Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Add Reply
FIRES; Southern California
Topic Started: Oct 22 2007, 11:15 AM (895 Views)
fourside
Member Avatar
Queen of Hearts
California Fires Burn 100,000 Acres; Thousands Flee (Update4)

By Adam Satariano and Nancy Kercheval
 
Oct. 22 (Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in Southern California as some of the worst wildfires ever, fueled by strong winds, scorched more than 100,000 acres and caused at least one death.

Twelve wildfires fed by winds, high temperatures and low humidity have burned more than 100,665 acres (40,739 hectares) from Santa Barbara to San Diego County near the Mexican border, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry.

``It's worse than the fire four years ago,'' said Maurice Luque, a spokesman for the San Diego Fire Rescue Department. ``There is the possibility that it will get worse with the winds.''

A series of fires burned through southern California almost exactly four years ago. The largest cost $1.1 billion and damaged 4,847 structures in San Diego County.

About 250,000 residents were being evacuated from the areas surrounding San Diego, said Ron Roberts, chairman of the San Diego County supervisors. Several homes burned in the Rancho Bernardo community, and civilians were injured, Luque said.

``Right now, this is the worst,'' Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Sam Padilla said. ``It's bringing down houses in the urban interface. We're not going to bring them under control with these winds. The firefighters are doing some death-defying things getting in front of these fires with these winds.''

The Santa Ana winds are expected to subside tomorrow, he said.

State of Emergency

Most of the new blazes started yesterday, ``but they are already very widespread and are likely to spread quite rapidly,'' said Neena Saith, a catastrophe response analyst with Risk Management Solutions in London. ``There is the potential for insured losses to increase, particularly as the area of Malibu is under threat at the moment. It's too early to put a figure of what the insured losses are likely to be.''

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger began a tour of the southern part of the state after canceling his schedule.

``It's a tragic time for California,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``The fires are across seven counties. Heavy winds and dry conditions are making this hard. We are getting continuous updates to protect lives and property. I have declared a state of emergency in seven counties.''

Santa Ana Winds

Gusting Santa Ana winds carried embers as far as 2 miles (3 kilometers) to kindle new fires. Temperatures may surpass 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius). Some areas of southern California have received little more than an inch (2 centimeters) of rain since Jan. 1.

``We're still seeing a lot of fire activity through the night,'' Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Ron Haralson said in a broadcast interview today. ``We'll see a lot of water drops through the morning.''

Los Angeles County is employing helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft to douse the flames in the Malibu area, where more than 1,400 firefighters are trying to control a blaze that has charred more than 2,200 acres.

``Without a fire, this would be a windstorm. When you add in the fire, it's a firestorm,'' Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said.

Fatal San Diego Fire

The fires are burning areas of 50 acres to 30,000 acres, Berlant said. Firefighters and equipment -- about 100 engines and 1,000 personnel -- from northern California are being imported to the region, he said.

A civilian was killed and four firefighters were hurt in a San Diego-area blaze that destroyed ``multiple structures,'' Berlant said.

Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura, the state Office of Emergency Services said in a statement on its Web site.

The proclamation allows the agency to deploy emergency staff, equipment and facilities and provide assistance to local governments, according to the statement.

In the Malibu area, where many Hollywood celebrities own homes, one of the buildings destroyed was Hodge Castle, a 10,500- square-foot (975-square-meter) landmark owned by philanthropist Lilly Lawrence that overlooks the Malibu lagoon.

The first insurance claim for fire damage was filed by a homeowner with State Farm Mutual Insurance Co., the largest insurer of homes in the U.S., said spokesman Fraser Engerman.

California power system operators told owners of electrical generators in the southern part of the state to defer any maintenance today to ensure availability of local power plants after wildfires disabled a transmission line.

The Southwest Power Link that transmits electricity from Arizona to the San Diego region was disabled yesterday, said California Independent System Operator spokesman Gregg Fishman, in a telephone interview.


