California Fires

[Atticus Thraxx]

With my house at the center of the circle, I now have roughly 180 degrees blocked by fire and no sane egress possible through that. When it gets to 240 degrees, I rabbit. Bug out stuff is packed and so is my car except weapons. Problem that's breaking my heart besides all the suffering and misery wildfires usually bring, is I can only take with me about 10 % of my collection. I guess if it does turn my way we'll find out how good the fireproofing in the safes is. I got insurance, but damn, no amount of money can replace what took almost two lifetimes to build (Thanks dad!).
I'm also printing out signs warning Fire Dept. that ammo and smokeless powder is inside if for some reason they need to know. They'll probably just catch fire though.Ought to be one hell of a racket if it does all ignite.
Pray you never have to make the choices I'm making this evening. This sucks.

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[Low & Slow]

Very ugly situation. Was in a somewhat similar position due to flooding a few years back, but fire is hairy. I got lucky. I sure hope you do as well. Please stay safe yourself, and take care of your family. That's the important thing, of course. Prayers out to you.

[browningautorifle]

Good luck on that Atticus...

[Surpmil]

The very best of luck. Too bad the Martin Mars has been blackballed; with Clear Lake and Lake Berryessa so close an amphibian like her could be probably making drops every ten minutes or less, 6,600 gallons a drop.

But the same money-grubbing that keeps the Mars grounded here would probably be in effect there - fires are like illness: too profitable to fix quickly.

[Ovidio]

Good luck mate.
I hope it will work out in the best way!!!

[GeeRam]

With my house at the center of the circle, I now have roughly 180 degrees blocked by fire and no sane egress possible through that. When it gets to 240 degrees, I rabbit. Bug out stuff is packed and so is my car except weapons. Problem that's breaking my heart besides all the suffering and misery wildfires usually bring, is I can only take with me about 10 % of my collection. I guess if it does turn my way we'll find out how good the fireproofing in the safes is. I got insurance, but damn, no amount of money can replace what took almost two lifetimes to build (Thanks dad!).
I'm also printing out signs warning Fire Dept. that ammo and smokeless powder is inside if for some reason they need to know. They'll probably just catch fire though.Ought to be one hell of a racket if it does all ignite.
Pray you never have to make the choices I'm making this evening. This sucks.

Hope it all works out for you.....

My best mate lives down in Tracey, and sent me a message a couple of days ago, that they got the pre-evacuation notice warning, but all was OK 12 hours later, as wind had changed direction.
The photos he's been sending me from other friends of his that live further out in the hills are grim, with what they've lost, so keeping fingers crossed for you.

[usabaker]

Problem that's breaking my heart besides all the suffering and misery wildfires usually bring, is I can only take with me about 10 % of my collection. I guess if it does turn my way we'll find out how good the fireproofing in the safes is. I got insurance, but damn, no amount of money can replace what took almost two lifetimes to build (Thanks dad!).
I'm also printing out signs warning Fire Dept. that ammo and smokeless powder is inside if for some reason they need to know. They'll probably just catch fire though.Ought to be one hell of a racket if it does all ignite.
Pray you never have to make the choices I'm making this evening. This sucks.

Keep safe wish I was closer so I could help you out. I saw a video of a safe that when through a house fire and the contents even the ammo and papers were good. What damages the rifles was the water that got in from the firefight. if you have time and have high temp silicon caulk, caulk around the safe doors.

[Gil Boyd]

Atticus,
All the very best to you and your family. Yes material things like a weapons collection passed down through time is beyond a price, but the price of life for you and your family is top of the agenda, at the moment.
I can only sympathise as the strongest winds for years pass through Southern England coming over from Ireland, thank God we don't have fires to go with them too.

God Bless mate and get back on Milsurps when you are safe.

[matthanne1]

Stay safe, nothing is worth as much as your, and your family's health.

[Atticus Thraxx]

Thanks guys. Last night I had an epiphany while removing all the rubber grips from my handguns so they don't melt in the safe, which I think you'll agree is probably not time well spent. But the epiphany was, the only reason I should lose all this is from lack of effort. So I texted my boss I wasn't going to be in and this morning I rented a storage space about 60 miles from here and in a built up area not likely to be affected. Emptied the safes. Took three trips and the last one I was dragging arse. But all the weapons are safe for now. Powder and primers I'm boxing up this evening and I'll make as many trips as I can tomorrow. Ammo if you didn't know is friggen heavy! Anyway I feel a lot better and all it took was some good old fashioned effort. Once I stopped and thought clearly. But first chance, I ditching this German import and getting a truck. The Swede 96 is so long it didn't even fit across the backseat, let alone the trunk. So I wedged it and the Sharps between the console, covered it with a blanket and luckily didn't get pulled over. You'd think of all countries, the Germans would have thought of rifle storage in their cars.