Thinking of our LA family, Please stay safe Options

[iankarr]

Hi Guys,

The devastation of the fires in LA is unimaginable. So many people have lost everything and times like these really hammer home what's important in life...family, friends, pets and health. Of course, our cars add a lot of joy to our lives as well and I fear that many prized vehicles will be lost.

I think I speak for everyone when I say "we're here for you".

Please post and let us know if there's anything this community can do to help.

Let's keep our LA friends in our prayers.

[yeahmag]

I'm in NE Pasadena/Altadena right at the genesis of the Eaton Fire. We are mere blocks from Eaton Canyon. I'll get right to it and say somehow the house and 914 survived.

The night the fire started my eldest daughter was already at UCLA (more on that later) and we evacuated my younger (17) daughter and the cat to a friends house further south in Pasadena. My wife and stayed behind with the 3 big dogs as it would be damn near impossible to find a place at the last minute to take them. We had the cars packed, facing out, and ditch bags and leashes at the ready. We did 48 hours straight of mitigation and keeping a defensible space. Chain saw, pole saw, staple gun, ladders... Whatever we could do to keep embers out and limbs off the roof. It was a constant battle. After that it was 2 hours on 2 hours off round the clock for another 48 hours watching for fire. After that the fire danger dropped significantly...

The next few days are a blur... We did find that for some unknown reason there are a swath of houses roughly due south of the genesis of the fire that were spared - ours included. We don't know if it was because the fire immediately split - going east and west or if there was some sort of fire break that they managed to get in place before all hell broke loose. We obviously took wind and smoke damaged, but the house is here and didn't burn.

We were on full lock down for parts of the time, had no potable water until a few days ago, and are still without electricity and natural gas. It's been getting down in to the low 40's outside and the house is in the low 50's. We are snowboarders and campers, so we are well equipped, but we are definitely getting worn down by the cold and lack of utilities.

The 914 has been on jack stands with the front suspension ripped out of it to modify it for a GIANT front bar (41mm) for a few weeks. I was aiming to have the car ready for the first event of the season on the 18th. I did my best to keep it covered in those first 24 hours, but it was futile. Before the ash hit I put the cover in the rear trunk and hoped for the best. As the days wore on and the winds and fire died down, I decided quickly blow it off an to uses a detailer spray and microfiber cloths to remove the bulk of the ash. I didn't want to get it wet because ash was still falling. I got it cleaned up and put the dirty, but ash free cover back on.

We have a very small generator running to keep the fridge cold, charge phones/computers, and most importantly a HEPA filter. My wife had enough mental clarity to tape all the windows, doors, fireplace, and any vent shut as all this was happening. That act alone has likely saved us a ton of work and money.

We are here, the car is here, and we are both safe for now.