So, many years ago, I drew up a list of where everything I wanted to save was stored in the house in case we had a big fire. That was when we'd only owned it about 10 years; it's now about 27, and since then, over the years, I've accumulated...

Well, it's not a LOT of guns... let's say one shotgun and four handguns. But for a long time, every time I went to the sporting goods store, I just bought a brick of .22 ammo and a box of .380, because I knew the laws would get more restrictive here in Cali over the years. And more recently when I bought the last two handguns, I bought a lot of ammunition when I did because they were running the background check anyway, etc.

My guns are staged in safes in different rooms, and while I have two primary stashes of ammo-- one upstairs and one downstairs-- I did, at one point, develop the bad habit of stashing a box of ammo in different places where I thought might get pinned down if I had an intruder in the house. (Not entirely sane, but much of this was when I was still drinking, more paranoid, had not had as much psychotherapy, etc.)

When we saw the fire out the window, two miles away, I suddenly realized, "Dear God, can I remember where all this shit is-- all the keys to the ammo boxes and safes (also hidden in different places), combinations, etc.?! And how long will it take me to get it all in one central location where I can move it? And what the hell do I do about the shotgun, because I don't have a case for it?"

What was interesting: I guess I haven't lost my marbles yet, because I was able to lay my hands on everything instantly and get it staged near the door, where I could throw it into the car, in about 10 minutes. And this included ripping my old, junker bass guitar out of it's soft case and cramming the Mossberg in it. (With a cable lock through the action-- not ideal, but a lot better than nothing.) Also, in total honesty, I realize that I did miss a couple of boxes: About 15 rounds of .22 in my range bag, another 25 rounds in my tool box in the garage.

When I saw all of it in one place-- for the first time, ever-- I was kind of like, "Wow. That's a lot of hardware to move." If anyone had walked through the door, it would have looked like I was about to gather my crew and rob a bank or raid a small town.

Now, it may be that due to how infrequently I've bought firearms, and over such a long period of time, that I'm the only person who had this issue. But it is something to think about! How quick could you grab everything and get it out of the house-- not just your bugout bag, but EVERYthing?

A friend of mine back east, who has worked as a paramedic, and is a prohibitionist, berated me and said, "That's completely irresponsible. You should have just left everything there."

Uh... I don't think so. Partly due to looting, but also because I don't want to expose first-responders to any risks if my house burns! Anyway, in the unlikely event that you are like me, or if you're younger and acquiring guns and ammo for the first time, do NOT store your ammo in some really cool super-secret hiding places, particularly after you have been drinking!

Interestingly, my wife-- who sometimes rolls her eyes at my interest in firearms-- gave me not a single word of shit about any of this. Given the increased reports of burglary and looting-- a small uptick, all things considered, but still-- I got the distinct impression the pile of ordnance didn't bother her a bit.

Daaang Sunrise, you are in Altadena?
How are you faring? Are you allowed back home? Fortunately it doesn’t sound like you were among those who’s life has been reduced to a smoldering rubble.

(I know of five households now who’s lives has been turned upside down. Five people in my personal group now whose houses have completely burned to the ground leaving just the chimney and tile shower-tub walls standing.)

P.S. What you would consider, "Wow. That's a lot of hardware to move," is likely what my friend and I would throw in the bed of the pickup along with ammo in 7 different calibers plus .50cal lead balls and black powder for an afternoon at the desert range. Meh, actually maybe triple the number of firearms.

A darn shame what happened during that boating accident.

Yeah, SunRiseWest, I did not remember you're in the fire zone. That's an interesting narrative there about what to take. I ran a different scenario back during the Camp Fire. I reasoned that info about most everything we own is backed up somewhere, so all I thought about was my wife's meds, our birth certificates, Cleo the cat, my GP100 with a box of 500 rounds, and my guitar. I really thought hard about my bonsai, but I reasoned they're in the middle of the yard with no bushes around them. Maybe would survive. Luckily, I did not have to leave. Hang in there.

CDF

Shit SRW, I hope and your wife and your house is safe. For some reason I thought you were in the valley not in the heights. Please give us updates.

Though my area isn't threatened, it's still a high fire area. I don't have ammo spread around the house. I have a small vehicle so have so have to prioritize what I can take and I have a lot of family stuff.

You're in good company, sunrise. Maybe we're all nuts?!

I've done the same evacuation warning drill twice, never actually had to leave though. The first was much as you describe. The second, I'd purchased the biggest duffle bag I could find that now sits by the safe for all the long guns which made it much quicker to load but a damn heavy bag!

Many of my guns are simply not replaceable due to the roster and AWB changes.

My wife has never given me shit about them, but events over the last 10 years have made her actually appreciate that we have them. She even occasionally shoots one now (it's rare, but does happen).

Hope you and the family are well, wherever you may be.

Wow. I've been "keeping a weather eye" on the fires from afar, and it's been heartbreaking to see the vitriolic disinformation campaigns from certain sectors of society.

