Jesusita Fire, Page 2

Yesterday was my brother's birthday and he received a wonderful gift: the house is still standing. There are homes on the street that are burned to the ground, but the flames literally swirled around our family home. Lots of vegetation is either burned or singed, as well as rooves, patio coverings, and debris, but the fire moved out.

However, the story does not end here.

Last night, the winds kicked up again and the fire has doubled in size. Neighborhoods that it by-passed yesterday became fuel for the fire last night. It is heading west and taking everything in its path, following the course set by the Gap Fire, which burned all the way to Refugio Beach on the coast a couple years back. It's also back in the Canyon, having hooked up with the Tea Fire zone from last November that came through Montecito and Rattlesnake Canyon, the next canyon over from Mission Canyon, where my family home is. No one can predict which way the winds are going to take it next: back down the mountain and into the Canyon, back east toward Montecito, or straight toward downtown.

Because no one has provided any of the residents with information about their property, my brother walked in to see for himself if he still has a home, in spite of the law enforcement presence determined to keep him out. My brother's reasoning is simple: if you allow the media crews into my neighborhood to report on the fire while it is still active, I have the right to see for myself the condition of my home and my neighborhood when there is no active fire burning. If you allow residents to choose to stay in their homes -- and make live reports to the media in the midst of the firestorm surrounding them -- I have the right to walk into my neighborhood to see what's left. He's not putting himself or anyone else in jeopardy, as both the media crews and the homeowners who have chosen to remain in their homes are doing!

As my brother says, "We have a house for this hour, but we don't know about the next."