Posted on 10/28/2003 2:45:02 PM PST by Smogger
LOS ANGELES -- LATEST DEVELOPMENT: With more than 1,500 homes destroyed and damage estimated at nearly $2 billion, Gov. Gray Davis said the wildfires could be, "the worst disaster the state has ever faced."
At least 17 deaths were blamed on the wildfires sweeping through the West, 15 in Southern California and two in Mexico, as separate blazes were scattered along an arc from the suburbs northwest of Los Angeles to Ensenada, Mexico, about 60 miles south of the border. At last count, 1,572 homes were destroyed in California.
More than 522,000 acres of brush, forest and homes -- or about 815 square miles, roughly three-quarters the total area of Rhode Island -- had burned in California.
The fire teams were aided by calmer weather that included increased humidity, lower temperatures and a break from the Santa Ana winds that had gusted up to 70 mph earlier in the week.
More than 10,000 firefighters were battling the flames, which by Tuesday had already cost the state more than $24 million.
More resources were on the way from Arizona and Nevada, which each volunteered the use of 50 firetrucks, and Nevada also was sending three helicopters.
The death toll was the state's worst since the 1991 fire in the Oakland hills of Alameda County that killed 25 and destroyed more than 3,200 homes and apartments.
Many of those who died had waited until the last minute to flee, Sheriff Bill Kolender said Monday. "When you are asked to leave, do it immediately. Do not wait," he said at a news conference.
Several people suffered burns and smoke inhalation, including eight hospitalized at the University of California, San Diego, Medical Center. Two had burns over more than 55 percent of their bodies, spokeswoman Eileen Callahan said.
Managers of California's power grid estimated that 70,000 to 85,000 Southern California customers were without electricity because fires had damaged transmission lines.
Mandatory Evacuations Ordered For Big Bear, Freeway Closed, Homes Burned
Old Fire
28,000 acres burned
10 percent containment
1,600 personnel battling fire
Deaths: 2
500 homes, 10 commercial buildings destroyed
Started: Oct. 25 near San Bernardino National Forest
Key facts: Mandatory evacuations underway in Big Bear Lake community and areas along highway 38 corridor, including Heartbear, Angeles Oaks and Forest Falls Tuesday. Evacuations in foothill areas of San Bernardino and mountain communities, including Crestline and Lake Arrowhead. Running Springs and Arrowbear added to mandatory evacuation list Monday. Personnel: 1,632 firefighters.
Suppression cost: $2.9 million.
Cause: Arson.
Grand Prix
57,232 acres burned
35% contained
$7.2 mill in costs so far
77 homes lost
Deaths: 0
Started: Oct. 21 near San Bernardino National Forest. Key facts: Evacuations in Lytle Creek, Mount Baldy, and parts of Claremont, Upland, Devore Heights, and other foothill communities of the San Gabriel Mountains. Residents are being allowed back in several areas, including parts of Muscoy, Claremont and Upland.
Cause: Arson
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the Big Bear area Tuesday morning. The evacuations include Big Bear Valley, Barton Flats, Seven Oaks, Angeles Oaks, Forest Falls and Mountain Home Village. Thirty-five thousand people are affected by the order. Voluntary evacuations have been ordered for Lake Arrowhead. Chaeli Judd from the U.S. Forest Service said residents can take Highway 38 or Highway 18 to evacuate.
NBC4's Chuck Henry spoke to a fire official Tuesday at 1:15 p.m in Skyforest. The official said the fire is expected to reach Running Springs by Tuesday afternoon.
Early Tuesday morning firefighters battled a portion of the Old Fire that had moved within feet of the Rim of the World High School near Highway 18 in Lake Arrowhead after the fire jumped the highway. Backfires combined with favorable wind conditions aided the firefighters.
Crews east of Los Angeles lost 20 buildings during the night in the Strawberry Peak section of the San Bernardino National Forest. They couldn't immediately say if the structures, near Lake Arrowhead, were homes or outbuildings. The Strawberry Peak area was hit by a combination of two fires that had merged into one during the weekend, the Grand Prix Fire, and the Old Fire.
Mandatory evacuations had previously been called for in Arrowbear, Glen Helen -- North Side of the I-15, Cajon Canyon towards Blue Cut, Mt. Baldy Village, Green Valley Lake, Running Springs, Crestline, Cedar Pines, Lake Arrowhead, Twin Peaks, Sky Forest, Blue Jay, Devore, and Devore Heights.
