Mountain Newcomers

My husband and I are just going into escrow on a house in the Crestline area.. I'm in love with the mountain area and am really excited to be moving up there. I've been reading all about the crazy fog conditions and what with bears hanging out in the roads and everything else, it sounds like a good time will be had by all! My concern and this is largely because my mother raised me to be paranoid is the whole fire situation.

It seems like the entire San B mountain area burns down every single year. And yet, there are hundreds of houses that have obviously been in place for decades! I'm wondering... what is the actual skinny on this? I can see the fires from my job down in San B, but not living up here yet, I never really had a frame of reference for what was really going on.

What I want to know is: how do you guys cope? do the fires often come into the inhabited areas? what am I getting myself into?

The only major fire that caused the loss of homes was in 2003. There are homes up here that were built in the 20's and 30's and are still standing as a testament that fires don't roar through our communities regularly. I should also take the time to say it's mostly our heroic firefighters that keep fires from coming into populated areas.

I can't believe you are buying in full knowledge. When I bought my home there hadn't been a major fire in 30 years up here. Lucky me we have now had two in five. How to cope? Stay down the hill. Sorry to say but I would not buy up here knowing what I now know about he mountain communities.

Oh no, here we go again.....

A fire can happen anywhere. You do have to be a self sufficient person to live up here though. You must be prepared for anything. Like a boy or girl scout. It is a blast and a pleasure to live up here. Get to know people and you will be fine.

Welcome MSBUNNY!!!!!

Yes I agree you just have to be prepared for any situation that may occur. I feel it is worth the risk to be able to live on such a beautiful mountain!!!

Again Welcome and I hope you love it here as much as we do!!

Gemini

Just for the sake of discussion, why would you characterize the Old Fire as being a major fire, and not the Grass/Slide 2007 fires? I am on a book reading break...and I am NOT going to shovel snow any more SO my question is asked out a general idle curiousity.

Yes, there were more houses burned in one section in 2003, but more mountain communities on a whole were impacted by the 2007 fires (GVL, RS, and LA). Whenever I go into GVL I am jolted by the extent of the fire's reach within such a small town, and RS had Smiley Park and other areas greatly impacted by this fire (It would be hard for a RS resident to forget that there had been a fire in any direction they drive in.)

Again...curious and not debating. I am especially curious about your answer because you lived close to where over 100 houses burned. That would seem pretty major to me!

Castine. Notice the post date! Pre-Grass/Slide fire!

Oops!!! LOL!!

Oh gawds...KB thanks.

So why did Stealth stealthily bump up this discussion?

Only the Shadow Knows

Stealth is stealty that way. He's bumped up half a dozen year old threads. Why? Well many always say, yes, there was already a thread on that or maybe he's really bored?