Fire Uppydate (TONS of pictures)

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:30 PM

RE: http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?t=89702

First, thanks for the prayers, guys.

I'm safe...as are all the people that have been evacuated. I think only ONE firefighter was injured, and only TWO homes destroyed. That's AMAZING for such a huge fire.

I have pictures, they're sureal...it IS like a warzone...

Thursday morning at about 7:10 a.m. Mom and I got gas before we headed out to L.A. We weren't sure what we'd encounter and wanted to be safe. This road is Las Virgines...where the fire ended up that night. You can see the smoke from the Simi hills...

We're on Las Virgines, that's the 101 onramp. The hills you see, those were all on fire...in the distance.

These guys arrived on Wednesday afternoon and were all over Calabasas. I think they were the look outs and would "attack" as soon as they saw something.

The cat's first trip to L.A.!! ( ♥ THANK YOU, GINI!!!! ♥ )Thank God mom has an SUV!! I covered them all to make them feel a bit better:

Looking out the back window...just past Topanga Cyn exit. To give you a reference point, this fire was now AT LEAST 20-30 miles away at this point.

This was a constant scene on Thursday...there were usually 4-5 engines at a time, I only got one in this picture:

After Cedars appointments and thanking Gini, we headed to mom's house in Simi Valley. The day prior the 118 was closed because the fire was on this side. Here we are on the 118, about 20 miles east of Simi Valley:

These were everywhere: (Yay for firemen!!!)

On the 118, heading towards Simi Valley:

Getting closer to Topanga on THIS side of the valley...

More coming...

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:37 PM

I think the "cloud" on the left was the fire still burning on Topanga/Box Cyn...the one of the right is the Simi Fire. You can't see the Calabasas fire (where I live) here:

Topanga fire...burnt Wednesday:

Excuse the glare, but I thought this was AMAZING!! That entire hill was crispy fried, but the cross was UNTOUCHED!!

I know these are a little hard to see with the glare, but this is what the fire left the hills between Topanga (valley) and Kuener (Simi Valley):

More coming...

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:41 PM

Getting into Simi Valley...

Isn't this neat with the sunlight peeking through the smoke?? I've always thought of God when I see sunlight, so this one gives me goosebumps:

The smoking hillside:

The Simi Valley/Rocketdyme fire:

(at the Kuener exit: )

This is what it looked like outside....creepy, huh?

FIRE!

More coming...(the most dramatic fire shots

)

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:47 PM

Mom's exit and the bent wing planes delivering the flame retardant:

Up on the overpass of my parent's exit:

Standing in mom's back yard...luckily, we were safe there, but it was so unnerving to see that...there are homes on that hill.

(this is Thursday early afternoon, on Wednesday, that entire hill was on fire!!)

Look at the sky!

More coming...

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:53 PM

More...

Wednesay after work, I headed to mom's house to make sure it was OK. This is what happened to their brand new patio set (up on their balcony because the yard is being put in)...

The winds reached 65 mph...the umbrella disconnected and fell on the table and shattered it.

Pictures from the balcony:

We headed to the top of mom's tract and took more. The view was devistating...breathing is not an option with all that in the air.

Even more coming...sorry so many

**NoahsMommy** · 10-01-2005, 04:58 PM

To the left of those trees was the Jann's Fireman Basecamp: (headed towards Thousand Oaks on Thursday afternoon, as the fire started heading towards Wood Ranch, Thousand Oaks, Agoura, Oak Park and Calabasas.

The sky/sun...

Coming back into Simi Valley....around 5:00 p.m. Thursday:

Surprisingly, the fire started to die down!

But the wind kept fanning the embers and it'd start again. Here it is at night:

A few more coming, then I'm done!

**K9soul** · 10-01-2005, 05:50 PM

You know one movie I saw that just REALLY stuck with me was Ladder 49. I always knew that it was hard, brutal, dangerous work, but something about that movie really brought it home. I always think about it now when I think of firefighters, and how many have been hurt and even killed while trying to save/protect us.

This picture in particular stood out to me especially, although all of them are amazing:

**Laura's Babies** · 10-01-2005, 06:08 PM

My heart is POUNDING in my chest! It is so much like actually being there, living it through your eyes and camera lens, knowing you and your babies were in harms way and could have lost everything. Those are some AWESOME pictures and really show the magnitiude of it....Phew.... I gotta clam my nerves and my heart down...

God Bless Gina for taking your babies in so you wouldn't have that worry of having to leave them or what to do with them. Bad enough to worry about the possiability of loosing your home without having to worry about them too. They were safe and loved in your absense.. THANK YOU GINA!

Glad you are home again and all of you are safe. This has been a very trying ordeal for all us PT'ers and has had me sitting on the edge of my seat for DAYS!!! Thank God you are all alright! God Bless Firemen and First Responders!!