San Diego County fires - Live Thread 10/26

[AlBondigas]

If the enemy coordinated attack at San Onofre to the event at the Harbor, you'd lose the I-5 south exit.

FWIW...You wouldn't need an attack on San Onofre to close S.B. I-5.
Just normal traffic does that every Sat. & Sun. & any evac would stop traffic dead, before the El Toro Y

[cgk]

Wildfire Forces Evacuation Of Scripps Ranch

4 Fires Reported In San Diego County

POSTED: 7:12 a.m. PST October 26, 2003

RAMONA, Calif. -- Fire officials said at 9 a.m. that the Cedar Fire, which had burned more than 10,000 acres, had jumped state Route 67 and was now threatening the area of Scripps Ranch.

Brush fires burning in San Diego Sunday filled the county's skies with smoke, killing 5 and destroying scores of homes.

Hundreds of San Diego residents have been evacuated from the paths of the fires.

East of Ramona, a blaze being called the Cedar Fire has destroyed has scorched at least 10,000 acres, and at least seven homes in the San Diego Country Estates area were destroyed. The CHP reported that two people who were trying to evacuate were trapped by the flames and killed.

Fire officials announced around 8 a.m. that a branch of the Cedar fire was burning in Santee Lakes near the Bonita Parkway. At 8:30, there were no details to report about that blaze.

Thousands of other homes and structures are threatened by the Cedar Fire.

A mandatory evacuation was ordered around midnight for the San Diego Country Estates community in Ramona, and many residents are taking the orders very seriously. That fire has burned through Barona and Moreno Valley and has crossed Highway 67 at Johnson Lake Road. Sunday morning, the fire was raging around Eucalyptus Hills -- a heavily populated area -- and was making its way toward Lakeside.

Fire officials were urging people in the area to evacuate to the Ramona Performing Arts Center at the Ramona High School at 1401 Hanson Lane. The school's phone number is (760) 788-5000. Earlier, residents had been sent to the Olive Pierce Middle School at 1542 Hanson Lane in Ramona, but, with nearly 700 residents there, authorities said the facility was full.

NBC7/39 reported around 9 a.m. that the Cedar Fire had jumped state Route 67 and was now approaching the area of Scripps Ranch. Residents of Scripps Ranch were being ordered to evacuate and were told to go to Mira Mesa High School at 10510 Reagan Road.

A second fire, which was being referred to by officials as the Paradise Fire, began near Valley Center in the Boucher Heights area of the Rincon Reservation. The fire in Valley Center has charred at least 1,000 acres, and 50 to 100 homes have been destroyed. Cole Grade Road has been closed. A fire chief on the scene told NBC7/39 that he personally had seen at least three people who had been killed by the fire.

The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at Valley Center Middle School 28102 N. Lake Wolhford. Large animal evacuations can be taken to Aerie Park at Aerie Road and Betsworth.

Two command posts have been set up by officials; one is located at San Vicente Road and Gunn Stage Road in Ramona and the second at the Lakeside Rodeo grounds.

A third fire was burning on Marron Valley Road near state Route 94 in the Dulzara area close to the U.S.-Mexico border. More than 400 acres had reportedly burned in that fire.

Early on Sunday morning, embers could be seen falling from all directions as residents made their way to safety. Ash from the fires was seen drifting to the ground as far away as downtown San Diego.

"There was a fire all over the hillside by our house about 1:10 this morning," said evacuated resident Jeffrey Shults. "They knocked on the door and told us to evacuate immediately and not to grab anything, just family. Period."

The San Diego sheriff's department said that its communications center is operating in emergency mode and will only be answering emergency calls only for the next several hours.

Toward the north, the fire burning at Camp Pendleton had reportedly burned nearly 5,000 acres and is 55 percent contained, reported fire officials.

Check back here for updates on this breaking news story.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Fire engulfs homes in Scripps Ranch; I-15 and Highway 163 closed in Mira Mesa

I am of the firm opinion that this is the work of environmental activists. They are certainly capable and motivated by enough hatred to do this...

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

From San Diego Union-Tribune
http://signonsandiego.com/

I-15 and Highways 52 and 163 closed in Mira Mesa

[bonesmccoy]

anyone who "evac"s would have to ask where they are going and why.

after all, if you are moving from one fire zone to another, why evac?

You should stand and fight the flames instead.

[Heatseeker]

I'm in Maryland and my ears are glued to the radio feeds from SD and also the San Bernardino area.

As usual, Freepers are WAY ahead of the "news" media. Thousands of people in danger? Ignore them to concentrate on bashing Bush on Iraq. Idiots!

[nicmarlo]

My email:

Fox News

To Whom It May Concern:

I am absolutely OUTRAGED at your lack of coverage on the fires in Southern California. You have spent almost the entire evening/early morning hours covering, nonstop, the Iraqi hotel, and all day Sunday discussing Lee Malvo and the Middle East problems, nonstop.

I have family in California. I have friends in California. I have concerns about California, not a hotel that blew up last night or Lee Malvo who killed people last year. THE FIRES ARE CONSUMING LIVES AND STRUCTURES..........NOW.....IN CALIFORNIA, and I have to listen to blathering about boycotts of meetings? about ceasefire agreements? about Middle East worries about checkpoints? about Ramadan celebrations?

FOX regularly covers police chases in LA nonstop. What is wrong with you?

I am a disgusted viewer.

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

"I am of the firm opinion that this is the work of environmental activists."

I just spoke w/ my sister in San Diego, she believes this also. ELF?

[Grampa Dave]

Yep, if you want real time news on a critical event just go to Free Republic.

This thread is proof of that.

Every Freeper should cancel their fishwraps which have days old news and send the savings to Free Republic.

