At 5:23 PM today, the evacuation order has been lifted for Carlsbad residents and currently Carlsbad is facing no immediate threat from the fires raging around the county.
Like you may have heard, several fires have been burning in San Diego County since Sunday and many of my friends and colleagues had to leave their homes. Fortunately, the voluntary evacuation order for the area I live had been lifted late this afternoon and while the air quality is still very poor and the picture and stories you see and hear on TV and local Web sites are really devastating, there is still some kind of relieve, especially since the forecasted weather seems to support fire fighting measures.
Now, this is far from over and while evacuation order are lifted in some areas, new fires start in others, forcing more people out of there homes. E.g., as I'm writing this, a mandatory evacuation for Julian is issued. Julian residents were ordered to leave by the Sheriff's Department. There is no power or phone service in Julian and the evacuations are in effect at least until Thursday. Also, Palomar Mountain, with the famous Palomar Observatory is up in flames tonight.
Flickr for 'witch fire' to see some impressions, captured by local residents.