I decided to leave work yesterday morning to go get my house ready for possible burnination. The drive home was surreal. The sun was a distant red circle in the sky and it smelled like I had walked into the pit of a charcoal grill. I saw schools being evacuated, roads being closed off, and news vans driving through my neighborhood.

Luckily we live right on the border of the mandatory and voluntary evacuation areas, so we never had to get up and go. Our friends down the street were not so lucky, however! I at least had time to gather up important documents, water, pet food, and a couple clothes just in case we needed to hightail it outta there.

The front pages of the city of Anaheim and city of Orange are posting updates on road closures, and I might have to go home again if the wind shifts and the evacuation areas stretch westward a block or two.

Listening to the fire teams on a scanner is enough to make you crazy. “Oh god it’s crossing Santiago peak! Where the fuck is Santiago peak!” (That’s me not them.)

The Orange County trunked radio fleetmap is absolutely ridiculous but not undeceipherable. With a little patience I was able to get everything programmed into my BC246T which showed its true colors and performed like a champ.

So! The house is safe for now. But we shall see how long that lasts.