Should I Stay Or Should I Go Now?

I thought that I was out of the woods. The fire in Agua Dulce did travel the 10 miles straight to Canyon Country, just like I feared would happen. But once it got here, planes and helicopters were pulled from the Malibu fire to fight it. It would have been nice if they had used all of their resources before the fire got so big that it threatened the tens of thousands of people who live here, but who am I to judge?

Anyway, only a few homes were lost and I was lucky that the fire reached Canyon Country about three miles downwind from my house. It was blowing in the opposite direction and I never even smelled any smoke.

It occurred to me to drop off the dogs at my parent's house before going to work today, but it seemed unnecessary. The fire had moved so many miles away and couldn't possibly back-track that far.

Driving to work, I noticed that Magic Mountain was either on fire or was very close to the fire. From my perspective, it was hard to tell which it was. I should have cared, but with all that was going on, it just didn't matter.

At work, with all of the TV stations covering the fires, it was easy to keep track of the fire situation. The only warning I had that something might be wrong at my house was someone yelling out to me at the end of the shift that I might want to check on the status of the 14 freeway. Someone coming to work had called in late because she was stuck on the 14 due to a fire. The person who took the call didn't know what part of the 14 was closed, but I figured it was just in Agua Dulce fire and wasn't concerned.

Getting in my car, I found a news channel to listen to. It said that there was a new fire in Canyon Country and that the 14 freeway was closed between Sand and Shadow Pines, which just happens to be where my house is. The fire had already torn through a mobile home tract and was out of control.

I felt a panic attack coming on. I don't care about any of my possessions except for my dogs. I had to rescue them and wasn't sure I would be able to reach them. If the streets were barricaded, I was thinking of various routes, by either car or foot, to get home. Driving close to 90 miles an hour, I was having chest pains and shortness of breath. I can see how people sometimes go to emergency rooms thinking that they are having a heart attack, when it is just anxiety.

Driving down a hill into Santa Clarita, I could see a number of fires, but the one I cared about was the one directly ahead, burning on my hill. I couldn't tell exactly where the fire was in relation to my house, but it was close enough to cause me to start shaking and hyperventilating again.

The freeway was open but my usual off ramp was closed. Fire was burning up Sand Canyon less than a mile from my house. If the fire had started at Shadow Pines and burned to Sand Canyon, my house would have been in the direct path. I drove a little ways and passed several fire trucks stopped on the freeway working on a fire in the riverbed.

Smoke was thick and I still couldn't see my street. Coming around a bend, things looked normal. I can't see my house from the freeway, but the surrounding neighborhood looked good and there were no fire trucks or police cars in sight. That is a good sign.

I was finally able to get off the freeway and back-track to my house. It was fine. There were some more tree limbs on the ground from the hurricane force winds, but it didn't matter one bit. I was never so happy to see my dogs. Now I'm debating if I should go to bed or go stay at my parent's house until the wind storm is over. I've had enough.