Harris Fire, originally uploaded by Sassberto.

This is the Harris Fire, burning in the East County backcountry, as viewed from my house in Rolando.

Smoky Sunset, originally uploaded by Sassberto.

Another wild sunset today. Fires are retreating but it’s not over yet.

Smoky Skies, originally uploaded by Sassberto.

5:30 PM, Tuesday October 23, 2007.

Smoke is from the Harris Fire, burning just east of Mt San Miguel, Chula Vista CA.

If you’ve turned on a TV or opened a newspaper, you know by now that there are some serious fires burning in Southern California right now. San Diego County is host to the largest wildfire in state history by some accounts, the Witch Fire. As of now most of these fires are burning uncontrolled with zero containment. By some estimates 1000 or more homes have been lost in Poway, Ramona, Rancho Bernardo, Escondido, and Rancho Santa Fe, and rural east county areas like Potrero and Dulzura.

I went to work on Monday, knowing I might end up going home. As I descended into the Carmel / Sorrento Valley area, the wind was fierce and choked with smoke. I got to my building and immediately got sent back home. The wind is just blasting smoke down the valley from the fire to the east.
Down here in the city, aside from some seriously toxic air, things are fine. Skies are mostly clear, as the fires burn to the north and south. We’re couped up in the house with the AC running to keep the stink out, a little bored but none worse for the wear.

You can get more info here:
UT Map with evacuation areas and burn zones
Evacuation and burn maps
USDA Fire Activity Maps

From south to north:

IB: funky, sketchy, sometimes polluted
Coronado: primo, bad parking, stingrays
Sunset Cliffs / Garbage: Nice, just watch for canyon trolls
OB: packed, funky, stoney, organic, smelly, dirty
MB: packed, hot chicks, midwestern tourists, zonies, tweakers, weirdos
PB: packed, drunk, bro-down, gangster white boys
Birdrock / Windansea: cool but watch out for the meatheads
La Jolla Cove / Shores / Torrey Pines: nice, family, quiet, tough parking
Solana Beach: small nice, cliffside, mostly family, tough parking
Del Mar: nice, big, bad parking
Cardiff / Encinitas : big, wide, better parking.. also has an inlet to the lagoon with no waves.
Carlsbad: big, wide, good parking, nice village
O’Side: never been to the beach there!