I can't imagine the apprehension folks close to the fire experience, and the crushing defeat those who have lost everything are enduring.

Wildfires aren't really a thing I have to worry about here in Kentucky. Tornadoes are a far more likely threat, and they're bad enough.

As for the firearms part of the adventure, your post has me thinking hard about what I have stashed and how to get it out rapidly. A fair bit of my "consumables" inventory is in a couple of small fire safes (1.4 cu. ft), but I have more in plastic ammo boxes. The boxes are easy enough to move, and will fit in the back of my car. The long bang sticks and handy-sized bang modules will fit there as well. Bug-out bags will fit in the front passenger seat. The back seat is reserved for the dogs and cat. More stuff would go in my wife's car (fire-resistant document cases, more bug out gear).

The perception I have with tornadoes compared to wildfires is that I might have a few more minutes to evacuate a wildfire zone than a tornado zone, but that also depends heavily on the starting point of the wildfire.

Best of all possible outcomes to all of you.

Hey, folks, thanks for your kind thoughts! Really means a lot. I did not mean to leave everyone in suspense, I just only log in here once a week or so mostly because it's a PITA with the VPN and all that.

So far, so good! We are in the eastern Hollywood Hills, so right between Eaton and the PP fires, with the Sunset fire just a hair over two miles from us as the crow flies-- and, fortunately, downwind. Not that stopped the flames from visibly moving towards us-- only for about 10 or 15 minutes-- as we watched them through the front window. They got Sunset out very fast, but it moved insanely fast-- made it all the way down to Franklin Blvd., I believe. I will say one thing: The chopper pilots were outstanding with the drops even back in 2007. Now? They're even better. In 2007, watching the news, sometimes it was like, "Ah, the drop was a little short on that one," but last week, they were just insanely accurate... how they compensate for the wind, I have no idea.

Then, of course, we had the Parade of Arsonists... just a string of little fires all around us. The most recent one was... shit, was it today or yesterday? I can't remember, I think it was yesterday, but that was only about a mile from us-- and upwind. Only burned a quarter acre, and that motherfucker got arrested, thank God. Hopefully, that will be the end of it-- citizen reports and LEOs have made short work of the last few that I heard about, anyway.

The craziest thing is our local neighborhood watch... everyone here is so paranoid that no one in the group wants to reveal their identity to anyone else! The leader of the group just decided, "Well, that sucks, but we'll run this on BCC emails, just try to make it work." All we do is... walk around, really. Though I did confront a very suspicious young guy when I was out on my eMTB-- baseball cap, white dude in his mid-20s, looking for a way into the park. Very nervous, nothing he said make sense-- like, "Really? The park is closed, huh? Won't be open until 5:00 tomorrow, I guess."

Like, okay, did you know the park was closed or not? He asked if he could park there; I said he was right in front of private property, and it wasn't up to me. I chatted him up a bit, and implemented an improvised form of engagement that I call "Tactical Lurking"... he was at the top of a hill, so I just ground up the hill a few times, like, "I'm a senior athlete going hard! Or maybe I'm watching you!" Plastered a big, weird smile on my face. Eventually, I went home and got my car and my phone, came back 10 minutes later and he was gone, fortunately. I was unarmed except for my legal-carry EDC spring-assisted knife and a fire extinguisher.

Yup. I'm riding around with a fire extinguisher.

Bisbee, so sorry to hear about the lost houses among your tribe. Damn, that sucks. Featureless, yes, I think my wife appreciates the hardware a bit more than she lets on, but reading her mind is a loser's game, just my general impression. Bear, yeah, I'm not sure we have enough room in our cars for all the shit we had staged, and I certainly don't in my two sports cars. I can only drive one of them-- our terrier is a shitty driver, giving him the keys could result in yet another tragedy.

Anyway, thanks again for your concern. Next two days are hot and dry again. I'll sleep a little better once we get some damn rain.

Very engaging narrative, SunRise. I'm glad you're safe. Must be scary. Hope everything works well. Up here we don't have fires, so I feel feelings from back when we had 'em. Hang in there. Once everything is extinguished and the streets are open, then things will get complicated as all those burned out families try to find places to live.

CDF

Glad you and your loved ones are safe SRW, that's what is important. The Sunset aka Hollywood Hills fire was put out fast. One radio reporter said it was an area full of huge apartment complexes built in the 1920s/30s and full of wannabe actors and actresses. LA is expected to get some rain later this week, hope it helps snuff out the remaining flames.

The fires and the evacuations bring strangers to the neighborhood, both unfortunate evacuees with nowhere to go and "opportunists." When we were suburbanish, we got both kinds with every one of the major fires in Sonoma County. I was damn glad to be armed, even the time we were shuttling truck loads of local donations to the shelters. It is amazing to me how communities come together to help the refugees. It is less amazing that there are those roaming the streets looking to do bad. Fortunately, I've found the good folk outweigh the bad folk. The indifferent folk outweigh both.

Great post SunRiseWest. Things to keep in mind.