This is a very illustrative interactive map of the Tubbs and Nun fires. There are still others not shown on this map. You may have to give it a few moments for the various layers to appear. Zooming in and out also appears to help it finish loading. I guess it depends upon your connection speed. You can move the map up and around to show other fires. The Redwood fire is the one closest to Mendocino Rose. Cass is between the Tubbs and Nun fire. Vintage is closest to the Tubbs fire. Many others are in the area and facing the same trauma and uncertainties.

Mendocino Rose posted this morning on FB that they are back in their property and three miles from mandatory evacuation areas - so far so good. Problem is that the wind can whip up and change directions. So far so good with Gregg and the Vintage Roses collection too and Berndoodle, who some of you remember, is evacuated but so far as she knows her property is ok. A stunning thing for me is how much of Santa Rosa incinerated, and how many fires are going at once. I feel so bad for the people who have lost everything, and the communities that are devastated.

Thank you, Anita. One wonders what will be left and what irretrievably lost, people, animals, homes, gardens, and when it will all happen again. I'm so glad that the familiar names you mention are all safe, for the moment.

Comtessedelacouche, I just watched a press conference that said the Australians are coming to our aid. I'm so happy to hear this. We need all the help we can get. I'm located about a mile from Gregg Lowry and the situation is incredibly stressful.

I know it’s not much, but I would be happy to donate bands/rooted cuttings of any of my roses that aren’t under patent to anyone who has lost or is losing their garden to the fires. It’s just a small thing, but I would be happy to do it. Please let people know.

My HMF account is current and shows the roses I have to offer. I will begin getting some rooted as soon as it cools off a little more, just in case anyone needs them. My user name on HMF is “Cori Ann - Norcal hot and dry 9b”

I'm glad to hear from you Zuzu. Blessings the stress diminishes rapidly and you all remain safe!

I am so, so sorry to hear of all these devastating climate situations that are hitting all of us world-wide, but are so focused on the USA in particular this year. The Law of Karma (which is practically Newtonian in it's kind of obviousness) would say that we have all done something very wrong, and naturaliy this resounds in all of our environment, in all of nature. We have done so much wrong, and the present governmental regime of the USA seems to stubbornly defy all reason and logic and soul in order to continue to propagate damage and ruin. It seems so unfair , however, that California should be subject to this flagellation. I don't live in the USA any more, but as far as I can see, California is one state that has been truly trying to stand up for it's own rights and for dignity in the face of this neo-fascist regime.It's so true: rain falls on the just and the unjust alike.The fact is that we are all sisters and brothers, and if my sister or brother is bad off, so am I. Please do not bully me or make fun of me, trumpeteers. I really am like that. that is my nature and character. It rends me very vulnerable, true...but it also rends me very strong.

Australia and the Western US have similar wild fire danger, horrible wild fires, terrain, summer weather, speak the same language (sort of) etc., and both have large contingents of firefighters trained to fight wildfires. However, their fire seasons are reversed re the calendar. I recall reading years ago that both areas had figured out a plan whereby they would send firefighters to help each other, when the sending area was in their "slow" fire season. So, evidently trained firefighters have been going back & forth for years. That explains why they were able to announce here that Australians were coming to help only 2 days after the fires started - they already had a plan and system in place to do that. Talk about a "win/win"!

Jackie

I hope with you Romogen. After the Northridge earthquake, I had to reduce everything at home to what would fit in a Geo Metro, talk about small! I knew the place was red tagged and they weren't going to allow us in for a while, if at all, In those dark, traumatic moments, you kick in and do what needs doing. Fast forward to all the times the evacuation orders MIGHT have come, and the one time they DID and I wasn't home to evacuate, then losing everything that would burn in an electrical fire, my heart wrenches for all who have been so adversely affected.

Sorry to hear that Kim and Romogen. My hope with you all.

Romogen, since you still have some time, can you move some stuff to your cottage now? Move stuff out quickly.

Zuzu and Romogen, I am thinking of you both and wishing it were in my power to do something to extinguish the fires! No one should live in continuous insecurity or be forced to abandon one's home and the hard-earned possessions of daily living. No one should be asked to reduce the keepsakes of a lifetime to what one can carry. If my friendship through the forum can provide a bit of a shoulder and understanding, it is all yours!

Kim, you have been through it, and your indomitable spirit is an inspiration! Your roses in my garden take on new meaning each time I read your stories.

Comtesse, bless your wonderful fellow Australians! True allies always. The CA firefighters have been working near straight shifts even while their homes and families are at risk or worse. Relief is desperately needed!

Thank you everyone who has provided updates! I have never met Mendocino Rose, but feel I know her through her posts, and when I read "Mendocino" in the news reports, I was immediately concerned for her safety and her rose collection.

Carol

Agreed, Carol. We've all "been through it", though through different "its", but thank you. We offer each other our shoulders.

