Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

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This is where the Santiago Fire is located in respect to my home. Keeping the windows closed helps to keep the smoke smell and ash out of the house. On the right side of the picture you can see Santiago and Modjeska canyons which have been in the news. Modjeska canyon is named after Arden the Helena Modjeska (mo-jeska). Helena was a famous Shakespearean actress from 1888 to 1906. The home is now a park: www.ocparks.com/modjeskahouse

Fire at Dusk

Today the Santa Ana winds came on with a fury for the first time this season. These are east to west winds that blow down the Santa Ana River valley in Orange County. The winds gust up to 50 MPH (100 MPH in the mountains) and are accompained by relative humidity in the single digits. The Malibu Canyon fire started at about 5:30 this morning, reportedly started by a high tension power line being blown down by the winds. Late this afternoon a fire started near Orange and is reported to be headed towards Irvine. Fortunately, I live in a very urban part of Irvine with little in the way of open space forest. Here are some pictures taken from my street.