Westmont College

Took a weekend trip to Santa Barbara and happened to be there when the fire broke out last week. My friend and I were walking to dinner and noticed the flames on the nearby mountain and the smell of smoke. It was still far enough away that we continued with our evening plans. The power went out at the restaurant though and so we sat in the dark, waiting for our check, with a dozen other patrons. Later, I found out the fire was devastating the campus of Westmont College, my husbands Alma Mater and my sister in laws current place of residence. It had swept through a dormitory, faculty housing, and other various structures on campus. My sister in law spent the night in the gym with about a thousand other students until it was safe to evacuate. She's back home now waiting for classes to start up again in December. The whole event was surreal as most natural disaster are. The city of Santa Barbara seemed to stop it's motion during the fire. Everyone was standing in the streets looking up at the burning mountains and Im sure saying a little prayer for loved ones whose homes were in danger.