It is not often you get to be part of a news story. This week Southern California seems to be on fire. Normally this time of year we have a number of fires burning due to hot dry winds. If you listen to the news, it would seem everything is on fire. This year everything IS on fire and it has affected millions of people, including DuraBlue and it’s employees.
On the night of October 21st, some of us noticed an eerie red glow up on the mountains. The hot dry winds from the desert (called the Santa Ana winds) were blowing at 50 to 60 miles per hour. These winds suck the moisture out of every living thing, making dry brush extremely volatile. We watched the fire come over the ridge in what looked like a string of glowing pearls. 
We were concerned that the fire would reach our company by morning. We put together an evacuation plan in case we needed to clear out our building. By early morning, all of us looked out at a wall of smoke heading our way. Durablue lies in a commercial complex at the edge of a wilderness area near Irvine. Within several hours we could see the flames leaping high into the air. We could see fire crews ahead of the flames trying to put out the fire. Some employees complained of head aches. The fire got within 1/8 of a mile of our building before fire breaks stopped the fire. We were spared.
October 23rd the winds died down, but the hills surrounding us were still burning. By evening, the winds shifted again bringing the fire closer to the city of Lake Forest. Last night we could see the entire mountain ablaze. It was quite a humbling site.
Durablue and its employees have continued to work throughout this crisis. UPS has reported some delays in shipments as a number of major freeways have shut down due to the fires. Rest assured we will continue to work and process orders. Thanks for your continued support.
Durablue
All photos taken by Durablue employees