FIRE PHOTOS - First Rolls

Date: November 11, 2003
 

San Diego - Scripps Ranch - Avenida Magnifica

- Handrich and Negley Areas also from the top

True Suburbia - wilderness stripps - brush and wildlife at your back door

These are the first photos we have back - three rolls still in the cameras!

My house - early morning - got a lens flare! Otherwise - front looks fine! WHEW!  And my liquid Ambers are growing like mad - in fact - the one in the lower flowerbed is taking out the block wall (I don't care - I love the tree!)

Our Down-Below the Hill Neighbors  Shot down the hill with a telephoto - path of the fire took out house after house (327 structures in all just on the ranch)

A look into Hell - directly down the hill from us - I knew people in these houses whan I lived here - 11 years in Boy Scouts and a true Soccer Mom; Pool and Racquet club and active in the school.

Flag up on the Cul-de-Sac - Around the corner from my house - my son was shooting pictures - Poignant

Dead trees on the back bank behind my house - Fire Path! My house on the lefet - you can see the outside deck on the top story - I was worried about that! All but two trees have to go - two others are not on my property - they will be allowed to fall over by themselves. Next high wind.

House at end of Cul de Sac - A Girl Scout Leader lived there Fire raced up the wild area bank (coming up off Pomorado Road) - took out all houses with shake roofs (More than one house burned here)

Stark - the end of Cul de Sac house shot from on the hill - a dead tree and a chimney

Another lost house on Cul de Sac - Firemen saved the trees - shake roofed houses simply exploded and there was nothing to be done. Houses standing had reroofed (like me) with shingles (fire retardant rock-asphault) or tile

Propane Tanks Close call - they did not explode.

Yet Another House on the Cul de Sac - about 4 doors away from us - these are BIG houses - 2100 to 3000 sq feet - run about $560,000

Down below us - my home is on top of a hill - above a bank of wild area - this is taken with a telephoto lens - part of my below the hill neighbors

Another down below us - note the roofs on theones standing

Neighbor to the left (when standing in the back) - house on Cul de Sac - fences on the right belong to the neighbor who saved my house

My White Picket Fence - although the roses are who knows where. The bottle brush trees (low fuel) are gone.

Wooden Fence - Fire took out two panels You can tell it was a ground fire - and note that there is no longer any ice plant there. Big tree to the right can be saved - trimmed - but saved. It was 3' tall when I stuck it in the ground. Fire ran up 30'

Assessing the Damage - Me and contractors looking things over - I was sinking into the 4-6 inch deep ashes - they decided I should do a block wall up high - low wall to stop flames - and replant the bank with ice plant. PURPLE of course!

Looking Down the Hill to the Left - the brush was burned into its bent-over position from the force of the wind (120MPH) and the fire (high-heat flames) - Chaperral is oily and burns hot - tosses oil into the air - we used it to start the barbeque coals in under 5 minutes Path of fire to the left ran up through houses to the other side of us - took out groups of 2-3 homes along Avenida Magnifica and raced up the steep hill across the street! LEaves are from the trees that were killed - falling down after it was over. Dead leaves - crisly fried - and ashes. The rains will wreck havoc!

My railroad ties used in a raised flower bed - Monday morning (October 27) they were on fire - literally burning with flames - neighbor put them out with a garden hose - Firemen had already moved onto the horrible fire in the city and on the way to Mexico situation - Broke in my grey hiking boots! Takes a lot of heat to get a treated railroad tie burning! All plants back there (right hand side of the back yard - lower level) are dead.

The Burned View - is this suburbia or Hell? Looks like a crater from a bomb!

Back bank burn out - shot up the hill showing my house and all my dead plants

Cactii - even succulants had no chance

Flopped tree - Trunk-burned Eucalyptus become killer trees - fall over at will