Snow and ice storms, thunder and lightening, tornadoes, torrential downpours — these are all things I have dealt with in my life. And though none of them make me feel particularly comfortable, they are things I understand, things I grew up with.

We’ve dealt with wildfire scares in Oklahoma and here in SoCal before, but I still don’t like them.

Fires scare me. Partially because people are normally the main cause, and people can be stupid.

Though people out here are fire-conscious, I hear stories all the time about how a fire broke out for this silly reason or that silly reason — totally preventable situations.

Well, we are still in fire season here in SoCal, with no decent amount of rain in the foreseeable future.

The enormous fire in Ventura County has some pretty terrifying footage (see link below).

Scary Fire Footage 

Though I am thankful that we are not near there, it really makes you think about what you would do if you were in that situation.

Last night, we received warnings of the coming high winds (Santa Ana). An alert on our phones warned us of possible fires. A news posting warned of power outages and damage from the wind. The warm weather, low humidity, and high winds are the perfect recipe for a fire disaster.

The winds have certainly picked up today, with gusts of more than 40 mph (and up to 90 mph in some places).

I could feel the wind pushing my car while driving down Main Street. I dodged falling debris from the eucalyptus and palm trees, and squinted my eyes at the dust kicking up off the ground. Looking to the distant foothills, the dust devils looked like smoke because they were so thick.

In the park, large palm fronds are falling everywhere, and trash cans are rolling around.

In our yard, the tarp alongside the RV is tearing (see large center hole). Before I secured it even more, it was whipping up over the fence and into the road on the other side.

Poor Teddy and Piper ran outside to go to the bathroom before sprinting back into the thin-walled safety of the motorhome.

Watch this story on Channel 8 about the high winds in the area, including Ramona.

Dangerous Winds Kick up Across San Diego County

This afternoon, I got another alert on my phone:

A new fire broke out near Bonsall, not too far from Andy’s aunt and grandpa. It is already at 1,000 acres (dubbed the Lilac Fire).

Footage of the Lilac Fire

Andy is working north of LA today — he can smell the smoke from fires around the county.

The fire map of Southern California is riddled with fires. I am constantly checking online for new info, to make sure there is nothing close to us that hasn’t been put on the Cal Fire website yet.

The advice they’ve given online: if you don’t need to leave the house, don’t leave the house.

Wishing hard for some rain right about now!