OK, it's getting really bad now. The Valley Fire in Lake County exploded from 400 to 40,000 acres in five hours yesterday, whipped by gusty 20-30mph winds, and forced the evacuation of thousands of residents. Overnight, it burned dozens of homes in Cobb, Middletown and Hidden Lake, as well as the well-known Harbin Hot Springs resort. At this time, we don't know whether the 100+ year old home that was converted into a salon where my wife works part-time is still there. A number of her friends and co-workers have been evacuated, and we know that at least two of them lost their homes.