Fire evacuations and instrument collections.

[Charlie C Chowder]

Living here in Portland, or on the West coast, has been a trying time lately. When the fire starts getting close, we need to start loading what we want to save. That is if you have time. My nephew and his family barely got out with their lives. They lost everything. My daughter had time to prepare, but you can't take everything. So far she gets to go back. But the air is so bad that she is staying away. I was never really in danger, but close. My Ford Ranger will not hold all of my woodwinds. But I can get all of my musical toys on my open 16' trailer. But my grand piano. So what else do you take? What can you easily replace. I have never had to think about it before. My garage is now filled with all my brass and strings waiting be loaded. And then where do you go? Do they take pets?
Luckily, I should be able to move everything back soon. When the smoke clears.

To add to all of this, my wife, who is laid up for twelve week after a foot operation, gets a problem with her bowels and winds up back in the hospital. We're told that it could have killed her. So I have a lot to be thankful for. It could be a whole lot worse on many counts. Now to help my Nephew.

CCC

[tubeast]

This, of course, is a very difficult situation to react to.

I´d guess solid basements with concrete ceilings might offer opportunities to safely store stuff.
Those won´t be safe places for living beings, of course, due to potential lack of oxygen in case the building above ground and/or surrounding forest is ablaze. But as long as there´s no fire in that basement, there´s a good chance temperature won´t rise THAT much.
At least that should be good enough for Tools.

Or maybe a locked truck parked in an Underground car park.

Small objects could be wrapped in plastic bags and vacuum sealed, and then stored in a hole in the back Yard, if time allows.
That may just save enough space in that Trailer to save the more delicate stuff.

All the best to You and those that share your fate. Stay safe !!

[bububassboner]

I live southeast of Eugene and I had to leave my home. Smoke was too much for me and my old farmhouse is not very well sealed.

I took some horns with me and things i couldn’t replace (like my military awards and paperwork) but I had to accept that somethings may be lost if it burns. As long as the lightning tomorrow doesn’t start more fires I should be fine but it was difficult to decide what goes with me and what stayed behind.

At the end of the day it’s a tuba and it’s not worth losing your life over. If the fire is close pack early and be ready to roll in a moments notice.

Stay safe.