California has been under siege since Sunday from wildfires. We’ve had an incredibly dry spell the past two years, with literally only a couple inches falling each of the past two seasons. Couple that with our annual Santa Ana winds and you’ve got a perfect recipe for disaster.

Fire broke out Sunday night on Santiago Canyon Road, apparently from arson. We are a good 7-8 miles away (see O.C. Register map here) and, given the way the winds were blowing, didn’t have much to worry about. We were even fairly smoke-free.

That all changed yesterday, though. As the winds shifted the far started moving southeast and ever closer to us.

Marla called yesterday as she and the kids went to the library and were able to see flames on the hills above Trabuco Canyon. The fire is still many miles away but being able to see the flames in person certainly changes the way you follow the news.

I went out last night and took a few pictures looking out across Lago Santa Margarita. That’s a much different view than from a few years ago when the hills were dusted with snow, don’t you think? The O.C. Register map is a bit out of date. The flames in the pictures are on the eastern side of Live Oak Canyon Road.

Thankfully with the winds dying down the fire department has been able to bring in choppers and planes and make lots of headway in containing the fire. The last reports indicate that it is 50% contained – a huge improvement over the 15% yesterday.

Now all we have to deal with is the giant plume of smoke drifting from the east and Camp Pendelton… More pictures of that later.