Despite heavy smoke, ash, and hazardous air quality of the Santa Cruz and San Mateo county fires, there are positive developments for the 77,000 evacuees who have flooded into Santa Cruz. Yesterday's and this morning's marine layer and fog, cool temps, and light onshore winds, coupled with reinforcements to an under manned Cal Fire, have stemmed much of the advance of the 22 lightning fires that merged into one apocalyptic conflagration burning as far as Pescadero Creek and La Honda to the north, Skyline on the East, to the ocean at Ano Nuevo in the west, and approaching Santa Cruz city limits in the south.
Boulder Creek town, Ben Lomond, Felton, Scott's Valley, Pasatiempo, UCSC, et all, though all evacuated, have apparently been spared. Sadly, not so Bonny Doon, Last Chance, the north and west side of Boulder Creek and the San Lorenzo Valley, where likely hundreds of homes and large swaths of forest and wildlife have been incinerated with consequences that will last for generations. Even 1,000 to 1,800 year, old growth, ancient Coast Redwoods of Big Basin, California's oldest state park, have burned to their crowns and fallen. These trees, the tallest in the world and usually impervious to fire, are crashing to the forest floor with thunderous reverberations of their death.
Words cannot describe the stress, sadness, and heavy hearts of our communities. Climate change is real and happening and the toll is exceeding repayment. Bless Mother Earth and pray for help to heal her pain.
Here's Big Basin State Park redwoods on Thursday at Waddell Creek where it enters the Pacific Ocean.
PS, thanks to all who have expressed concern. Capitola Boat Club (CBC) is packed and planned for possible eventualities, but currently remains safe. Time to put up the Christmas tree and call it a year.