Yes we have all been through IT, whether it's been wind, rain or fire, it's all the same when your scared for your life and your homeand I agree it's horrible to try to squeeze your most valuable possessions into a vehicle. I have a rubber Maid container that stays packed with important insurance papers, copies of birth certificates etc in case we have to evacuate for a Hurricane and it was the first thing I loaded in my car during the flood of Hurricane Harvey. I am glad to hear everyone on the forum has been spared from the fires so far, my heart breaks over the devastation this has caused but I know how resilient we as American are, I understand the rebuilding process and I know California will survive this and carry on. Prayers to everyone dealing with IT!!

Boncrow, I've been moving important papers from file cabinets to safer, to-go containers, too, after all the recent disasters. Photos as well. Good advice! Carol

Yes I also have photos, I have a few of my daughters baby pictures, one of my wedding pictures, along with several other family photos. I keep my container in a closet and when I need it I throw it in the car. I think I might even have my yearbook from high school in there too lol. It gives me a little peace of mind to know I have it if I need to evacuate and I am able to salvage a few memories.

Sorry I haven't come by to let folks know how we are. It did come pretty close and we were scared. Tuesday night we thought the road might become blocked and we left to stay with friends, with our dog and kitty. Right now you wouldn't know there was a fire. The wind came up from the west and blew away the smoke. The lines that we were worried about are out now. Still worried about friends to the south and east. Ultimately our loved ones are what matters most though my roses are loved ones too.

Not that there's time for this now, but digital photographs of your home should be on a memory stick as well as digital images of all important papers, beloved photos, etc.
Then a duplicate of the stick in a safe deposit box with the really irreplacable papers.

So much destruction! I am in the South Bay, aka Silicon Valley, about 100 miles away from the nearest of the fires. We have smoke, heavy in the morning then clearing somewhat once the afternoon ocean breezes come in. We are watching closely the situation of our friends to the north.

I have heard that there is a decent chance of light rain in the middle of next week. That, plus a lessening of the high winds, would make a big difference.

Mendocino Rose, I am relieved that you and your immediate loved ones are okay! I continue to hold your friends and everyone in the vicinity of the CA fires in my thoughts. Even though we've never met, your writing, like others' on the forum, expresses so much of who you are and so much about your world that reading the words "Mendocino" and "fire" in the same news report immediately brought you to mind! I read your posts and comments long before my introverted self joined the community. Thank you so much for checking in! Carol

Rosefolly, you live in an area where a number of my close friends reside. The Silicon Valley crowd. I probably have my eye on the same maps and reports that you are following. I am hoping that the inferno remains distant and diminishes as more firefighting reinforcements and resources join the efforts. California and its residents are very dear to me! Carol

Anyone heard anything from Romogen? I hope his family, house and garden are ok.

Yes Romogen reached out to me late last week in a message about a rose I'm housing for him and said he was still ok for the time being. I hope that is still the case, and I'm assuming so since the fires are beginning to become more contained. We definitely need some good news in NorCal.

Thanks for the good news. :-)

Hello. Sorry, I haven't been on the forums lately. Yes, I am doing well. Today is the first time I exhaled.

As of this morning, the 20+ helicopters are no longer using my airport as a staging area and the multiple fires are 70% or more contained.

This past week I've been playing music videos on YouTube from the Vietnam War era. I'm directly between the airport and Sonoma Mountain so it's been sounding like China Beach!

Thank you to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts during this challenging time. I think it's going to be okay.

However, the region is never going to be the same. Half or more of the displaced evacuees are from agriculture, blue collar, working class, and the lower middle income bracket. Property values have skyrocketed the last four years (about 50%), there's only a 1% vacancy rate for rentals, and the labor costs in construction have increased approximately 30% since the recent crackdown on immigration. Officials are concerned many of these people don't have the resources to rebuild, will leave, and never come back. There might be a similar demographic shift as was observed in New Orleans after Katrina.

IMHO, it takes all levels of society to build a stable community. I personally prefer not to live in a world dominated by gated McMansions and gold toilets....

We are very fortunate to live in a state that has an economy about to overtake the United Kingdom to become the 5th largest in the world. We will survive and overcome adversity.

Romogen - so glad to hear you and your home are ok! It's been a very trying time and I'm grateful that my home and neighborhood has come through unscathed but there are a lot of frayed nerves around here. I'll be in touch when I've got roses ready for your rescue service!

Ann

P.S. Thanks for sharing your Albrighton Rambler - I don't think I've seen a photo posted before, It's gorgeous!

Romogen, glad to hear from you! Now you can collect more roses! :-)

Yay, it's raining!!!

Thanks Ann, the flower size of TAR is slightly larger than Cecile Brunner (< 3"), and it quickly fades to flesh/cream a day or two after opening.

Mazel tov!

It's raining here too (normal cold rainstorm), and was at our cabin in way No Calif. when we left there this morning, so I'm guessing that the rain is widespread. Not hard, but so much better than 5% humidity and 50 mph winds that started these horrible fires!

