Alex's situation

[JohnSwenson]

There is a massive wildfire in the area where Alex lives. The town near him has been completely evacuated and all the highways are shut down. Alex is still at home, but is without power, internet and cell communication. There is still landline working so I can still occasionally get through.

 

He and his family are fine, but the air is filled with thick smoke. With most of the roads closed it will be difficult to get out if they have to leave. They have 2 dogs. 4 cats and 2 horses, if they have to evacuate it is not going to be easy.

 

I was just talking with him a few minutes ago and he seemed hopeful that the fire will bypass them.

 

Don't expect any replies from Alex for a few days.

 

I'll keep you all updated as I get information.

 

John S.

[Jeremy Anderson]

Oh no! Our thoughts and prayers are with him (and everyone else down there! yikes!)

[lmitche]

Hi all,

 

You should all know that Alex has been forced to evacuate his California home due to the forest fires nearby. We are unlikely to hear from him for a while.  Power and cell towers are offline in his area.

 

I know all of you, like me,  wish Alex, his family and his Uptone Audio employees best wishes for a safe and quick return to their homes.

 

Larry

[Jeremy Anderson]

Is there anything practical we can do to help?

[JohnSwenson]

We don't even know where he is right now. He used the last of the charge on his phone to get out an email to a few of us.

 

Right now about the only thing we can do is pray for rain in the area.

 

We will keep you all informed if we hear anything new.

 

John S.

[Jeremy Anderson]

You got it, boss!

[The Computer Audiophile]

Wow, this isn't good to read. 

 

If anyone is in contact with him, let him know that the CA Community is here to help however it can. All he has to do is ask. 

[Jud]

If you want to know how much Alex thinks of his customers, in that last email he managed to squeeze off from his cell phone, he said to let everyone know shipments of next week’s orders would be delayed. (!!)

[Jeremy Anderson]

So thoughtful of him! Giving us hope that things are not as dire as they sound!

 

(tempted to post a link to PFR's "Pray for Rain"...)

 

 

[Guidof]

Warmest wishes for Alex's safety and of course for that of his family and neighbors!

[jrd1975]

Wishing all the evacuees a speedy and safe return to their homes.

[Confused]

+1 To everything said above.  Rather ironically, we have all been complaining about very heavy rain, localised flash floods and thunderstorms here in the southern UK.  Sometimes when complaining about life's minor troubles very often we could all do with remembering just how fortunate we really are.

 

Very best of luck to Alex & all affected by this.

[Jiffi32]

Alex hope you and yours are all safe.

wish I could send you some of the rain we're currently receiving here in the UK.

[wgscott]

 

1 hour ago, Guidof said:

Warmest wishes

 

Ouch.

 

This one is looking bad, BTW.  From the SF Comical

[RichB]

Praying for some rain (not a lot as that can cause many other problems with erosion on a fire ravaged landscape out there) and the house of UpTone & family escapes any fire danger.

[tapatrick]

Good god, what terrible news. Do hope Alex and family are all okay as well as others in the area. Praying for lots of rain there.

[Superdad]

Hi Everyone:

Power (and internet!) just came back on after being off for 36 hours, so I thought I'd send out an update to friends and family--before the power goes out again.

This is a really bad fire and even the town is quite threatened as homes in areas right behind it have burned.  They are dropping retardant on town now. All of town is closed, all roads and highways are closed, with our only exit being to the south, towards Oakhurst.  46,000 acres and only about 7% containment.  Big Type 1 national fire team is coming to take over.

As the crow flies, one front of the fire is just about 3 miles from us, but there are 2 or 3 ridges (and canyons) it would have to burn past to get here.  We would see it from our west-facing deck hours in advance--but we don't see even the tips of anything yet.

Attached is a vey current map of the fire.  Our house is the blue dot on the right.  Our horses have been moved elsewhere, and as we are still on pre-evacuation notice we have some stuff packed and ready.  Two giant dogs and 4 cats will present a challenge if we do need to flee, but honestly I am not too worried at the moment.

Not much to do besides eat the thawed food we have in the house--and avoid breathing the choking air outside.

Thanks for all your kind wishes.  Everything will be alright for us.  Sadly it won't be for a lot of other folks in the area.  The drought enabled the bark beetles to ravage millions of trees, and that has turned most of the Sierras into a tinderbox.

If things get worse I'll try to keep you all updated.  Otherwise, just expect that the heroic fire crews from all over the state will have gotten this monster contained within a few days.

(Too) warmly,

ALEX

 

P.S.  If it seems safe to leave my wife and kids at home tomorrow with just one vehicle, then I may try to make an 1:40 drive (each way) via back roads to the FedEx depot in Merced to pick up shipments of 250 LPS-1 cases and circuit boards that were supposed to have been delivered yesterday.  Then, if my assistant and I work through the weekend we may only be a day or two off on next week's shipments.  We'll see...
 

[EDIT:  Photos and map did not post--scroll down a few for them.]

[austinpop]

2 minutes ago, Superdad said:

... but honestly I am not too worried at the moment.

 

This is the most important statement for us. You and your family's safety is uppermost in our mind.

 

2 minutes ago, Superdad said:

P.S.  If it seems safe to leave my wife and kids at home tomorrow with just one vehicle, then I may try to make an 1:40 drive (each way) via back roads to the FedEx depot in Merced to pick up shipments of 250 LPS-1 cases and circuit boards that were supposed to have been delivered yesterday.  Then, if my assistant and I work through the weekend we may only be a day or two off on next week's shipments.  We'll see...

 

Please don't worry about this now, until the danger is passed. 

 

A lot of people have wondered here - what can we do to help. Weill, here's one concrete way to help. Please be patient and understanding about orders being delayed, so Alex doesn't feel compelled to drive through a raging inferno to get your packages shipped! 

[rickca]

16 minutes ago, Superdad said:

Everything will be alright for us.

Glad to hear you are prepared but haven't yet needed to evacuate.  Just stay safe.  Thanks for the update, we are all concerned about your welfare.

[lmitche]

Alex, there is no need to be separated from your family until the danger has passed. I'm sure your customers will understand.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Info for people to follow: http://google.org/crisismap/google.com/2017-detwiler-fire

[Superdad]

5 minutes ago, The Computer Audiophile said:

Info for people to follow: http://google.org/crisismap/google.com/2017-detwiler-fire

 

Thanks, but that map must be almost 2 days old.  The fire is three times that size now and spread far southward.

[The Computer Audiophile]

Ah, I see. 

 

http://www.fire.ca.gov/current_incidents/incidentdetails/Index/1672

[Superdad]

Oh, I see the map and photo I thought I pasted in is not showing.  I'll try again:

 

Blue dot is my place:

And from downtown:

[lmitche]

Alex, what's the nearby Mormon Bar?  Sounds like an oxymoron..