Fire just north of Anne

[MandysMom]

Just north of Orville, where Anne lives, a fire broke out in vicinity of Paradise Ca. It’s pushed by heavy wind and last report 18,000 acres! Evacuations in Paradise, And nearby towns. Reports of people injured trying to escape. Anne and anyone else near, please check in! This one will be worse before they catch it, with gale force winds swirling. Wind here has busted near 30 mph at brief times earlier.
It’s about 100 miles north of Sacramento, but smoke had reached us by noon!
Velda

[OregonLuvr]

Just read they had a shelter in Oroville so guessing that area is safe for now. Hoping Anne is safe too. Also said the hospital they evacuated all patients in on fire on the roof, they are running out of water to fight the fire with and they have no power to power the pumps for the reservoir sheesh. 70 people trapped in the hospital (not patients). Just posted online so not sure what is true and what isnt but I am following this closely.

[monik7]

I’m about 140 miles southwest as the crow flies and it’s amazing how much smoke we have here from this fire. The winds must be blowing right our way. Pictures on the news are heartbreaking. One reporter talked about horses running down the road where she was reporting. This is getting all too familiar. Hope Anne checks in,
Sandi

[Bethers]

This is so scary. I hope we hear from Anne soon.

[snowball]

is this the one they are calling the campground fire? I think was the name perhaps just camp fire
they have talked with it on the radio
hope Anne is safe as well as others in the area
she maybe busy and not on internet if anyone as her phone number perhaps a call just to assure all is well or not
sheila

[JudyJB]

Yes, it is the Camo Fire. Here is the map of all California Fires: http://www.fire.ca.gov/general/firemaps She lives further south, closer to the Oroville Dam, but I am sure this is not making her happy.

I know Anne has been looking for a new place to live in southern Oregon, but has not found what she wants yet. Between the possibilities of the dam breaking and the problems with the methods they used to correct the problem, she really is thinking she lives in a very dangerous place. So if it isn't a flood, it is a fire. She really needs to get out of there fast, and I am guessing maybe she evacuated already to not take chances.

My Napa son and his family have been upset all day about one of the people shot in the bar attack last night. Her mother worked closely with both my son and DIL at various schools in the Napa district where my kids worked, and Alaina was also their kids primary babysitter until a couple of years ago. So, even the kids knew her well. Very sad day for all of them. They had to tell the kids (ages 11 & 13) before school today so they would not hear it from someone else.

Fires, floods, mass murders--not a good week.

[BarbaraRose]

That fire is so devastating! People driving and running thru flames to escape. So tragic! There is another fire just north of LA in Ventura County around Thousand Oaks, so they are dealing with a double disaster there.
And I have no words for that shooting.

I hope Anne evacuated and is in a safe place. I worry too about the animals and wildlife trying to escape.

A sad day for sure.

[MandysMom]

Yes the fire is Being called the Camp Fire because it started near Camp Road,east of Paradise. News tonight said the city of Paradise is basically gone. And that over 1000 homes destroyed and lives have been lost. There had been 4 trapped in the hospital basement, but Deputies were able to get them all out. Last report fire moving pretty much west right towards the city of Chico, a city of 94,000 people which includes the Chico State University, where I graduated from Nursing School. Anne is south, not west, so other than smoke, she should be ok. In fact by noon today we could smell smoke and 11 weather report said we may be heavily smoked in by morning. Praying wind dies down. Friend from church, grew up in Paradise and has not been able to reach her parents who were not in the original evacuation announced and now she can’t reach them and she knows there area burned. The Elks Club where we had our RV rally is right in center of burned area.

[Colliemom]

I watched live coverage of the fires on Westher Channel last night. Frightening. Thanks to those of you keeping us updated since you live out there here, it’s more accurate than what we can get on news here. Maybe Anne isn’t at home as she sometimes goes places and then tells us about it after she’s back.

[monik7]

I just realized this morning that I have Anne’s phone number. I called her and she’s fine. She says she’s closer to Marysville and currently about 30-40 miles from the fire and not in any danger. She’s watching reports and keeping up-to-date on the fire’s progress.

The big danger right now is the fire moving west toward the larger town of Chico. The town of Paradise is basically gone. Part of the problem is humidity readings in the low single digits throughout much of California.
Sandi

[Cudedog]

Many thanks from all of you, especially thanks to Sandi (who very kindly telephoned me), Velda (who offered me a place to evacuate to, if need be!) and to Karen who PM'd me to express her concern (and encourage me to get my KF move on!), and also to Beth, Sheila, Judy, Barbie, Sue. I had not visited the Forum since early yesterday, so had not read the "fire" posts.

All of your concern is appreciated more than you know. As a single woman, WomenRV provides a kind of "lifeline", that keeps me tethered to a community (and to the wonderful travel/RV information member's so willingly and selflessly provide).

