In the Blasted Lands 3

Posted on November 6, 2007 in Photos Santiago Fire

Borrego Canyon, Whiting Wilderness, from an overlook on Santiago Canyon Road.

The complex still reeks of smoke. It hangs around with a marine layer haze that burns off about midday. If you look after the fog has lifted, the air looks like that of one of those cabarets where [[Toulouse-Lautrec]] hung out in. Thin gossamer in the afternoons.

The land involved in the backfire lies in the foreground. The blaze burned right down to the edge of it, but the eastern half of Trabuco Canyon was saved. After Day 4, the fire burned over the ridge in the background and made its way towards its present location on the slopes of Silverado Canyon, about five miles away. The large yellow tree on the right is a eucalyptus, a species not known for changing colors in the autumn.

A rare example of the utility of overgrazing. This horse pasture (foreground) was chomped down to the roots, leaving no fuel for the blaze.

The OCFA warns us: “You may not see fire or smoke; do not let your guard down. A new event could occurr.” (sic)

What was preserved: Live Oak Canyon Road, below the backfire.

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Here is a page of nicely edited videos of the fire by the Orange County Fire Authority. Day 3 is the one I described most vividly to you.