Fire #3: Watsonville

Once again, another fire was clearly visible as I drove home, and once again people we know are impacted. The Trabing fire started just north of Highway 1 right by Watsonville airport, and immediately homes in the area were being evacuated. Fortunately, there is little or no wind blowing, but as I drove home temperatures outside showing on my car thermometer hit 112 degrees. Reports say it's currently 93 degrees where the fire is but that humidity is a desert-like 12%, a figure which makes fire-fighting even more difficult.

TV pictures are showing homes and other structures have already burned and unfortunately this area is more densely populated than was the case in the other two. Our friend had to organise to have his dog evacuated because roads round there were closed as he tried to get home.

I've certainly not seen anything like this in the 10 years we've lived here and sounds like no one else has either. As posted before, it's going to be a long, long summer ....