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THE ESPERANZA ARSON WILDFIREThis is the personal story of a very brave CDF Dispatcher from Riverside County Volunteer Fire Station 63 located in Poppet Flats. Monday, October 30, 2006 12:36 PM Subject: Fire update from Poppet Flats Here is a report of what happened on Thursday, 10/27/06 in Poppet Flats. My pager went off at 2 am on Thursday morning not sure what day, they have all run together. I am in charge of calling all of our firemen at Station 63, since my antique pager is the only one that works up here in the mountains. I have been a...

FIREFIGHTERS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA HAMPERED BY WINDS & LOW HUMIDITY High pressure today has sent more gusty east winds into the mountains, passes and canyons of Southern California as firefighters attempt to gain the upper hand on a fast-moving wildfire in Riverside County. Fox News Channel is reporting another brush fire has erupted in Orange County. Wind Advisories are in effect through this evening. The combination of winds gusting up to 45 mph and extremely low humidity will keep the fire danger at an extreme level into Saturday. By Sunday, an onshore flow will calm the winds and bring moist...

(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...

California Watches and Warnings National Weather Service Zone - CAZ042 SGXNPWSGX WWUS76 KSGX 251746 NPWSGX URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA 1046 AM PDT WED OCT 25 2006 SANTA ANA WINDS EXPECTED TONIGHT INTO FRIDAY... .DEVELOPING OFFSHORE FLOW WILL CAUSE LOCAL STRONG GUSTY SANTA ANA WINDS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE THROUGH AND BELOW MOUNTAIN CANYONS AND PASSES THURSDAY MORNING. CAZ048-057-260315- /O.UPG.KSGX.HW.A.0004.061026T1200Z-061028T1800Z/ /O.NEW.KSGX.HW.W.0005.061026T0300Z-061027T0300Z/ SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE- SANTA ANA MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS- 1046 AM PDT WED OCT 25 2006 HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING...

CABAZON, Calif. -- A fast-moving fire killed at least three firefighters, prompted mandatory evacuations and burned more than 4,000 acres in Riverside County this morning, officials said. The Esperanza fire in Cabazon, some 90 miles east of Los Angeles and about 20 miles northwest of Palm Springs, was reported at 1:12 a.m., Becky Luther, a spokeswoman for the Riverside County Fire Department, said in a telephone interview. "It's a very serious fire," Luther said. "There are Santa Ana conditions and the fire is fast moving." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters that three firefighters were killed fighting the blaze. The U.S....

CABAZON, Calif. - Three firefighters were killed and two critically injured Thursday battling a wind-whipped wildfire that drove hundreds of people from their homes. The firefighters were killed attempting to protect a home early Thursday from the flames that broke out shortly after 1 a.m. in this community near Palm Springs, 90 miles east of Los Angeles. A Forest Service spokesman said the firefighters were trapped in their fire engines when high winds suddenly pushed the flames over them. "The engine was in the area and with the wind conditions like they were, the fire just overtakes and burns the...