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A Close Call

September 27th, 2016 by Karen 22 Comments



novato-fire-sept-26

So…something scary happened last night. There was a big fire on the ridge across the street from our house!

Right after I took this pic, big flames shot up the hill. Needless to say, I freaked out a little.

El Hub started hosing down the roof and the trees and the hill outside, while I…well, I ate an apple.

Yeah, that goes to show how useful I am in stressful situations, LOL!

Maybe I was subconsciously carbo-loading for what I thought would be a long night ahead…

We started preparing to be evacuated, which has happened to some of the neighborhoods in the Bay Area lately because of wildfires. I pulled the cat carrier out of the closet, called my parents to let them know what was up, and made an odd mental list of things I’d need to grab before running out the door, like the baby (of course), Tabs, the backup drives, my personal documents and a box of keepsakes and mementos I’ve had since I was a kid.

I also came to the humbling realization that I really have no control over anything. In my mind, I like to think that I’m in control of my life and the things that happen in it, but if those flames had turned our way, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.

It was very scary.

We found out later that it was a two-alarm vegetation fire. Dozens of homes were evacuated, but luckily there were no injuries, and no homes were destroyed.

That was a close one!

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

A Close Call / Originally published September 27th, 2016

There are 22 comments on this post. Leave yours.

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Comments

  1. Katherine M says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:23 pm

    That IS really scary. To have the thought and fear that a fire could take away what you know…what your routine is…

    Being in law enforcement I definitely don’t take anything for granted. I’ve learned that we are not promised tomorrow and to make the most of life while we can.

    I am so sorry you had to go through all of that worry and fear and worrying about what you would need to pack in case you were evacuated! I am so glad that it was not a worse situation.

    Reply
  2. Anitra says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:30 pm

    Sorry you & your neighbors had to go through that . Fires are one of my worst fears. Glad you all are ok ?

    Reply
  3. Niki says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:32 pm

    Mother Nature can be a scary bitch! I was in a major hurricane (Ivan) years ago, and I still feel anxious when I think about it. I have all the confidence in the world that, had the worst happened, this community would rally in a hurry to take care of you and yours!!

    Reply
  4. Chelsea says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:37 pm

    That’s so scary! Glad you and your family are okay, hoping your neighbors are safe as well.

    Reply
  5. kwmechelle says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:43 pm

    Glad to know all is well. The picture looks scary so I can only imagine the fear that you felt in real life. Hugs!
    East coast homie 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jennifer says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:47 pm

    Scary! Glad you guys are okay and didn’t have to evacuate! Glad hubs is on top of things! Stay safe sister!!?

    Reply
  7. Lulle says

    September 27th, 2016 at 7:57 pm

    That’s really scary, I’m glad nothing was destroyed and you didn’t have to evacuate! I’m not surprised though, with the heat and low humidity we’ve had allover California, fire risk is at its max level. I wore my Smokey the Bear hat this weekend to encourage safe behavior!

    Reply
  8. Chris25 says

    September 27th, 2016 at 9:08 pm

    I’m just glad no one was hurt! I think fires are so tragic and scary for all the reasons you listed.

    Reply
  9. hanna says

    September 27th, 2016 at 9:15 pm

    So glad everything worked out okay.

    Reply
  10. Kiss & Make-up says

    September 28th, 2016 at 2:52 am

    Close one indeed! There are just some things that you don’t have any control over and when you are faced with them it can definitely be scary. Lesson of the day? Always keep apples in the house.

    😉

    Reply
  11. Efrain says

    September 28th, 2016 at 4:04 am

    I consider myself lucky for not having to pass for a really stressful experience with Mother Nature. We live in a complicated area but other than earthquakes (that thank god haven’t been as hard as the one in 1985) and volcano ash (even if Popocatepetl erupted we won’t be in a complete risk) we haven’t experienced to be evacuated.

    So please stay safe my friend and I’m sending part of our rains to the Bay Area.

    Reply
  12. Jane says

    September 28th, 2016 at 5:00 am

    Glad to hear that you and your loved ones are safe. That is a scary situation and it is smart to have an evacuation plan in place. Mother Nature has been testing us in the last few years with hurricanes and super storms here on the east coast. We lost power and had some tree damage, but thankfully no loss of life. Be well and be safe!

    Reply
  13. LindaLibraLoca says

    September 28th, 2016 at 5:14 am

    That makes me realize how lucky I am to live in an area where no such things are to be expected. A really close one.
    And good for carbloading, you need to have strength for you and your baby, so the apple was mandatory.

    Reply
  14. Jessica says

    September 28th, 2016 at 6:58 am

    That is scary and I am glad you are ok.
    There are some things we have control over and many things we just do not. But apples are usually a pretty good idea regardless.

    hugs

    Reply
  15. Erin says

    September 28th, 2016 at 7:57 am

    I know how it feels! We had an electrical fire earlier this year and had some damage. Then we had a lot of wildfires close by. I was so stressed!

    Reply
  16. TrippyPixie says

    September 28th, 2016 at 10:25 am

    My heart stopped when I saw that picture. My younger sister went to visit my out-of-state godmother this past summer, and there was a really bad thunderstorm. Lightning hit the house and set it on fire, and destroyed the entire house. You really don’t have any sort of control over those kinds of things, and that’s terrifying. (Things are getting better for them, thankfully.)

    I’m happy that you and everyone in the area was okay.

    Reply
  17. Tatiana says

    September 28th, 2016 at 11:04 am

    So glad it was a small fire. There was another fire further up 101 in Petaluma that destroyed some homes. Here’s hoping the weather starts to get cooler and we get some much needed rain this winter. Hope y’all stay safe.

    Reply
  18. Raph says

    September 28th, 2016 at 11:27 am

    OMG this is sooooo scary… I hope you guys are ok now. xxx

    Reply
  19. Jan says

    September 28th, 2016 at 4:08 pm

    Wow–That’s so scary. I’m glad everything turned out okay.

    Reply
  20. Iris says

    September 28th, 2016 at 9:39 pm

    That’s so scary. I’m glad you and your family are alright.

    There was a huge fire up north from us and they had to evacuate the entire city. A lot of the evacuees went to our city, as it was the closest major one. Some people lost their homes. It really does put things into perspective.

    Reply
  21. Kim says

    September 29th, 2016 at 8:20 am

    I’m so sorry for your scare and glad that no one was hurt/no homes were lost. And don’t be too hard on yourself. Only one person can hose down the area and your mental list was a valuable contribution. I’m glad you didn’t have to round everything up, but it’s good that you were prepared.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      September 29th, 2016 at 10:55 am

      Thanks Kim. It looks like the heat has finally gone away which means the fire danger is lowered!

      Reply

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