Besides being great on what's happening at this moment, Free Republic Freepers have done great jobs in identifying home grown enemies of America like al Fuqra and other Jihadists in America.

[bonesmccoy]

MSNBC is broadcasting Chris Matthews in discussion with Bob Kerry.

SMIRK

Bones signing off..

[lainie]

I don't think it's environmental activists. Anarchists maybe, but not people who claim to want to protect the environment.

[maggief]

Right ... check out this page on their web site:

http://www.earthliberationfront.com/main.shtml

[FITZ]

Yes --- I was flipping through channels and there were some very graphic pictures of those fires. It's incredible if they aren't showing that on American television. It would be really something to wonder at.

[Heatseeker]

KFMB just said 7 deaths so far.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Who else? The ELF is tops on my list, followed by Earth First! for what it's worth... groups like Greenpeace and Sierra Club are very far down the list of who I suspect, but only because they are "respectable' groups that groups like ELF look down upon for not doing enough...

Yeah, ELF is tops on my list of either perps or influence for this...

[LibertyAndJusticeForAll]

My sister thinks it could be the ones who burn down new housing, ELFs or something like that?

I didn't think it arson at first, but there are too many all set about the same time for this to be purely accidental. And, someone pointed out they were set between 2 - 4 a.m. Is this correct?

[berkeleybeej]

I just got off the phone with my son who is attending UCSD, he lives in La Jolla and reports large ash falling. He is close to the Miramar fire. They were going to have an evacution discussion when we got off the phone. The big question: Evacuate to where? the beach?

He mentioned that San Diego County is VERY short of resources because they had sent most of their equipment up to the LA fires.

He also mentioned that no one is using the "T" word...yet

[Chad Fairbanks]

Press Release: ELF Claims Incendiaries Left at Michigan Water Bottling Plant: "Water for Life, Not for Profit!"
September 23, 2003 - The Earth Liberation Front Press Office has received a communique from the Earth Liberation Front claiming they left incendiary devices at a pumping station supplying a water bottling plant owned by Nestle Waters North America (formerly known as the Perrier Group of America) in Mecosta County, Michigan. According to news reports, these incendiaries failed to ignite and were removed from the station without incident.

Press Release: ELF Strikes Aginst "Development Destruction" in San Diego
September 19, 2003 - Through media reports, the ELF Press Office has been made aware of an Earth Liberation Front action against urban sprawl in the early morning hours of September 19, 2003. Although the ELF Press Office has received no communications about this actions from the persons responsible, a banner found at the site of the fires reading "Development destruction. Stop raping nature. The ELFs are angry," indicates a claim of responsibility by ELF activists.

ELFPO Statement: Arrest and Release of Josh Connole
September 16, 2003 - On September 12th Josh Connole, a known environmentalist and peace activist, was arrested by the FBI. Josh was accused by the FBI of involvement with the ELF-claimed fire and vandalism of SUV dealerships in West Covina, California on August 22nd, which resulted in over a million dollars in damages.

ELF In the News:


Officials blame San Diego fires on arson
09/19/2003

Opinion: One Man's Ecoterrorist is Another's Smokey Bear
09/15/2003

FBI joins investigation of SUV vandalism (Santa Fe, NM)
09/06/2003

SUVs Destroyed by Environmental Radicals in Calif.
08/22/2003

Search is on for clues in condo project blaze
08/03/2003


more...

---

Frequently Asked Questions
about the E.L.F.

"The ELF realizes the profit motive caused and reinforced by the capitalist society is destroying all life on this planet. The only way, at this point in time, to stop that continued destruction of life is to by any means necessary take the profit motive out of killing."

















Earth First! Journal Article: San Diego Fire
In the largest act of environmental sabotage in US history, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF) has accepted responsibility for a $50 million fire in San Diego, California, that destroyed an unfinished five-story condominium complex on August 1. The complex is owned by Garden Communities, the second largest developer in Southern California. Nationwide, Garden Communities owns more than 40,000 apartments and 25 million square feet of commercial space.

Press Release: ELF Strikes Three Times in One Night Against SUVs
August 22, 2003- Through media reports, the ELF Press Office has been made aware of three ELF actions occuring in the early morning hours of August 22, 2003. Although the ELF Press Office has received no communications about these actions from the persons responsible, spraypainted signatures at all scenes indicates claims of responsibility by ELF activists.

Press Release: ELF Issues Statement on Anti-Sprawl Action in Macomb County, Michigan
July 02,2003 - The Earth Liberation Front Press Office has received an anonymous communique from the Earth Liberation Front claiming responsibility for two fires that took place on the night of June 4th, 2003 in Macomb County, Michigan. The anti-sprawl action targeted two homes nearing completion in the Willow Ridge development and resulted in $700,000 in damages. Graffiti left at the site read "ELF - Stop Sprawl", indicating that the action was in fact taken by the ELF.

Press Release: ELF Strikes Twice in 48 Hours Against Urban Sprawl: California and Michigan
June 04,2003 - Two separate attacks against urban sprawl have been reported to the ELF Press Office today. Chico, California and Washington Township, Michigan are the latest locations for fires that burned or attempted to burn luxury homes under development. These are the third and fourth attacks against urban sprawl undertaken by the ELF in 2003.

[Travis McGee]

Home owners can't fight these flames, they are towering walls of fire a hundred feet high racing at high speeds. If you stay to spray down your roof, you risk being cut off from retreat too late, and incinerated with your house.

Get your pets, photos, heirlooms and GET OUT is the only sane course when advised to evac.

[maggief]

I called and fired off an email. I'm steamed.

________

Now covering live, but cutting away again to "other news". grrrrr