I lived in San Diego for fifteen years up until almost ten years ago, so fortunately I missed both of the last two huge fires. Unfortunately, I have a lot of friends and family who still live there. Only half an hour ago, I got a call from my sister who lives in Sorrento Valley (just south of Del Mar and west of Mira Mesa). Her family is being evacuated after being called through a reverse-911. She's escaping to Los Angeles instead of heading for QUALCOMM Stadium where she was told to go. My father-in-law lives in La Jolla and shouldn't be affected.
Several of my other friends have also been evacuated. Just from the tenor of things they are telling me, this one could easily be far worse than the 2003 fires. As of now, they've just announced mandatory evacuations for areas on the west coast, previously untouched in the last fires. If the fires head south, they could go through some of the densest populated areas in North County. While lives are fortunately being saved by the extra-cautious evacuations, property damage may end up being enormous.
Fortunately I heard that the winds from the Santa Anas are finally dying down, though humidity is still at an appalling 7%.
