2025 LA Wildfires

[Z.O.R.G.]

Visualizing the Los Angeles wildfires in maps and charts | CNN

This is bringing a whole new focus on bugging out.  Anyone have experience/advice in dealing with fast moving wildfires?

[KentuckyCarbine]

This video from FoxWeather is pretty informative regarding how fast these fires were moving in a crowded area and how difficult evacuation is.

https://www.foxweather.com/weather-news/california-palisades-fire-windstorm-wednesday

I also love the irony of FoxNews, which has a weather channel that covers every climate-related natural disaster with breathtaking coverage.

[Z.O.R.G.]

@Moab, isn't this your AO?  If so, stay safe.

[Moab]

This is taken from our town, facing north, looking across LAX. And the fires beyond. About 15 miles from our house. 

The restaurant we had our first date in and a very famous restuarant right on the beach called Gladstones. Both burned down.

It was dark today from the smoke. Some main freeways were shut down. I was shocked so many structures kept burning. 1000 structures burned down. But they couldn't get helicopters or planes up. As the wind was to strong.

[majorhavoc]

Take care, Moab and any of our other members or forum lurkers who live within that area.  "Apocalyptic" is an overused term but based on what I've seen on TV and YT, I'd say it's an apt descriptor in this case. 

ETA: I was listening to coverage of the LA wildfires on NPR on the drive home tonight and had a "driveway moment" when I got home but couldn't get out of the car because about 3 minutes into this segment a radio journalist gave a personal account of her evacuation, and I was rapt.  I wish I could give a link that goes right to her account but it's especially noteworthy for two reasons:

1) This lady had already lost two homes to fires and really knows her stuff.  The steps she took and the practical advice she gives would do any self respecting prepper mighty proud.

2) The way this radio professional slowly but steadily looses her shit as she recounts what happened is a sight (well, sound) to behold.  Real human drama being recounted here, especially when you realize some variation of it has been experienced by tens of thousands of Americans in the past 36 hours. 

However you feel about Public Radio, it's worth a listen.

[Moab]

There was a YouTube news channel last night. That had a live picture of the fires, with the reporter in a pop up window, Google street view on the main screen showing a specific house at a specific address, and the LA fire scanner channels on live feed. Where the fire fighters were talking on two way while trying to save that specific house. 

All I could think of was the poor people watching and listening to the LA fire department trying to save their homes.

This is also an interesting exercise to freeway and road closures. The route north from me along the coast (versus the main route taking the 5 freeway north further east) has been closed since last night. This is the alternate route out of here. There is really only a couple ways out of here. And with the coastal route closed, the 5 freeway would be a parking lot in a matter of minutes. This is a call for motorcycles, bicycles or a boat with a lot of fuel. 

So glad I will be moving in 3 months. 

[EBuff75]

Despite me being in Michigan, my manager is in Long Beach, CA.  He's quite a distance away from the fires, so he's not really worried at this time, but he did say that the air quality is really bad right now as a result. 

Stay safe out there!

[Moab]

Despite me being in Michigan, my manager is in Long Beach, CA.  He's quite a distance away from the fires, so he's not really worried at this time, but he did say that the air quality is really bad right now as a result. 

Stay safe out there!

I've been stuffed up since last night. The sky was dark today from the smoke. Not much light.

I really need to recycle my water storage!