Jerry and I drove out to El Toro Road and Glenn Ranch Road today to view the damage done by the fire. We also went to Foothill Ranch and walked around the elementary school baseball field to see what had happened in Whiting Ranch up close. What we saw was incredible. The fire burned large sections of the hillside and came right up to the back yards of the homes postioned on the Whiting Ranch edge. Large sections of the wilderness park are completely burned to the ground; in some areas nothing is left except what looks like dried up catcus. It is heartbreaking and miraculous all in one. The firefighers did such an incredible job saving the homes in the areas, including Portola Hills Elementary, where you can reach through the baseball field’s iron fence and literaly touch the burnt trees. It looks like the fire burned an outline around the homes. It is evident after seeing this why the area had to evacuate. The school re-opens Tuesday, October 30th, after being out of session for more than a week. Several people and their kids were also interested in taking a look at the damage, some even brought their cameras along.
1 response so far ↓
1 jill // Oct 29, 2007 at 2:33 pm
Patty – The photo of the twisted burnt branches with the Foothill shoppng center activity in the backgraound is incredible. You should submit this photo the the OC Register. Jill