This is a real tragedy, especially since it appears that many fires are under suspicion of arson.
Ignoring evacuation orders fatal for some
People who delay leaving homes killed by fast-moving wildfires
By Michelle Morgante, The Associated Press
October 28, 2003
SAN DIEGO -- As flames closed in, a neighbor ran to Nancy Morphew's door to warn her. But Morphew didn't seem worried about getting out in time.
"She met me at the front door and said, 'I know, I know. Go help other people,' " David Wallace recalled. "She seemed like she had a plan."
After the fire tore through Sunday, Morphew was found dead in the road, her burned-out truck sitting at the bottom of a ditch along Yellow Brick Road.
Like many of the 15 people who died in the wildfires burning across Southern California, Morphew -- a 51-year-old woman who took pride in running her own horse ranch -- apparently underestimated how fast the flames were moving.
"I think she got disoriented and the smoke was probably real bad," said another neighbor, Charlene Pierce. "It looks like she just drove into the canyon."
http://www.insidevc.com/vcs/state/article/0,1375,VCS_122_2382127,00.html