Posted on 09/27/2006 11:55:19 AM PDT by george76
Officials urged residents in rural mountain communities to evacuate as they battled one of California's largest and longest-lasting wildfires.
Thick smoke turned the sky gray and purplish Tuesday as flames rolled through pines and juniper trees on slopes of Los Padres National Forest, where more than 3,800 firefighters have battled the blaze since it started on Labor Day.
"The problem is we've had extremely dry fuels," fire spokesman Dan Bastion said Wednesday. "Brush and trees will be ignited by the heat of the fire, so there's a domino effect going on."
Fire trucks, bulldozers and water tankers guarded homes within sight of the massive fire Tuesday. No occupied homes had been lost to the fire, which burned some 70 miles northwest of Los Angeles. Overall, containment was just 42 percent.
Dale King was helping firefighters clear brush around his home when flames roared across the edge of his 5-acre property.
"The house was vibrating. It sounded like a freight train in the yard," King, 57, said.
"It was scary. I've never seen a wall of fire 200 feet high moving right at you and there's nothing you can do," he said. "It makes you believe in the Lord, I'll tell you."
The new fire activity was a surprise setback for firefighters...
The blaze has burned more than 144,880 acres - 226 square miles ...
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
It has burned over 100,000 acres and not bothered anyone but we cannot seem to find a place to put a refinery or power plant.
Amazing.
The other problem is, it is some very, very rugged country, with few roads and nearly impenetrable brush in many places.
Late morning news showed some structural damage in Frazier Park ... a barn, I think.
Speaking of Frazier Park, which has evacuated, I recall (many years ago) when we turned off Hwy. 5 to go to Mt. Pinos, just before Frazier Park we stopped in the small town of Lebec to eat a big breakfast at "The Okie Girl."
Does anyone else remember the Okie Girl? Great place from better times ...
The liberals love roadless areas.
The fire fighters often wish that they had roads to fight these fires.
Plus roads would make fire fighting safer.
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