I am at home, and I am safe. I actually live closer to Marysville than to Oroville, which puts me about 30 - 40 miles from the location of the fire. There is a lot of smoke here, but not so much as in the San Francisco Bay area, which has received a lot more smoke from this fire than I have. My son, who lives in the South Bay, phoned me yesterday to be sure that I was safe, and he said that the smoke where he lives (about 150 miles south-west of the fire!) is very bad, with poor visibility, respiratory irritation, and burning eyes. Where I am it is still fairly clear, so the winds are carrying the smoke away from me.

I sincerely hope that what is being said about Paradise is an exaggeration, and not fully true. Paradise is a beautiful foothill city/town (I have visited there many times, it is fairly close to me when I want to "go for a drive"). However, it is not a valley town, but is located a ways up into the Sierra foothills - and thus the town itself is surrounded by wildland. This makes it at risk for this kind of wildland fire.

Parts of the city of Chico abut the foothills also (which means that the city limits abut against wildland) which puts the outskirts of the city of Chico at risk also. I have heard on the news this morning that California State University at Chico has closed today, because of the fire. Not good news.

We have not had any appreciable rain here since April (seven months). This is fairly normal for my part of California. Temps have been mostly 100 degrees plus, (many days topping out at 110 - 112) almost every day from about June until mid-August. September and October temps have generally still reached the lower to mid-90's. Last week or so have been in the upper 80's, still with no rain in sight (rains usually begin in mid to late October - not this year - we are still waiting).

Everything (especially in the foothills, where Paradise is located) is so dry that all it takes to start a fire is a piece of metal striking a rock, and causing a spark. Lawnmowers striking a rock in dry grass have started fires here more than once.

The way that the major Redding fire of a month or so ago started was from a flat tire on an RV, when the rim created sparks when striking the pavement, and the sparks shooting off the side of the road into the dry grass.

Scary time, for sure.

Pray for rain. Or maybe Martha can just send some our way! What do you say, Martha?

Thank you to all of you, and special thanks to Beth for creating this forum. It is amazing - and comforting - to feel that I somehow "belong".

My very best wishes to you all,

Anne

PS. Just visited the main "go-to" website for fire information in my area: https://yubanet.com/Fires/camp/

It seems that the fire has just jumped in size from 20,000 acres to 70,000 acres just overnight. The fire has only been burning for little more than one day. Looking at the map posted there, it seems the fire has now reached the outskirts of Chico. Bad news, indeed.

2nd PS. It seems that most telephone lines in the area are now down - mostly Oroville, but likely parts of Chico also. The Butte County website (the fire is located in Butte County) is offline. Likely the server has crashed with people trying to log on to find out fire information (the CalFire website references the Butte County website for those seeking information on road closures and evacuation centers - with the Butte County website crashed, this leaves little option of places to find info). Phone lines down and major local source of fire information (location of fire, location of evacuation centers, information on road closures) now unavailable to those being affected by the fire.

[monik7]

It’s amazing. I haven’t smelled any smoke inside my house. I do have double-pane windows and I guess the place is pretty well sealed up. When I went into my garage,however, the smell of smoke was so strong you would think the Camp Fire is within miles rather than 140. They are telling people in my area to stay inside if possible, especially those with respiratory problems. Also to keep A/C on recirculate.
Sandi

[BarbaraRose]

Please be careful and leave if you need to. We are all thinking of you and concerned. It is such a sad and very dangerous situation. Fires can start up so quickly anywhere. There is also a bad fire just north of LA. So far, nothing down here in San Diego but very windy with red flag warnings.

[Bethers]

Sandi thanks for calling and reporting!
Anne, thanks for the complete update. Watch close pear and get out if necessary... Before it becomes mandatory!

You were on my tasks to pm if no word this morning.

[MandysMom]

So glad you checked in, Anne! As of a short while ago, the parents of long time church friends, are still unaccounted for in Paradise! We are all praying for the Lipps family. Chico has grown both in population (over 90,000 now) and in geography as they moved city limits out. Paradise is at the start of the Feather River Canyon and Chico is just down a little further into the edge of the valley. It’s such a beautiful area. Only two main roads In and out of Paradise, thus complicating evacuation, as well as getting huge numbers of fire personnel, ambulances, and police personnel in and out. I remember my first visit to Chico, summer of 66, after, for inexplicable reasons I chose Chico state out of the 3of 3 colleges I applied to and was accepted to all 3. The last 40 or so miles north through the grass lands leading to Chico in that summer of ‘66, looked so bleak and unappealing with the July heat and dry grass off as far as one could see. I thought, what have I got myself into? Then you turn west a little on the highway, and enter the green beauty of Chico, where Butte creek runs down the middle and I could not help but be at least charmed. I thought, well I can always transfer at end of the semester! But with in weeks I fell in love and the area to this day holds a special place in my heart. Grasslands will quickly recover, but Paradise, filled with retirees and lots of beautiful tall evergreens, will never be the same.
Velda