Posted on 10/22/2007 8:06:14 AM PDT by Sleeping Freeper
SAN DIEGO -- With fire spreading quickly westward, San Diego County officials ordered the evacuation of a huge area east of Interstate 15 between Del Dios Highway and Highway 56 early Mon"This is the worst fire this county has ever seen -- worse than the Cedar Fire [of 2003]," Sheriff Bill Kolender said.
At a news conference shortly after 6 a.m., officials said fires had spread dramatically overnight, whipped by fierce Santa Ana winds. They said fire had jumped Interstate 15 at Lake Hodges and was burning in parts of Rancho Bernardo. Because of the explosive and unpredictable nature of the blazes, all residents living between Interstate 15 and Interstate 5 from Del Dios Highway in the north to Highway 56 in the south were told to begin evacuating.
"This fire is moving very quickly," San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders said. "Watch TV, listen to the radio and have your car prepared to leave."
Among the communities in the evacuation area are Rancho Sante Fe, Carmel Highlands, Rancho Bernardo, Del Mar Heights and Fairbanks Ranch and parts of Rancho Penasquitos.
Officials have opened Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley to handle the large number of evacuees.
Sanders asked everyone in San Diego County to minimize the use of cell phones to leave the airways free for the use of emergency personnel.day.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcsandiego.com ...
F****** jackasses. Looting to me is the most vile class of larceny, because it kicks people when they’re down, taking advantage of those most vulnerable.
They probably just tell themselves “well, it was gonna burn anyway!”
At least looting will very likely be covered by insurance...
Dang.
Is there any local discussion about how much of this is arson? I know embers can wreak havoc- but there seem to be a LOT of fires that are just sprouting up..
It’s so good of you to open your home to the refugees.
>>Scripps Ranch being evacuated.<<
Darn. That’s right across the 15 from me.
Just called my father who lives in Scripps Ranch. No sign of fire that they can see, but they’re getting out anyhow.
My mom just heard from my grandfather. He wasn’t evacuated after all. He has some kind of big statues in the back yard (we are so Greek) and the winds are so high that they were being blown around. He was just trying to secure them somehow they don’t damage anything. He also said that the fires were as close as 5 blocks away and several homes were completely lost.
The good news (at least for him) is that the winds seem to have at least temporarily shifted and are now blowing west and blowing the fires away from his area. He said the skies over his house are blue, but the air is still thick. People going outdoors have to cover their mouths and protect their eyes.
Ice plant! If there were EVER a bit of flora that said “urban SoCal”, screw the palm trees; ice plant has it in the bag.
THAT stuff is E-V’RY-WHERE!
We had it down the back slope at the house I grew up in, over in Anaheim Hills. It’s all along the freeways, and up and down I-5 from Simi Valley south.
SoCal and ice plant are geographically synonymous.
I heard a few hours ago that there were about 90 homes on fire in Lake Arrowhead. Lord knows what it is now. ABC7 showing live footage. It’s bad.
LOL, Greeks and their statues... before I moved last year we had a nice elderly Greek couple around the corner from us, with some absolutely stunning Greek Vineyard-style statuary in their front yard.
With luck those big statues will act as wind/firebreaks...
Shocking! That is a huge area.
My nephew from Poway was back east visiting last week. He returned home to CA. on Sunday. I hope he, his family, and his home are OK.
We definitely have some arson involved, but not all arson. Always get opportunist during these firestorms. Too early to insinuate that we might have a sleeper cell that was waiting for the right conditions. The problem is the high winds. Watch some of the closeup videos of the fires. You will often see a building flaming away, but the flames are lying horizontal because of the wind. This is 2003 again with stronger winds and dryer vegetation.
ABC7 is showing footage of Arrowhead now. It’s awful.
I don't have any TV. My satellite blew away...
Clickable links at source:
http://www.nbcsandiego.com/community/14397039/detail.html?dl=headlineclick
Firestorm 2007 Resource Guide
Evacuation Centers Set Up Around County
Evacuation Tips From Consumer Bob
Road Closures
Mandatory Firestorm Hot Line, Emergency Numbers
How You Can Help
San Diego Blood Bank
San Diego County Office of Emergency Services
Red Cross — San Diego/Imperial Counties
California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection
San Diego Humane Society & SPCA
San Diego County Air Quality Information
National Interagency Fire Center
California Department of Insurance
I’m watching Stephenson Ranch. There’s a bunch of beautiful homes about to go bye-bye.
Those firefighters are probably going through 10 kinds of Hell, knowing that what they’re doin...heroic as it is...is just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s out there.
Is there any local discussion about how much of this is arson? I know embers can wreak havoc- but there seem to be a LOT of fires that are just sprouting up..
~~~
I’ve caught a snip here and there,,,some arson,,,
some sparks,,,it don’t take much as dry as it is with that wind...
I’d like to buy into your notion about those teens trying to do something right, but there are long odds against finding teens with the basic awareness of what a back fire is, some general idea how to set one, and the combination of personal initiative, community-mindedness, and the outright cojones to actually go DO it.
Maybe — just MAYBE — you’re right, and I’ll just hope that you are, until/unless future input proves otherwise. In the middle of a disaster like this, I’m happy to extend the benefit of the doubt to anyone who even LOOKS like they may be trying to do something effective to help.
TANKS,,,Great link,,,saved that one...
Is Sparks packing yet ??...
Well if there is looting, raping and pillaging we know where the blame lies........come to think of it......is there some way we can blame this fire on Global Warming?
If not.........well we always have the default person to blame still occupying the White House.
Looks bad but fox 11 reporting that no homes are in danger yet in Stevenson Ranch, due to strategic green belt placement. Score one for development...
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