Ideas and Society

by Sylvia McMillan Finlayson
All pictures taken by Paul A. Finlayson except where noted.

When I walked out of my home this morning to check the prevailing winds, I breathed a sigh of relief.  The winds had calmed down and the sky had cleared somewhat from the three or four days of fires.  We’re safe, I thought.  It won’t happen to us. The fire couldn’t possibly reach us here.  The worst is over.

By 3:00 in the afternoon I was standing underneath a blackened sky with ash raining down upon my head.  I had driven to the Stake Center, which we had just opened up as a temporary evacuation hub for the Stevenson Ranch Ward. I was standing outside discussing with one of our High Councilman what was being done and what needed to be done to help the members who were under a voluntary evacuation order.  The Simi Valley fire had shifted directions and was now racing down the hill at breakneck speed toward our own valley. Fires were raging within feet of their homes. 

You see, I live in Los Angeles county, and southern California is burning. In the past five days over 600,000 acres have burned and more than 1900 homes have been lost.  Some 10,000 people have been forced to flee their homes. Seventeen people have died and the fires are not yet contained.  I thought we were safe from the devastation I’ve seen over the past few days, but today the winds shifted and the firestorm is upon us. 

When I look out the west window of my home I see flames lashing out from the mountain tops for miles in either direction.  The thin red line with a blackened path behind it and vulnerable vegetation before it, in an odd sort of way, reminds me of the Great Wall of China; a thin golden line that snakes up and down the hillsides for endless miles in either direction. The rides at our local theme park, Magic Mountain are still operating and I can hear screams coming from park goers getting their thrills while, just beyond them in the distance, fire is raging and cutting a swath of destruction as it marches relentlessly forward.

The weather here is unusually hot and the Santa Ana winds have been unyielding.  Thick smoke rises thousands of feet into the air and darkens the horizon.  We can see flames pouring out from the mountains to the south and west of us.  One fireman estimated they are 400 feet high. Our neighbor describes it, “There is a wall of flame moving quickly down the mountainside. I’ve never seen anything like it.  The destruction is horrific. You’d think it was the end of the world.”

Where we don’t see the actual flames, we can see an orange glow from the fires that we know are hidden beneath the smoke.  Earlier in the day I could look out across the vista and see four separate fires, and these are just the ones north of Los Angeles.  This afternoon all is dark and the sky is a dull grey.  The smoke is so thick it covers the sun completely and I can taste the ash in the air.  Even though it is still early in the day, it feels late, very late.

The largest and most destructive of the fires is in San Diego county.  There are 10 major fires burning from the border of Mexico to Ventura County.  All week long I’ve heard the whir of helicopters and watched as firefighters, aircraft and bulldozers have confronted what seems to be an unstoppable blaze.  More than 10,000 firefighters are battling what the governor is now calling the worst disaster in California’s history.  Monday President Bush declared southern California a disaster area and firefighters have been brought in from several of the surrounding states. Everyone is glued to their radio as the count of lost homes goes up hourly and yet another neighborhood is being asked to evacuate. This is a humbling and sobering time. 

Church Members Face the Storm

The Church welfare department is reporting that 100 member homes have been lost so far.  Church authorities are trying to confirm a report of the deaths of two members in the Santee area.  It is estimated that over 400,000 church members have been affected by these fires.  To date, no church buildings have been threatened by this calamity, but we now realize that this fire is no respecter of persons.  Member LeAnn Hull likened this to what happened to Dresden, Germany during a WWII bombing campaign.  “It wasn’t just a series of fires that burned that city, but a firestorm of unbelievable destructive power that swept across everything and everyone in its path.” 

I am in charge of emergency preparedness for my stake in the Santa Clarita Valley.  I’ve been in touch with the Stake President and the ward representatives regarding this ever-increasing threat.  We’ve been a pretty active stake in terms of preparedness.  The earthquake of 1994 did significant damage to our area and we’ve been, shall we say, alert ever since.  We have an active communications program where we hold drills every three months in an attempt to contact all the members of the stake individually.  We haul the canner up from the San Fernando Valley once a month to make it easier for our members to prepare and store their own food.  Just last month we held a Preparedness Fair, just like we did the year before.  And yet, in the face of such ominous danger, I have to ask myself, are we really prepared?  The reality of a disaster was beginning to hit home.

About three hours after Stevenson Ranch evacuated, another ward, Newhall 1st, was ordered to evacuate.  This call to vacate the premises was mandatory.  The Stake President lives in this ward.  His wife, Mary Lynn, had gone to the church to help serve dinner to those from the Stevenson Ranch ward.  Little did she know that she would end up eating dinner at the very table she had planned to serve.  Mary Lynn describes the experience, “It’s unreal while you are going through it.  I don’t know how they found out about the evacuation order, but we had several members turn up to help us load and move our belongings.  They packed pictures, genealogy, tax information and even my wedding gown.  I don’t even know where some of it is tonight because it was deposited into several different members’ cars”

Several families showed up at the Stake Center unable to return to their homes because their neighborhoods had been blocked off by emergency crews.  They hadn’t even had a chance to grab those few precious items such as photo albums or marriage certificates.  They, like thousands of others these past few days, were left with only hat in hand, waiting to see if all of their worldly possessions were a thing of the past.  One sister said, “It is experiences like this that leaves you exposed and terribly vulnerable.  Imagine being left with nothing but the clothes on your back.”    

The latest news before I go to bed tonight is that the fire in our area is somewhat under control and they are allowing people back into their homes.  My husband, who has been out tracking the fires and taking pictures, described what he called a ‘fire tornado’ that looked like a shaft of light twisting high into the sky.  The fires at night are even more captivating than those we see during the day. Many of the members who have returned to their homes won’t be going to bed any time soon.  They are in their yards watching the fires ravage the hillside near them, wondering and hoping the wind doesn’t shift again.

Tonight, there was no sunset.  Last night’s scene through the smoke was perhaps the most spectacular view I’ve ever witnessed of the sun.  It was a bright, deep, wine color red and looked like a strange and wonderful fruit ripe for the picking.  It made me wonder if we don’t live in a time that is ripe. A time for which we should all be better prepared.  Tonight my prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and cherished things. Certainly it is our prayers for each other that will ascend beyond these ashes in the sky to Him who blesses and comforts those in need.