Well, it's as I feared...actually, it's much worse than I'd originally feared. Four to six seperate fires raging across Southern California, destroying homes and claiming a few lives as well. The CHP are looking for arson suspects in a grey van; in the meantime, every emergency person in the state seems to be rallying to fight the fires, and from reports, they're seriously outgunned. Gov. Davis has declared a state of emergency, FEMA has been contacted and are reportedly at work. My parents and my good friends evacuated their homes in Crestline and Running Springs last night, and now the fire is on the edges of those communities. It's frustrating - on one hand, my wife and I are wishing that we could be out there with them, to help out if we can, just to be there...

I'm keeping up with things as they develop out there by talking with my parents on the phone (one of our relatives is involved in fire volunteer efforts), checking the local newspaper wesbite, The San Bernardino Sun, RimoftheWorld.net, and a local teacher's blog, Joseph Urbaszewski's Weblog. The last two have been excellent in giving regularly updated information, if any friends of the mountain crowd are reading this blog.

Here's praying that the Lord stops the fires and keeps any more lives or homes from being claimed...