The brush fire ripping through the desert area near Palm Springs has blackened more than 23,000 acres as of Friday.
Click on picture for link...
Posted on 10/27/2006 9:44:51 PM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
(AP) BEAUMONT, Calif. About 1,750 firefighters Friday battled a wind-driven wildfire that scorched more than 25,000 acres in Riverside County, killing four firefighters, destroying 10 homes and threatening 500 more.
Meanwhile, a manhunt involving several agencies was under way for the "scum" who set the blaze.
The fire, which grew explosively in a 24-hour period because of powerful Santa Ana winds, prompting the evacuation of hundreds of residents, was 5 percent contained this morning, according to fire commanders.
The Esperanza Fire broke out in the San Gorgonio Riverbed at Esperanza Avenue just after 1 a.m. yesterday and was quickly determined to have been caused by arson, according to U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Sherri Sullivan, who noted it began in a river wash during the night and that lightning was not a factor.
The fire "has been in both heavy and light brush as well as annual grasses," destroying 10 homes and threatening 500 others, along with three commercial structures, according to Riverside County Fire Department spokesman Patrick Chandler.
A joint investigation was under way, involving the FBI; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the California Department of Forestry; the U.S. Forest Service and the Riverside County Sheriff's Department.
Authorities are not releasing any details on the investigation, including any possible leads into who might have started the blaze, according to Riverside County Sheriff's Department spokesman Juan Zamora.
By Friday morning, the towering walls of flames had charred an area ranging from the San Gorgonio River in the east to state Route 79 in the west, and from just south of the San Bernardino (10) Freeway in the north to a point about three miles north of the Soboba Indian Reservation in the south.
Rocky terrain and the absence of access roads were making it difficult for the 1,750 firefighters at the scene Friday morning to reach the fire's edge, Sullivan said.
The fire was spreading mostly southwest, pushed by the Santa Ana winds, she said, adding that the forested area it threatens has already been burned once during this fire season, which may slow the spread of the blaze.
If the winds shift, the fire could spread southeast into the San Bernardino Forest, Sullivan said. In that case, it would be fueled by the area's dry timber, consisting of trees killed by bark beetles. But Sullivan said such a wind shift would be "uncharacteristic" in a Santa Ana wind event.
National Weather Service forecasters predicted winds from the east blowing at 20 to 30 mph today, with gusts of up to 45 mph.
Relative humidity was estimated in the single digits. Around 8 a.m. yesterday, five firefighters from the U.S. Forest Service's Idyllwild station were overwhelmed by a wall of flame as they attempted to protect a home just north of Twin Pines -- one of the homes that was destroyed.
Three died almost immediately as they tried to take shelter in their fire engine, which soon became a burned-out hulk.
Those men were identified Friday morning as Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan; and Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto.
A fourth firefighter, Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, of Idyllwild, died later at Arrowhead Regional Burn Center, and another firefighter remained in critical condition on life support at Arrowhead Regional, suffering from serious lung injuries and burns over 90 percent of his body.
One other person, a civilian, suffered second-degree burns, Sullivan said, but he was expected to recover.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect for the community of Twin Pines and the Twin Pines Boys' Ranch, as well as Poppet Flats and Wonder View, according to Chandler.
Residents on Sunset and Longhorn streets in Banning have also been evacuated, according to Fire Department Capt. Don Camp.
A Red Cross spokeswoman said as many as 700 people had sought shelter. They included between 100 and 200 people evacuated from Twin Pines and another 100 evacuated from Poppet Flats, Hawkins said.
At 3 a.m Friday, more evacuations were announced in the Chipmunk Terrace area, an unincorporated county area south of Banning, Sullivan said.
State Route 243, between Banning and Lake Filmore, was closed along with Highway 79 from Beaumont to Hemet.
Two evacuation centers were opened:
-- Fellowship of the Path Church, 650 Oak Valley Parkway; and
-- Hemet High School, 41701 E. Stetson Ave.
In addition to the evacuations, residents of the Silent Valley RV Park have been "sheltered in place," which requires them to stay where they are under the protection of firefighters. The area around the park has been burned, making roadways unsafe because of the potential for flareups and the high volume of fire engine traffic. However, there are no reports that anyone in the park has been injured or that any property there has been damaged, according to Chandler.
The Riverside County Board of Supervisors posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who set the blaze. Anyone with information was asked to call (951) 922-7116.
"We're hunting these people with a vengeance, and we're going to find them," said Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley said. "If anybody has any information, call. ...Turn that scum in, please."
Riverside County Fire Department Chief John Hawkins said the arsonist was a murderer.
"Frankly, I'm mad as hell that someone would intentionally start a fire knowing full well that this is the kind of consequence," he said, "Our justice system will make people who do this kind of thing pay dearly."
Added Riverside County Undersheriff Neil Lingle: "That person watching today who committed this offense... we will not rest. We will find you. I can assure you of that -- you will be brought to justice."
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Riverside County and said in a statement that he and California first lady Maria Shriver "were shocked and saddened to learn of the death of the firefighters."
He ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the Capitol and all California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection facilities throughout the state.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
The brush fire ripping through the desert area near Palm Springs has blackened more than 23,000 acres as of Friday.
Click on picture for link...
President George W. Bush calls Deputy Regional Forester about the deaths of four firefighters in a Southern California wildfire. The firefighters were killed while battling the Esperanza fire near Palm Springs. (White House Photo by Paul Morse)
Heard on the radio that the area has not burned for over 100 years. Massive amounts of fuel.
The reward is up to $500,000 now!
I heard the wind is going to shift to onshore direction Sunday. That could cause the fire to change course towards those beetle destroyed deadwoods. Yesterday we had smoke and ash covering the Sun and reducing temperature here and was quite apparent Hemet and San Jacinto were getting the worst of that. Hemet is 26 miles slightly South, but mainly East of us. Today the smoke and ash were much lower to the horizon. We are by no means in any danger from the fire ourselves. We hope the authorities can catch the person(s)whom started this fire.
Thanks for the link...this is the worst fire in my memory and I have lived in the Pass area for 30 years. Last month we had a bad fire burn within 100 yards of where we live in Cherry Valley which is north of Beaumont by a few miles.
Just watching KCAL 9 and they said reward was now $600,000....and fire has consumed 45,000 acres....
Cherry Valley is a lovely place,...been thru there a few times...
Haven't heard late news...has the fire crossed Rt 79 or have they held the line? If it crosses Rt 79 then it will burn to the 60...yikes.
I wonder if this was a teen drinking party that went bad?
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