Things are pretty bleak out here in Santa Barbara. A thick cloud of smoke hangs over our city and its been raining ash all morning. Outside the air is smoky and hot and dry. We have to stay indoors with windows and doors closed. Those of us lucky enough to still have a home, that is. I'm among the lucky group that hasn't lost a home, or has had to evacuate. But we are in the warning zone, so the order to evacuate could come at any moment. It's a miserable feeling. We've got our important stuff packed and some change of clothes. Beyond that - I find it really hard to decide what to try to save. It's quite a weird feeling to contemplate the real possibility that everything you own could be turned to ash.
This fire that rages through Santa Barbara is called the Jesusita Fire. It started on Tuesday - May 2 - just as I was dismissing my students. One of them pointed to the cloud of smoke on the slope in front of us. "Look, Ms. Moodley, looks like a fire." And yes, it was - a monster of a fire tearing through our hills and heading into the neighborhoods. The extreme heat and dryness and evening sundowners conspired together and the fire has spread and grown and now its destructions stretches from Montecito to Goleta. All schools are closed, roads have been blocked off, events have been cancelled - it's awful.
Last night, as the winds picked up the fire turned fierce and raced in our direction. We had to pack up and be prepared to evacuate. Of course, we couldn't sleep because there was so much uncertaintly about the fire. There was a very real possibility we would have to evacuate in the middle of the night. Thankfully, we didn't need to.
Today, I'm wrecked from lack of sleep and worry. When is this nightmare going to end? The one positive thing is that our lives aren't in any danger. We will definitely have enough time to get to a safe place if the fire gets too close.
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