FIRE - update 8:10am

All went well for us last night. I was glued to the television until midnight when the news crews signed off. We had our bags packed and all the kitty paraphernalia gathered and ready to go if we got a phone call to evacuate. Technically, we were in the red zone, the evacuation zone, but the fire was not headed our way, so we stayed. This morning, the skies are gray and smoky. The air is thick with ash. It's 8am and already in the 70's. The air is very dry. I came to work this morning. The building is full of families, friends and pets who were evacuated from various areas of the fires. I feel lost without my television and the constant fire updates. I heard on the radio that OES was going to start letting evacuees from the western part of the county to return to their homes. They said they were reluctant to let everyone in the safer areas back home just in case the winds changed the direction of the fire and they had to re-evacuate. Makes sense. I'm off to get some news, eat a bagel and drink my morning coffee.