It's been quiet for half an hour now. Absolutely no wind, but we know that can't last. The fire burns south and east of us, zero percent contained, a hundred percent unpredictable.

Residents in the Cove are restless. We're caught between two traffic stops - Malibu Canyon and Kanan Road. Can't go south at all. North is iffy - you might get out, but chances of being allowed back in are slim. So we're stuck, waiting to see what the wind will do, where the fire will go. We walk to the bluff to watch smoke waft from the cleft in the hills and wonder what piece of our sweet home town we're losing now.

fire as seen from paradise cove at 3 p.m..