God Help Us Here

View from my neighborhood of the sky and the smoke

that is coming from Brea and Yorba Linda

Once again, the hills of Southern California are burning.

Montecito. Sylmar. Now homes near the Riverside/Orange County lines.

Holy St. Lawrence, intercede on behalf of those whose lives will be affected by these wildfires. Let them know compassion through the efforts of others to stem this catastrophe. Pray for those firefighters and medics who will risk their lives in their work. Give strength to those who are manning shelters and emergency centers. Though fire may take material possessions, let life be spared. We ask this and all things through Christ, Our Lord. Amen. (+)

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

St. Joseph, protector of families, pray for us.

Jesus Christ, redeem and sanctify us.

Update:

5:50 pm PST - Crap. So many homes lost in both Yorba Linda and Anaheim Hills. And now they are afraid there may have been fatalities in the mobile home park that burned in Sylmar, because many of the homes still had cars in front of them - could the people have gotten out?

Here is a fire map for Orange County. We are talking in the hundreds now. This is being called the "Freeway Complex" fire in Orange County and the "Tea" fire in Los Angeles County.

Reports coming in now from Yorba Linda that pumping stations have burned, so there is no water to use to fight the flames.

And yet, in L.A., the opponents of Prop 8 still marched. Hey, a**wipes, do you think maybe the firefighter, paramedic, and police resources of Los Angeles city and county are a bit stretched with the fires than to cover your march? Yeah, yeah, I know, you're the victims.

Sorry, feeling blue and mad at the same time. Gotta go now to a volunteer appreciation dinner at church because I RSVP'd, although I don't feel like it. Watch the websites for Catholic Charities and Red Cross - I will be making a donation to help these people and I hope you will, too. Especially those in the mobile park in Sylmar - not a lot of money, there. I was watching one retired couple on the news who were hearing impaired and they were signing how she did lovely watercolors that were all lost, but they are grateful for being alive and to the firefighters who helped them evacuate.

3:39 pm PST - about 25-30 homes damaged or destroyed in Yorba Linda. Fire now in Anaheim Hills, having jumped the 91 Freeway.

1:05 pm PST - thank God, thank God, a brush fire in Rancho Palos Verdes started but was quickly put out.

At 12:48 PST - 12 homes destroyed in Yorba Linda, which is in the north part of Orange County. In Sylmar, which is above Los Angeles, no official count but they are reporting "hundreds of homes" destroyed. Please offer your prayers for those areas - we're okay in "flat land" spots as here in Santa Ana.

Just read - 600 mobile homes gone in Sylmar. LAPD declaring it a crime scene because it seems to have been purposely set.