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Monday, October 22, 2007

Raging California Fires Burn More than 500 Homes

22 Oct 2007 -

Raging California Fires Burn More than 500 Homes

Summary/Update - SoCal Wildfires

SAN DIEGO - Wildfires blown by fierce desert winds Monday reduced hundreds of Southern California homes to ashes, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and laid a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange over the drought-stricken region.

At least one person was killed and dozens were injured. More than 600 homes burned, about 130 in one mountain area alone, and thousands of other buildings were threatened by more than a dozen blazes covering at least 520 square miles.

Soon after nightfall, fire officials announced that 500 homes and 100 commercial properties had been destroyed by a fire in northern San Diego County that exploded to 145,000 acres, said Roxanne Provaznik, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry. The fire injured seven firefighters and one civilian, and was spreading unchecked.

A pair of wildfires consumed 133 homes in the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort area in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles, authorities said (See previous story about Arrowhead fire on this blog). Hundreds of homes were lost in the same community fours ago.

Firefighters ? who lost valuable time trying to persuade stubborn homeowners to leave ? had their work cut out for them as winds gusting to 70 mph scattered embers onto dry brush, spawning spot fires. California officials pleaded for help from fire departments in other states.

"A lot of people are going to lose their homes today," San Diego Fire Capt. Lisa Blake predicted earlier.

At least 14 fires were burning in Southern California, said Patti Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Governor's Office of Emergency Services.

From San Diego to Malibu, more than 150 miles up the coast, at least 265,000 people were warned to leave their homes. More than 250,000 were told to flee in San Diego County alone. "It's probably closer to 300,000," said County Supervisor Ron Roberts. This story, by Yahoo News and the Associated Press, continues at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071023/ap_on_re_us/california_wildfires_138

Governor Announces Federal Air Support In Wildfire Fight
October 22, 2007, 7:41 PM PDT
Six massive military cargo planes are set to join the battle against wildfires that have spread across Southern California.
Governor Schwarzenegger said the Air Force and Air National Guard planes were being sent after he appealed to the Department of Defense for assistance in fighting the blazes. The C-130 aircraft come equipped with systems capable of dropping up to 3,000 gallons of water or flame retardant at a time. The planes will join fleets of firefighting helicopters, propeller planes and a DC-10 jet that have taken to the skies to try to contain fires burning out of control across the region. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is calling up 1,500 National Guard troops to deploy to the Southern California wildfires.
Full Coverage on the SoCal Fires from KTLA: http://ktla.trb.com/news/local/special2/
MAYOR SANDERS ISSUES PLEA FOR DONATIONS:
San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders has issued a plea for donated blankets, cots and food items for those displaced by the wildfires at Qualcomm Stadium. The Stadium is filling rapidly, and displaced residents and responder teams are in dire need of food and supplies. Anyone with a large surplus of blankets and/or cots, or a restaurant that wishes to donate prepared food, please call (858) 663-8838... -- Source: San Diego, KFMB - News 8 -- Includes Extensive San Diego Coverage at:http://www.cbs8.com/
Evacuation Order Expands Past I-5 To Ocean
UPDATED: 8:25 pm PDT October 22, 2007
SAN DIEGO, CA: A San Diego Police Department spokeswoman said Monday night that the evacuation order has been expanded to include the areas west of Interstate 5, including Solana Beach, Del Mar and Torrey Pines.
The statement reads: "The following mandatory evacuation has been ordered in the following areas:
* South of the Del Dios Highway
* North of Sorrento Valley Road
* West of Black Mountain Road to the ocean
Officials said the city had attempted to contact residents with reverse-911 calls. Both SDPD and sheriff's deputies were involved in the evacuations, authorities said.
Residents in those areas are being directed to Qualcomm Stadium, Carlsbad High School at 3557 Lancer Way or the Encinitas Senior and Community Center in the 1140 Oakcrest Park Drive.
Officials were saying that Del Mar Fairgrounds can no longer handle additional large animals, but they are still accepting evacuees.
-- Source NBC7/39 - San Diego: http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/14399596/detail.html
Posted by C. L. Staten at 22:39.11
Edited on: Monday, October 22, 2007 23:21.44
Categories: Emergency Services