I just found out that our nephew's house, which at one time was 1/2 mile from a fire headed straight towards it, is safe, and they have been allowed to move back in. Many people in other places have not been allowed to go back to their intact homes yet, but I'm sure that will happen in the next few days.

Most of the vineyards escaped destruction (I am talking about the grape vines), even when some of the related buildings burned down. Fields of living, low growing green plants turned out to be natural fire barriers. Most of the grape harvest was already in. Of course, now they have their work cut out for them to save and process the juice which is in tanks. Evidently that started even during the worst of the fire - people sneaking past police lines - "the tanks must be stirred".

The loss of life was horrible and tragic, of course. However, I am not worried about the eventual economic health of the Napa/Sonoma region - it will spring back to life, just as will the few grape vines which actually were burned - they have really deep roots, just like our "wine country" does.

Jackie

Congratulations on the rain and your nephew's home being safe, Jackie. Vineyards and green fields helped prevent the Alamo fire from entering town here, too, a few months ago.

Ugh, seriously? Sacramento just issued a NorthBay Fire Weather Watch for this weekend. Please Santa Claus, not another fire for X-mas!!!

Ouch, I'm sorry! It appears much of the state is under a fire watch.

Oh no, hope there is no more fires in CA.

Egads, between the combined forces of the western states, Canada, and Australia, I hope we have enough firefighting resources. Maybe throw in some landslides, volcanoes erupting, earthquakes, and ensuing tsunamis for a perfect New Year’s.... Just no Rose Rosette Disease please, because that would be too depressing.

Well, January 17 IS the anniversary of the Northridge Earthquake and with all the fires, should there be any rains, landslides could easily add to the equation. And, from some of the rumors I'm hearing, RRD isn't quite out of our picture...yet...

When did the Grinch move to CA?

Ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump. Is that the sound of horsemen? I think I saw four of them galloping over the hill....

I wish I could wish away the crazy devil weather, the poorly maintained trees, the downed power lines, the poverty and homelessness which produce much misery and result in high risk encampments and all the other various and serious hazards for everyone down there in CA! This year defies description. I hope Jeri's sister is well, and I hope no fires break out near you Romogen and Kim! Carol

Amen! Thank you, Carol. The air tankers are flying in and out of the airport here in Santa Maria like a hoard of huge hummingbirds around a freshly filled feeder on a warm summer day. Today, it is larger than New York City. Let that sink in a minute. 252,500 acres, 35% contained. The fourth largest in California history and on track to climb higher. It edged out fourth place from a fire which required EIGHT WEEKS to grow that large. This has taken twelve days. Saturday will be the test. Low humidity, high winds blowing it from inland toward the ocean.

I'm sorry, Kim, but 252, 500 acres just doesn't compute.

At least they are making progress. 35% contained is far preferable to 15% contained, which is what it was when I looked last. Fingers crossed for further containment, and dare I hope for an unexpectedly humid and still Saturday? Well, it can't hurt to try.

Virginia

394.5 square miles equivalent. Rain is predicted for next week...all of which is supposed to remain far north...

Yes. I wish I could say that we expected rain. We don't.

Today, the wind turned around. It's blowing from the South, now, and after going up

to 84 deg., it's dropped to 79. But the smoke that's been pushed West is coming back in on us, so it's a mixed blessing.

We are blessed to have strike teams from all over the west, and Cal Fire units from all over the state helping ... and grieved that we lost one of them the other day.

It has been very very hazy here for the past week, and they say that it is actually smoke from the Southern CA fires! We are 400 miles away.

It is supposed to be dry and windy here for the next few days, and we have not had any rain for 3-4 weeks. Much of the entire area around SF Bay is under a "fire watch". Berkeley (which last burned in the 1920s - my grandmother used to tell me about it) has asked everyone who lives in the wooded hills (just like the Oakland hills which burned a few years ago - steep, narrow windy roads) to park their cars in garages of otherwise off the streets, so that fire equipment can use the streets if necessary. They are serious - it is scary.

Jackie

Wow! Yes ma'am, that is scary. We experienced Santa Rosa fire smoke here (300 miles away). It has long been mandated that in the LA hills areas, no on-street parking is allowed during weather events which could result in fire for the same reasons. Even without fire equipment, imagine trying to evacuate on those clogged streets. I am so relieved I don't LIVE on those anymore!

This morning:

Thank goodness for the local station, KEYT.com.

The smoke from the south has been making our dawns rosy, too, but we are having high winds today here also (and red-flag warnings) and that is blowing the smoke away now.

The firefighter who sadly was killed was from the town right next to us. I'm so thankful that at least so far there haven't been the terrible casualties of firefighters that we experienced in the past. There's almost nothing left to say at this point, it is horrible and tragic, and on a scale that is terrifying.

Jackie, that is scary, but I'm glad that they mean business. I also hope the preparation turns out to be unnecessary.

I hope all of you and your loved ones stay safe,

Virginia