, complete neighborhoods leveled, gone.

Prayers to all of our northern neighbors.  

Two hs damaged by the fire, 1500 lost homes. Wind can change the fires quickly. Terrible!        JPG lives near.

Bob

Please stay safe everyone.

YES! If you need to get out, GO!!

Mandatory evacuation from our home a couple days ago.  We had an hour thankfully, though in hindsight I would've grabbed some other things. Then booted from our hotel today so we're living out of the cars...and being supported by great friends. Lots of devastation.  Fire was 1000 feet away yesterday. Now 3 miles up our road and still raging.  Dense smoke. And we are alive and safe for now. Praise God!

We are safe, thanks.

Hang in there, folks.  Glad you guys are ok!

Glad to hear y'all are safe.

Vinny Tosti is from Santa Rosa and he played in our All American game in San Diego in August.  His family lost their home in the fire.  Heard it was burnt to the ground.  They lost everything in the fire, but the family is safe.  Word is his high school also was a victim of the fire.

This has been a terrible year for natural disasters.

Stay safe everyone.  Glad everyone is ok.

I believe that roughly 50% of Cardinal Newman HS (Vinnie's school) survived. The baseball facility was damaged but I don't know how badly.

Prayers for all our Cali posters. Be Safe!! Be Strong!

We've certainly had the "hits" to our hsbbweb community this year! If there is anything I can do to help anyone, please let me know, here or pm. 

JCG posted:

I believe that roughly 50% of Cardinal Newman HS (Vinnie's school) survived. The baseball facility was damaged but I don't know how badly.

Newman is my wife's (well, she was at Ursuline before the merger) and her siblings' alma mater. The photos look pretty bad.

My in-laws' home appears to be safe so far (they're right on the edge of the evacuation zone), but my wife knows dozens of people who have lost their homes. It's been unbelievable. And it's still going on. Today may be bad -- winds are supposed to pick up again.

2019 - that's similar to our situation. Sort of surrounded. Not a good feeling to watch fire coming from two directions.  But we are out for now and I'm feeling hopeful and grateful, though of course there is so much heartbreak among so many friends.

Here is an upbeat story about athletes at another school in our league - arguably the best baseball program in the north bay. 

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/s...a-grande-high-school

Be safe guys! 

For a couple weeks in the summer, Seattle was covered with smoke and ashes from surrounding fires and schools cancelled all outdoor activities for a few days. So it is really weird this year. 

I wish I wasn't typing this but things seem to be getting worse. I am working in San Jose, which is about 90 or so miles from Santa Rosa.  Visibility here is less than 1/2 mile with very thick smoke from the fires.

The entire town of Calistoga at the North end of the Napa Valley is now evacuated.

The house our son-in-law and daughter sold after their marriage is burned to the ground.  Our in-law in the town of Sonoma has just  been evacuated.

No controls in site and winds expected to increase in the next several hours.  Need some big breaks and lots of heart felt support for those in Sonoma, Napa and now Solano Counties.

I am so sorry and so sad. I am sad for lost lives, lost homes, lost memories and businesses. I am sad for anyone and everyone in our country and Puerto Rico being affected by hurricanes, floods, and fire.

I am mad though, that our elected officials are too busy tweeting and arguing to really care.

Stay strong California.

We need a sad button like Facebook. All true and the challenges are unprecedented but there are amazing people and resources focused on the area. Just saw half a dozen Palo Alto fire trucks driving north and it brought tears to my eyes. 

OTOH, I'm hearing a lot about comm issues between agencies making coordination difficult; 911 all over again.

JCG posted:

We need a sad button like Facebook. All true and the challenges are unprecedented but there are amazing people and resources focused on the area. Just saw half a dozen Palo Alto fire trucks driving north and it brought tears to my eyes. 

OTOH, I'm hearing a lot about comm issues between agencies making coordination difficult; 911 all over again.

Boy that first part of your post is on point, JCG.  Our son-in-law spent 48 hours straight beginning Sunday at Memorial.  Some of the surgeons in his group lost their homes so Dave took on a huge medical load with the only hospital open and taking on patients from Kaiser and Sutter.

I have to say: I try to be a positive person and try to never whine about my problems, but up to Sunday this was probably the best postseason I have ever seen. But I have not watched an inning since then, and that sucks!

Praying for Cali!  Stay safe baseball friends.

We're out of Sonoma again as of last night. Friends we were staying with got evacuated too.  Gridlock getting out of town.

 We've been nomads since Sunday but we are safe. And East Bay air is much better!

Our home was reportedly still standing last night, though our friend / neighbor lost theirs early this morning.  

Thank you to all the medical personnel, fire and police, and all the acts of kindness.  And thank you for your prayers!!

Good to hear you are safe, Branson.  The situation around Sonoma is not looking good this morning just from maps etc.  I have been texting with one friend in Boyes Hot Springs, and I'm shocked she's still there.  Actually, it's been a couple hours so she may have left. I hope so.

Looks like the firefighters had a great day and night in Santa Rosa, winds last night were not as bad as expected, and the fires there have moved very little in the past 24 hours so the situation is looking more hopeful.

Has anyone heard from Bob lately?  I believe his neighborhood is OK but the air up there is just horrible and anyone who is old enough to be friends with Willie Mays should not be breathing it.  Nobody should.

TPM,Mom JCG, Branson,Infield Dad and Cabbage Dad;

I expect the knock on the door today or tomorrow! Smoke is "terrible".

Thank you for the interest as I am finally on a borrowed computer, power out at the house and the fire is one mile east. Sun out 67º. No wind. Enclosed is current photos and info from the local areas.

Physically I am OK [rode the bike 6 miles and lifted] Willie does not, actually never did.

Mentally, I am not. Probably never was. Sonoma County is a beautiful area because of the hills which now are a negative for the fire fighters {the real heroes]. Yesterday they used a "backfire" and it is effective. I watched from my window.

PS: drove by the National Guard Armory today and there was large mobile equipment standing idle. Maybe the left hand and right hand are not communicating.

Bob <goodwillseries24@gmail.com>

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/g...-valleys?artslide=24

❤️  Prayers for everyone involved. Just so much loss of property and lives and so close to Vegas time frame and other natural disasters. Its really heartbreaking and I'm trying to stay positive and praying for everyone affected by any of it . 

Its so sad my heart hurts

PD reporting 2,800 homes lost from Tubbs fire alone. Unbelievable.

High winds forecast for tonight.  Let's hope the forecas is wrong!

Some of the stories are incredibly sad and tragic.  Heart breaking beyond words.  This morning I read of a couple in their 70's who were married for 40 years.  They were on vacation at a home in Santa Rosa. Got trapped by the fire and tried to save themselves in a swimming pool.  The water got intensely hot in the shallow area so they had to move to the deeper water.  The wife died in her husbands arms as he struggled to keep them both afloat.

When he could, he got out of the pool (he only had one shoe) and asked his wife if he might "borrow one of hers." He walked two miles wearing one of his deceased wife's shoes (needed it because of the heat of the pavement) before he could find help.

When one starts to see the list of those losing their lives, close to 90% are age 70 or above (so far).  So sad.

Some of the stories of those with severe burns are, if it could be possible, even more tragic.

For some reason one of the ones I connected with was the guy who didn't want to leave his new truck behind, but couldn't find his keys.  He had another ride, but kept looking for his keys. That cost him his life.