I’m so glad you are safe, Tom. I evacuated at the start of the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills, when I got the alert to prepare. It was that or stay up all night checking to see if I had to flee immediately. I couldn’t manage that, even with coffee and Xanax! Although chocolate was helping me cope. Our offices are in Encino/Sherman Oaks and we were anxious over night but the fire line seems to be holding. The air quality is horrible, so I hope you are being mindful of that as well.
These firebombers should be our local recognized birds! Something to see in action!
My son was a wildlife firefighter so I have some idea of the immense pressure these people are under!
I am in the flatlands near Century City and fielding calls last night and today making sure friends have places to go to. We are literally circled by an Apocalypse of Fire so it seems.
My heart breaks for the losses and especially the cultural losses that made communities.
The West has always been about fierce determination. Our strength will get us through this, and we will rebuild The City of Angels!
The Getty, with its unmatched fire defenses, seems prepared for anything. But this fire is relentless, like nothing we’ve seen before. It feels as if the city is holding its breath, waiting to see what will survive. Tom, how are you doing?
I feel for you and all the people in LA. We evacuated our home in Redding in the Carr Fire of summer 2018, along with many friends and family. That evacuation at night was a nightmare! Many homes were lost, but we were lucky, and the fire stopped about 2 miles away. We have relocated to Sacramento County since then.
My brother is about halfway between the Hurst and Eaton fires.He says about four miles from each right now. What a cluster this all is. Pray no more lives are lost and that containment happens soon.
I’m so glad you are safe, Tom. I evacuated at the start of the Sunset fire in the Hollywood Hills, when I got the alert to prepare. It was that or stay up all night checking to see if I had to flee immediately. I couldn’t manage that, even with coffee and Xanax! Although chocolate was helping me cope. Our offices are in Encino/Sherman Oaks and we were anxious over night but the fire line seems to be holding. The air quality is horrible, so I hope you are being mindful of that as well.
Yes indeed. all the air purifiers are on and also the ionizers.
These firebombers should be our local recognized birds! Something to see in action!
My son was a wildlife firefighter so I have some idea of the immense pressure these people are under!
I am in the flatlands near Century City and fielding calls last night and today making sure friends have places to go to. We are literally circled by an Apocalypse of Fire so it seems.
My heart breaks for the losses and especially the cultural losses that made communities.
The West has always been about fierce determination. Our strength will get us through this, and we will rebuild The City of Angels!
Thank you dear Tom!!!!! 🤗☺️
My son is now safely in San Diego. I can sleep again.
Keeping you in our hearts in Michigan, Tom. We are mourning this devastation for our neighbor Californians 🩵
Thank you for the update. You and the kitties stay safe, please!
TC, you are doing a damn good job!
Thanks. Never again!
Be safe. Thanks for the update.
TC, Amidst the Smoke
The first fire you live through
is a teacher,
its lessons written in ash
and sung in the language of embers.
It whispers to you in the night,
promises it will spare you,
until it doesn’t.
I know each and every one of the feelings
that race through you now—
fear, exhaustion, resolve, disbelief—
they cross every spectrum.
I’ve lived them, too.
My heart is with you,
holding the weight of it all.
Be kind to yourself.
It’s not weakness to feel the enormity of this.
But also be realistic,
because fire tells us truths we can’t ignore—
truths about the world we live in now
and the world we’re hurtling toward.
Is this just about a physical fire,
or is it a parable, too?
A warning about a country on the cusp,
living on the edge,
already burning
in ways harder to see
but no less devastating?
I thought about this last night,
awake in the dark,
worrying about Californians,
worrying about you,
and the fragile ground we all stand on.
Fire is merciless,
a storyteller that demands we listen.
You’re in the thick of it now,
and I hope the smoke clears soon,
that you find yourself whole
when this chapter ends.
But I’ve learned this, my friend:
sometimes the hardest lesson
is knowing when to stay
and when to go.
Leaving isn’t giving up.
It’s survival.
And it’s always
just the beginning.
Take care, TC. I’m with you,
now and in whatever comes next.
Thanks Gloria.
Fire is away from us, wind picking up from the NNE. All of Bel Air on mandatory evacuation.
This is so big, so surreal it’s like living in a virtual reality simulation that you can’t escape.
That's a good description. Also the Getty Center on evacuation.
The Getty has their own resources of water and other fire defenses!!!!! Let’s hope they all come into play! A loss is unimaginable.
The Getty, with its unmatched fire defenses, seems prepared for anything. But this fire is relentless, like nothing we’ve seen before. It feels as if the city is holding its breath, waiting to see what will survive. Tom, how are you doing?
I'm OK. I remarked to a friend that this seems like The Day of the Locust, without the civil disorder at the end (yet).
Take care. Thanks for staying in touch.
Thank you for the updates! Please continue to be safe!
Very glad you are okay and made it through the night. Including the cats!
Thank you for your updates, TC, and stay safe.
I read there are evacs in Encino. We are all worried and praying for your safety. And the kitties too.
Yellow zone was Encino Hills south of Ventura. We're out of any of that.
Thank God for that but still too close for comfort. I'm so glad you and kitties are OK.
Maybe a little Xanax to even things out?
lol
I feel for you and all the people in LA. We evacuated our home in Redding in the Carr Fire of summer 2018, along with many friends and family. That evacuation at night was a nightmare! Many homes were lost, but we were lucky, and the fire stopped about 2 miles away. We have relocated to Sacramento County since then.
Glad you are safe.
My brother is about halfway between the Hurst and Eaton fires.He says about four miles from each right now. What a cluster this all is. Pray no more lives are lost and that containment happens soon.
Thanks for the update. Glad you and the fur menagerie are safe. May it stay that way!