There's a fire very close to me, in Fallbrook - quite a bit of ash on our cars, and the smoke is very visible from our neighborhood - the fire is literally within miles.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZachAppleThrows
Apple Scruffs
This reminds me of a song, but I probably should keep it to myself.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
fourside
Member Avatar
Queen of Hearts
I love the quote in your signature.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Shminking Of Gin
Member Avatar
As if he's never seen one b4.
fourside
Oct 22 2007, 03:11 PM
I love the quote in your signature.

shut UP!
T_T
<center>Posted Image</center>
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
fourside
Member Avatar
Queen of Hearts
otlset
Oct 23 2007, 08:15 AM
This morning early as I often do, I ran my 3-4 mile route (takes about 40 minutes) to stay in shape and keep the tubes clear, when I noticed an orange glow in the not too far distance. It looked like it was in our Temecula city limits! I saw it again, larger on my way back, and then flames appeared just over the horizon where the orange glow was! The wind wasn't very strong, but still small gusts could be felt every now and then. "SHIT" was all I could say to myself, because just last night there were no fires close to us. I've got my fingers crossed now that they will get it out before it gets out of hand. It's unnerving to have to come here to work and leave my house and neighborhood with fires brewing all around. But I can't be in both places, so it's a risk I have to take.

My thoughts go out to all the many more people whose homes are threatened and are evacuated in some strange gymnasium, worrying all the while that they could lose everything.

Oh, you live in Temecula? My father worked in Temecula at the Outdoor Channel for some time. We've been hoping to move out that way for some time - lovely area. Let's hope it doesn't get much closer.

I found out this morning we may be evacuating... the fire's quite close.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Woof Oink Baaa
Member Avatar
Now 100% more avant-garde than Ivan!
And now for Mark Prindle's valued opinion on this subject:

"You'd think we would have conquered fire by this point in history!"
Posted Image
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Robosteve
Member Avatar
My Sweet Lord
Woof Oink Baaa
Oct 24 2007, 08:31 AM
Mark Prindle's valued opinion

That's a joke, right?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Floor
Member Avatar
Be sure and tell her...
Woof Oink Baaa
Oct 23 2007, 02:31 PM
And now for Mark Prindle's valued opinion on this subject:

"You'd think we would have conquered fire by this point in history!"

<3
Posted Image
I'm on last.FM too (but not as Floor)
our podcast could be your life (a podcast i do about music)
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
JeorgeMcStarkey
Member Avatar
-.-- -.-- --..
I had a dream that I had this paper on fire, but it wasn't burning, so I was just holding a torch essentially. Anyway, the fire was big, so I wanted to see if I can let go and just watch a fire in mid-air. The torch went up and burned the tops of the trees. I wonder if there is any connection to this. It may have been because I had my jeans and long-sleeve shirt on, so I was hot.

It wasn't lucid because I was panicing and getting really upset.
Click? VH
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Drummerboy
Member Avatar
The drugs don't work...
I wish everyone who's been affected by these fires the best of luck. It's a really tough thing.
My SoundCloud (give it a listen!)
MANG...Guy :cigar:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GodNickSatan
Member Avatar
One of us cannot be wrong
There were some really bad fires that almost burned down my whole town a couple years back. Apparently it's a once-in-twenty-years thing around here. I was on holidays at the time, but my dad was still home and evacuated from the house like everybody else in town. It was all over the news, so I was just watching it all unfold on there. About eight houses or something burned down, and one guy who my sister knows was badly burned, but overall things turned out a lot better than they could have been. It looked like the whole town was going to burn down at one stage. So yeah, I sympathise with anyone going through that shit. I just can't understand the mindset of people who actually deliberately light these things. :crazy:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GodNickSatan
Member Avatar
One of us cannot be wrong
So who else keeps on mistakenly reading this thread as "FRIES"?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Robosteve
Member Avatar
My Sweet Lord
GodNickSatan
Nov 3 2007, 01:32 AM
So who else keeps on mistakenly reading this thread as "FRIES"?

Me.

Oh wait, no I don't.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
GodNickSatan
Member Avatar
One of us cannot be wrong
Robosteve
Nov 2 2007, 02:39 PM
GodNickSatan
Nov 3 2007, 01:32 AM
So who else keeps on mistakenly reading this thread as "FRIES"?

Me.

Oh wait, no I don't.

GET THE FUCK OFFLINE AND ENJOY YOUR HOLIDAY, STEVE.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ihateguitarists
Member Avatar
v_v
California Prepares for More Fires...

CA is the new FL, srsly
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Create a free forum in seconds.
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · The News Room · Next Topic »
Add Reply