MyE28.com

I only know of one by name who's close, Vince, but how are you guys doing?  Hopefully nobody especially close, and I've got to think he's really close, but it's a county with 11M people so we've probably got a few down there.  Crossing my fingers for you guys.

Guys/Gals
  Sing out for help ... I hope I speak for many but If you need something and it is within my power I will make it happen 

  As a shipmate once said, Call me at 2:30AM to be bailed out, I will be there ... You just remember that when I call you 
  None of us knows when we might be in need 

Limited containment. Winds have died down today, but not sure what Monday will bring. Evacuation orders are in place. National Guard has been deployed. 

I know generators and high pressure water pumps (if you have a pool to draw water from) are in short supply, but we still have a few down in Northern San Diego if you need one (although, those are going fast).

It's been a harrowing week for sure, we are safe and for once, these wildfires are not impacting the rest of my family who are out in Santa Clarita Valley (about 40miles to the north).  As you can see from this map, we are a comfortable distance from the active fire lines but it doesn't mean we aren't affected by the smoke and now ash. As you can see I have/had several clients not doing as well as us. The one squarely in the burn area is gone as is the entire neighborhood; I still can't wrap my head around the fact that beautiful neighborhoods going back to the 1940's, many still original Spanish & Craftsman houses and mature trees & landscape, have been completely removed from the face of the planet. One colleague, an Interior Designer I have worked with for 20 years, lived here and she lost everything.


Tuesday morning I was up at one of my current projects (the lowest dot on this map right next to 'Will Rogers State Beach') right at 10:30 when the whole thing blew up. I got up to the jobsite and this what we all saw:



In the first hour we were there, it doubled in size and continued to grow at about 170 acres/hour. Mary went up on a hill behind Santa Monica Airport and saw this:


Even with the two Canadairs CL-415's and CalFire's units they couldn't get their hands on it. We watched this pair make the round trip from Santa Monica Bay to the fire and back in about 10 minutes. They did this the rest of the day as they chased the fire further north and west up the coast as the winds pushed the fire.


From Tuesday to now, it's been a endless loop of tragic and continuous news coverage. Reports of long held establishments, houses, and landscape destroyed. Texts and emails with friends and colleagues displaced from the evacuation zones.
And the fires aren't halted yet, the recent onshore winds, while good for added humidity and cooler temps, also are pushing the fires inland and to the north & east into the upslopes and more fuel.
We took this last night on the 405 overpass in my neighborhood, if it weren't so tragic, it would be beautiful:





As far as any other car folks, in any of the inter-related BMW communities, I've not heard from them. I have to think there are folks in both the fire areas, and their fate is unknown. 
It goes without saying that ANYONE who needs assistance or a place to store a car, I am at your disposal.

Vince, for whatever reason I had you pictured a little northwest, closer to say Westwood.  But I'm glad to hear you are ok and aren't quite as close as I feared.  Growing up in the SF Valley I have some knowledge of area/geography of the area.  Both for my connection to the area and population density, I sure hope it doesn't make it up to the Valley and last I'm seeing Encino has been in the threatened zone.

Mike W." wrote: Jan 11, 2025 11:00 PM Vince, for whatever reason I had you pictured a little northwest, closer to say Westwood.  But I'm glad to hear you are ok and aren't quite as close as I feared.  Growing up in the SF Valley I have some knowledge of area/geography of the area.  Both for my connection to the area and population density, I sure hope it doesn't make it up to the Valley and last I'm seeing Encino has been in the threatened zone.

Thanks for the update, Vince!  I really feel for your friends, customers, and colleagues -- and everyone else.  How terrible it is to lose so much (and then there are the insurance horror stories).