We woke up to blue skies, but the news showed fires inland, in the San Fernando Valley. By noon, our air tasted wrong. By 1:45pm, our skies changed color, and flecks of ash began appearing on parked cars. The light outside is a strange yellow, and my throat is starting to burn. A state of emergency has been declared, thousands have been evacuated, and hundreds of homes have burned. We’re in no danger of flames here; just inhaling the particles that floated away.
UPDATE: For a while this afternoon, the flames were significantly closer–still not in danger, but that might explain the sudden increase in smokiness around here. There’s definite ashfall outside now, and the sunset was intense around 4:30–that color they call “angry red” in situations like this–might be pretty if not for the circumstances.
Pennamite 