Hey Sunder , I live in santa maria cal. I noticed the Day fire is burning allmost out of control in the lockwood valley. Is that near You , and are You all right? Fires can be a scary and dangerous thing. I hope all is well.

Sunder is tied-up with school and not able to be online as much as he used to be. Hope everything is ok for him up there. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/patriot.gif" alt="" />

Well, the day fire is almost out. It has done a lot of damage to the forest (and the trails <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/angry.gif" alt="" />).

During the beginning part of the fire they closed the roads to locals only so I was still going back and forth to school (Allen Hancock in SM). On Tuesday right after I got back onto Lockwood valley road, they shut it down. You could leave but there was absolutely no entrance. I stayed home from school the rest of the week because I didn't want to get stranded.

On Tuesday the day before you posted, the fire was fairly out of control. The fire fighters were doing a controlled back burn by mutau flats that got out of control and burned our friend Tom WarnerÆs barns and his relativeÆs trailer, and almost got his house. Luckily, he had evacuated and no one was harmed.


On Wednesday the fire was less than 2 miles from my house. So my brother and I spent all Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday clearing anything flammable from my house, trimming all the tree's as high as could be reached with a chain saw, then using a chipper/shredder to get rid of the leaves small branches (they are the biggest fire hazard).

Today it actually has been raining almost all day, and they have the fire that is closest to my house 100% contained. So it looks like I am in the clear and I can start going back to school again.

/begin rant

The guys who decided to shut the road down made a huge mistake. The cops wouldn't let you drive through the road block but they couldnÆt stop you from walking through. So people would call a friend, then walk through and get picked up and taken home. So now there was a bunch of people trying to pack things up or clear out there property hoping that a friendÆs truck would have room or deciding to stay until they were forced to leave. But if they all had to get out quickly, there vehicles were 10 miles away parked behind a road block. After a day of this the cops caught on and stopped this. So now we were all forced to stay in or out. The people who decided to stay had no way to get medicine/food/things and the people who had to stay out could either stay at a shelter or stay at a hotel. The people with horses/dogs, had little or no option.

It was a dangerous and stupid thing for the cops to do. I could see shutting down the road to keep the tourists out, but forcing people from getting to there home, or effectively stranding them was idiotic. The worst part (in my mind) was that the people who had a vested interest trying to take care of there home, property, and livestock were barred from entry, but the news reporters were granted free access. The cops running the show couldn't have done a worse job. Heck my friend Ira lent out 10 acres of his land as a hellibase (he has 2 dirt landing strips) where at one point there were 17+ choppers. He went into town (when the roads were still open to locals) with his truck that had out of state plates, and the cops at the road block gave him a fix it ticket because it didn't have an up to date sticker. And 2 guys pointed out that he was lending out the hellibase and were asking for a little leeway considering he was trying to get stuff for his road grater...

/end rant

Glad you're OK sunder. Don't be to harsh on the Cops, most are just following orders. The authorities always screw up in disasters on way or another. <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for posting, Sunder. Me, too! I'm glad you and your family are okay, and sorry for any losses suffered by your friends and neighbors. I hope this event isn't going to be any setback for you in completing your degree.

Thanks for the kind words guys <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />

All my professors understand my missing classes, so they are letting me make up the things a missed.

I understand that cop's are just following orders and I don't blame them for that, but the orders were horrible and dangerous. I think the cops should have seen the danger and looked the other way though.

I am glad You are ok. Iknew the fire was allmost contained according to the local news station.I figured the rain We had on Sunday had to really help.Hopefuuly the area recovers ok, That area is really nice.I went wheeling over there 2 years ago and had a blast.

I was born in Santa Maria, although I now live in Michigan. I have kin there, and I still maintain my membership in the Santa Maria Valley Pioneers Assn.

Was the fire anywhere near the areas of Sisquoc or Garry?

Thanks.

Glad to hear that the Day Fire is finally getting contained. It was a little crazy there for a while to say the least. I agree...cops were doing what they were told...it was the higher up powers that need to have their heads examined.

At least your house and stuff didnt turn into charcoal though <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

glad your're OK sunder
I guess it's another example of how our beauracracies break down in a disaster. Government will never be able to distingush between those who can fend for themselves and those who cant. My 2 cents
Josh