Monday Morning Update

From this morning's L.A. Times:

A fire in the Angeles National Forest that is threatening homes from Acton to Altadena and has killed two firefighters doubled in size to 85,000 acres overnight and destroyed more structures.

The exact number of homes consumed by the Station fire remains unclear, but officials said several homes south of Acton, on the fire's northern flank, were lost last night and this morning. Earlier, 18 homes in the Tujunga Canyon area were lost, but officials expect the number to rise.

More neighborhoods were evacuated overnight as the fire pushed in three directions. Officials said the blaze had not yet burned to the top of Mt. Wilson, where critical communications centers are located, but they said that area remains highly vulnerable. Firefighters remained atop the mountain this morning, trying to protect the TV and radio transmitters.

Doubled. Overnight.

Our friend and video editor, Vic Vinson, who was working in our study until past midnight on final-edits for the Integrity Eucharist video, went home to find out his neighborhood had received evacuation orders as the fire that had been going UP the canyon started back down.

The tragic loss of two firefighters on a treacherous mountain firebreak road yesterday is on everyone's hearts and minds and it continues to astound that human beings can do what these brave firefighters do in 100+ temperatures -- putting themselves in harm's way so we're not.

Yesterday, one of our parishioners left a message on my cell phone that she was going to be late to teach Sunday School as she had to unload some of the "in case we have to flee" stuff out of her car in order to fit her kids in. (But she still showed up to teach Sunday School!)

Another arrived home from a funeral up north to find his neighborhood has been evacuated and he couldn't get back in to get his cats out of the house.

And we've been keeping track of each other on the 21st century "tie that binds" ... Facebook ... with updates flying back and forth from La Canada to Altadena to Pasadena, along with requests for donations of towels and water bottles for the local humane society for evacuated animals and offers to "come stay here if you need to ... bring the dogs."

The air quality is stupendously horrible. Even those of us who don't have "respiratory issues" have sore throats, stuffed noses and heavy chests. Those with pulmonary and cardiac problems are seriously compromised. And it's supposed to be 100 again today.
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More later ... off to get started on some of the other details of life and work that haven't even been thought about for the last few days. Thanks to all who have sent prayers and good wishes ... keep 'em coming!

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