Lake Arrowhead, at an elevation of 5,100 feet, was particularly vulnerable to fire because a beetle infestation has devastated the surrounding trees.
"It is one of our major concerns at the moment," U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Carol Beckley said late Monday.
Officials were particularly concerned about "crowning," in which flames leap from one treetop to another, leaving firefighters on the ground all but powerless to stop them.
"If that occurs, we don't have the capability to put those fires out," Beckley said. "It will be a firestorm."
The I-15 at the 210 was closed Tuesday at approximately 9:30 a.m. due to swirls of flame and heavy black smoke sweeping through the Cajon Pass. The fire has jumped the center median, according to NBC4. One home has been lost in the Devore area due to the flames. The 215 is closed north of the 15 interchange.
Two men collapsed and died in connection with the Old Fire, one as he was evacuating his canyon home and the other as he watched his house burn, the county coroner said.
Authorities announced they were seeking two men for investigation of arson and possibly murder in connection with the fire, which ravaged foothill neighborhoods of San Bernardino and threatened mountain homes. One man was seen Saturday morning throwing something into roadside brush that caught fire, then he and a companion fled in a white or gray van, officials said. A vehicle similar to the vehicle identified by authorities was found Tuesday. It was parked on a remote road in the high desert, according to NBC4.
Simi Valley Fire, Voluntary Evacuations In Place
Simi Valley
92,000 acres burned
5% contained
902 personnel
2,000 homes threatened
16 homes destroyed, 8 damaged, 64 outbuildings destroyed
Key facts: Mandatory evacuations in two parts of Chatsworth area in Los Angeles. Voluntary evacuations in Box Canyon and Brown Canyon and other areas of Simi Valley.
Started: Oct. 25
Suppression cost: $1.1 million.
Cause: Under investigation
The Simi Valley fire moved to Santa Clarita and was headed toward the Stevenson Ranch area Tuesday. Voluntary evacuations were in place.
Aerial crews were battling the flames and ground crews are expected to be realigned to battle the latest extension of the fire.
Inspector Roland Sprewell said he believed firefighters would be able to get the upper hand on the fire Tuesday.
Firefigthers have had some success in battling the Simi Valley fire. They were able to save hundreds of homes in the Chatsworth section of Los Angeles.
The fire has been burning in the Santa Susana Mountains, which separate Los Angeles from Simi Valley.
A spokesman for the state forestry department said every one of the homes in the area has been saved.
Mandatory evacuations were in place in two parts of the Chatsworth area in Los Angeles. Voluntary evacuations in Box Canyon and Brown Canyon and other areas of Simi Valley were in effect.
Residents in the Porter Ranch area also received some good news Tuesday. A captain for the Los Angeles City Fire Department said the weather was helping firefighting efforts. Winds remained calm allowing firefighters to hit the fire with as many aerial resources as possible and create structure protection using available ground resources. Overall, the captain said, "It looks good."
There were no formal evacuations in place for the Porter Ranch area Tuesday morning, according to Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles City Fire Department. However, residents are being cautioned about the amount of particulate in the air, according to NBC4.
Battle against the Simi Valley fire reached a fevered pitch Monday afternoon as a gigantic wall of flame headed for homes in Rocky Creek Canyon. Residents of the exclusive community known as Indian Estates, where homes are valued at over $1 million, were evacuated as quickly as possible. Firefighters were able to save all the homes in the community.
The back-and-forth struggle between firefighters and the Simi Valley fire prompted mandatory evacuations for five communities Monday.
Fire officials said the Simi Valley fire could, in a worst-case scenario, spread across Los Angeles County and reach Malibu and the Pacific Ocean.
Fires on the outskirts of Los Angeles County merged to create the Simi Valley fire late Sunday northwest of Los Angeles in Ventura County.
Bush Expresses 'Deep Concern And Sympathies' For Fire Victims
President George W. Bush expressed his "deep concern and sympathies" for victims of the California wildfires.
He said his administration is working closely with California officials organizing the battle against the blazes.
Bush has dispatched emergency chief Mike Brown to California -- but said he continues to monitor developments from the White House.
On Monday, Bush designated four California counties scorched by wildfires a major disaster area and ordered federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts.
