Die verheerendere Großflächenbrände

Most everyone has already heard about the raging wildfires all over Southern California. The news is major, even here in Berlin. Every day it is on the front page of all the German papers, and it's even on the Berliner Fenster (the news program that is shown on the subway). Friends from across the U.S. and even my friend in Serbia emailed to see if my house was ok. That makes me realize just how bad the situation is/was, since being so far from home I can't see for myself.

I am brought to tears reading about what is going on in Orange County in particular (check out coverage here), especially because it has been determined that the fires are a result of arson. There are a couple fires blazing within a few miles of my house, threatening my elementary school, my old post office and favorite childhood restaurant, many of the stores at which I used to shop, and the roads on which I often drove. My mother was in Istanbul at the beginning of the week, and as she caught wind of the news, she freaked out about our house, and even told me that my dad might not be able to visit me (they both came and visited me this weekend--more about that and how my dad and I got sick in another post--and I am happy to report that my house is totally fine and my brother, dog, and bird stayed home to be our heroes).

I knew all along that my house would be ok, even though we are completely surrounded by fire-feeding woods. My dad said he had to clean up a ton of ashes in our front and backyards, and the sky is dark with smoke. You can see the fires from the toll road (the 241), as the sides of the road are burning in many areas. Here's a good map of the safe distance my house is from the fire (FYI, I live in Coto de Caza). However, until fourth grade I lived in Robinson Ranch in Trabuco Canyon, and we used to go down into the affected canyons (Santiago, Modjeska, Trabuco) all the time--our orthodontist, the post office, Senor Lico's (only the best restaurant ever), and our 4-H club (don't laugh) were there. The road right past Robinson Ranch was closed, and my high school and presumably my elementary school were closed on Friday.

Despite my house not being in danger, I feel for the victims of the fires, the victims of the arsonist, I should say. I think roughly 14 homes or so have been lost in Modjeska, and a few firefighters have sustained minor injuries.

I realize that pretty much none of my "readers" is from OC, and since I'm not affected by the fires none of you probably cares that much about the situation, but I just needed a place to express my sadness. And oddly enough, I think all of this is making me a little homesick. Not homesick for my family, per se, since my parents were literally with me until a couple of hours ago (although I miss my two "brothers," Beau and James, not necessarily in that order), but homesick for the best place to live in the entire world.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/county-fire-fires-1911377-san-orange