Fire, Smoke and Wind

We had spotted the smoke earlier in the day on the horizon.

From Marky's back yard we enjoyed the incredible sunset that only severe smoke could produce, a harbinger of a hell to come.

The decision was made. After a weekend sublime, it was time to go home. Hopefully the fires wouldn't interfere.
It was after Magic Mountain that the fire presented itself. To my right, in the East , I saw flames and sparks shooting into the air like a volcano.
A few miles farther North my way was barred by a wall of flame across the horizon. From a vantage point West I was able to take a few pictures.

I abandoned my travels north and attempted to find a way around by going west. This way proved to be more spectacular with lines of fire meandering up the hillsides. The winds in these canyons were approaching 100 miles an hour. Getting out of my car, I was immediately stung by debris blasting out of the east. My mouth filled with grit and ruined the gum that I had been chewing. Going into the town of Piru I found dozens of emergency vehicles waiting to called upon. The glow behind the hills was ominous and spoke of evil coming with destruction in mind.

The next day dawned with air that burned the eyes, attacked the throat, clogged the sinuses, and leadened the lungs.
There was very little light and not much visibility. Not until Santa Marguerita did the smoke finally reach an end.





The winds that had produced such a lovely pristine evening sky 2 nights before and a beautiful sunset the next had turned into a devil that ended up causing terrible loss of property and life.
Go figure.