Porter Ranch and Los Angeles Fires

The Porter Ranch and Los Angeles area fires are a sign of the season.
Each fall in Southern California we look forward to another
fire season. We do not get a lot of rainfall here, so our
hills are dry and the brush is a tinderbox waiting for the right
conditions.

About this time of year we get high winds called, "Santa Ana Winds"
This is our windy season and also the time of year we can
expect wildfires. The wind usually does not start
the fire but they can push a fire for miles.

The fires are started by various causes. Car crashes and
resulting fire cause some. The Santa Anna Winds down power
lines and sparks cause fires. Other causes are careless
camper's campfires, negligent workers on construction sites, welders
too close to brush, and of course ARSON.

The Marek fire, above Sylmar, is believed to be
caused by arson. As with many of our fires it has already
taken a life, actually two lives. A homeless man an his dog lost their
lives to this fire.

Over the years I have watched a number of Souther California Fires,
both on TV and live, looking at the hills close to where I have lived.
It is scary, even when you are not in the path of the fire.

Later I will post pictures of one of the remote canyon home
we once lived in. A wild fire raged through the canyon
destroying everything in its path. The cause? Careless
workers.

When you hear the word "EVACUATE!" there often is not time to grab much
more than the clothes on your back. Sometimes you have a hour
or longer to prepare and think about what to save. Too often,
in the haste of the moment, you miss some really important papers and
keepsakes that you may never see again.

If you live in the Los Angeles fire area or any area where a natural
disaster may cause you to evacuate your home, be prepared.
Some simple ideas are to keep all of your personal photos in
a large basket or suitcase. Keep all you your birth
certificates, deeds and other papers that are not in a safety deposit
box in another box or suitcase. If you have to leave on a
moments notice, you can grab two suitcases and take the most important
things with you without having to think about where things are.

Have you ever been through a fire, flood or other disaster and had to
make an insurance claim? It is hard to remember all of the
things you own and their value. We take our possessions for
granted until they are gone and need to be replaced.

Having lived with fires in our hills and mountains since 1965, I know
how important just a small amount of organization can be. This
Pre-Fire Preparation Idea
inspired me to write this blog and provide a link to one answer to
keeping an inventory of your possessions, so if you ever have a loss
you have an exact inventory of what was in your home, storage unit or
outbuildings. A personal property inventory can mean
thousands of dollars more if you ever need to made a claim with your
insurance company. Take a look Home Inventory