I remember the day that juniper flats fire started. The weather turned quickly. The wind was strong. I was driving south on State street from San Jacinto toward Hemet. Things were blowing across the roadway. Big trees were knocked over. A huge limb broke off a tree in front of my house. A friend lost a patio cover and part of their roof.
The way the fire burned in the hills and valleys were long thin lines. Burned one house to the foundation, left the neighbor house untouched.
The Fairview fire started near Fairview and Bautista Canyon and in less than 2 hours was near Gibbel Rd and State street.
The mountain community of idyllwild and the area of Sage are getting prepared in case the wind shifts. Last news report I saw said 20,000 had burned and the Hwy 74 was closed east of Hemet. The area called Valle Vista was evacuated.
Around 6:30am we got 3 minutes of light rain. Yesterday afternoon we had 1/4 inch sized ashes dropping in the yard.
I saw a news report saying residents had their electricity go out and suddenly come back on, they saw the smoke from a fire right afterwards. A few years back we had the lights go dim and come back on and the electric pole next door was sparking. The neighbor called 911, I called SCE. They got everything under control quick.
I read an article about how scared people were when homes were being wired for electricity. The people of that era were afraid of the new technology. We have gotten comfortable living with the modern conveniences it provides, Tending to forget it as dangerous.
https://www.deseret.com/1998/9/3/19399691/crews-in-west-battle-lightning-wildfires
The West's most destructive fire was in the Juniper Flats area of Riverside County, 85 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles. A 6,000-acre blaze this week destroyed 73 buildings, including 44 dwellings, most of them mobile homes. Damage was estimated to be $4.5 million.