The president's action makes federal money available for disaster-struck people in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties.
Residents and business owners with fire losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance Tuesday at 1-800-621-FEMA.
Gov. Gray Davis had sought the designation and called for the creation of one-stop centers, similar to the ones that were set up after the Northridge earthquake Monday.
Cedar Fire Kills 11, Mandatory Evacuations Ordered In Julian
Cedar Fire
206,664 acres burned.
881 homes destroyed.
Deaths: 11
Containment: 0 percent.
Start: Oct. 25 in eastern San Diego County.
Key facts: Extends to Scripps Ranch, Poway, Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, Ramona and portions of Santee, Lakeside and Blossom Valley. Air traffic nationwide was disrupted when this fire forced evacuation of a Federal Aviation Administration control center. Personnel: More than 2,300 firefighters.
Suppression cost: $2.5 million.
Cause: Authorities believe a hunter set signal fire when he got lost.
A US Forest Service official working the Cedar Fire has advised fresh fire crews that wildfires are headed toward Julian to the north. Mandatory evacuations were ordered Tuesday afternoon for Julian and Pine Hills.
The forest official, Rich Hawkins, said, "There's really no way to stop this fire from getting up to Julian."
Eleven people have been killed by the 200,000-acre Cedar Fire in San Diego County. An estimated 881 homes, ranging from modest to expensive, were destroyed.
The San Diego County victims included two people who died inside their car as they apparently tried to escape the flames, which some witnesses said moved so fast they didn't get any warning.
Among others killed were one person whose body was found in a motor home, and three in other vehicles, San Diego county sheriff's spokeswoman Susan Knauss said. Three were killed while trying to escape on foot and two were dead on arrival at local hospitals.
The fire was ignited Saturday near the mountain town of Julian when a lost hunter set off a signal fire, authorities said. The hunter was taken in for questioning, arrested, and appeared in federal court Monday afternoon.
Another fire near San Diego that started Sunday killed two people and destroyed 57 homes while burning about 15,000 acres, authorities said. It also prompted evacuations in northeastern Escondido.
Piru Fire Threatens 300 Homes
Piru Fire
30,500 acres burned
Homes: None. 300 residences threatened. 1 outbuilding destroyed.
Deaths: None. 7 injuries.
Containment: 10 percent
Start: Oct. 23 west of Lake Piru in Ventura County. Key facts: Voluntary evacuations in Piru and parts of Fillmore.
Personnel: 1,083 firefighters.
Cause: Under investigation.
A fire near the community of Piru was threatening approximately 300 homes Tuesday, authorities said.
The fire threatened a preserve for endangered California condors Monday. Officials said all 30 adult condors probably escaped the blaze.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said fewer than 100 California condors exist in the wild in the United States.
The Piru fire started Thursday west of Lake Piru in Ventura County.
Mountain Fire 75 Percent Contained
9,742 acres burned
Homes: 21 destroyed, including 2 houses and 19 trailers and mobile units used as residences.
Deaths: None.
Containment: 75 percent.
Start: Oct. 26 in southern Riverside County.
Key facts: Evacuations orders for 300 homes near Lake Skinner have been lifted. Two civilian injuries. Five minor firefighter injuries. Personnel: 697 firefighters. Suppression cost: $1 million.
Cause: Under investigation.
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Actually, Gov. Gray Davis is the worst disaster the state has ever faced.
A firefigher monitors the Old Fire with a water hose along state highway 18 in Lake Arrowhead Tuesday.
Fire crews monitor the Old Fire along state highway 18 in Lake Arrowhead Tuesday.
Firefighters fight fires in Crestline, Calif. Tuesday morning.
A firefighter stands along Highway 18 as the Old Fire burns in the background Tuesday.
A firefighter surveys the damange from a wildfire in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego Tuesday.
Fire crews pour water at a home in the Scripps Ranch area of San Diego Tuesday.
...except for his two partial terms as governor.
This San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department wanted poster, released Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003, shows a sketch of a man wanted for questioning concerning the Old Fire, which started Saturday, Oct. 25, 2003, in San Bernardino County in Southern California. (AP Photo/San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department)
A view of the California wildfires as seen by the crew of the International Space Station.
Wifey called here to tell me one of the TV reporters was told that "everyone in all mountain communities needs to leave NOW"; guess there's another hairy night cooking.
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