Free Republic

Who knew that living in 2020 California would be reminiscent of my childhood? Here we are, with all the modern conveniences of 2020 in a state that is considered technically first-class in this country, if not the world, and I find myself scouring my memory for some of the means we used to survive bad weather when I was a child growing up in the woods of New Jersey. It really is mind-boggling! As I write this, our power company, PG&E – Pacific Gas and Electric – which, we are told, is the nation's largest utility company, is about to...

...The Holy Fire, which had exploded from 75 to 700 acres within an hour Monday afternoon, was threatening recreation structures in the area of Trabuco Creek and Holy Jim Canyon roads, according to the United State Forest Service. It had consumed more than 1,200 acres by 5:40 p.m., with zero percent containment. At 8:19 p.m., the Cleveland National Forest's official Twitter account said the Holy Fire had grown to 4,000 acres with zero percent containment, meaning the blaze had more than tripled in size in fewer than three hours.

long Highway 12 through Sonoma Valley, world-famous vineyards beginning to show off their brilliant fall hues are now juxtaposed against a jarring backdrop of mountains blackened by flames. Majestic parklands ringing the valley have been scarred, including Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Hood Mountain Regional Park near Kenwood, where flames Sunday continued to send a massive plume of smoke into the sky visible for miles, fueling fresh rivulets of anxiety for both residents and firefighters. “I’ve never seen anything like it,” Tom Siragusa, an assistant chief for the San Francisco Fire Department and Petaluma resident who has worked in the...

In 2012, Sierra Pacific Industries was ordered to pay $55 million to the United States and transfer 22,500 acres of land to the United States government after the Department of Justice launched a massive lawsuit against the company. The DOJ argued that the company was responsible for a massive fire that destroyed 65,000 acres of land in California. Since the beginning of the case, however, Sierra Pacific has insisted that the fire started elsewhere and that the Department of Justice was being deceitful in their prosecution. Now, new evidence showing an outrageous miscarriage of justice has emerged, including the DOJ's...

More than 800,000 Californians who own property in wildfire country will begin receiving bills this week for a new annual fire-protection fee, rekindling outrage among rural residents and leading to a likely lawsuit seeking to overturn the surcharge. The fee, passed by Democrats in the Legislature and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown last year, is intended to raise an estimated $84 million in its first year for fire-prevention efforts. The annual charge can run as high as $150 for property owners with a single occupied dwelling, although there is a $35 discount for those who already pay a local tax...

California Democrats joined Jerry Brown in passing an illegal fire fee for every habitable structure found on a land owners property. Most Californians were under the belief that fire protection was a basic government service? Well, not if you are a Democrat. The unusual fire charge for rural areas, was pushed through by Gov. Jerry Brown, and styled as a fee and not a tax to avoid a ballot measure requiring a two-thirds vote of approval. Called "The State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Benefit Fee", it was signed into law last year. The law requires homeowners in designated fire-prone...

Al Qaeda is reportedly exploring a new way to attack the U.S., encouraging terrorists to make homemade “fire bombs” to start massive wildfires in California and the western U.S. Al Qaeda magazine gave step-by-step instructions on how to build and use an “ember bomb,” which sends flaming embers out into the dry fields. Battalion Chief Julie Hutchinson said that’s when CAL FIRE jumped into action. “The magazine had very specific outlines and drawings and details on how to create that ‘fire bomb,’ so we felt it was in our interest to go ahead and put that together and determine what...

Sacramento — Gov. Jerry Brown has laid out a new mission for Cal Fire that could lead to fewer firefighters on each engine and a dramatic shrinking of responsibility, leaving local agencies to defend vast swaths of rural San Diego County. Brown’s proposal, included in his state budget plan, renews debate over the state fire agency’s role, originally designed to protect forests and watersheds but subsequently expanded greatly as housing pushed deeper into the state’s backcountry. More is at stake than dousing flames. Cal Fire crews are often the first to respond to other types of emergencies, such as accidents...

NTSB Prelim Confirms Firefighting DC-10 Struck Trees Tue, 17 Jul '07 Pilot Landed Aircraft Safely, Crew Not Injured A National Transportation Safety Board preliminary report released Sunday confirmed a DC-10 firebomber, operated for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention (CalFire) was damaged last month during a retardant drop on a brush fire near Tehachapi. "The flight crew was on their third flight of the day and preparing to jettison a load of retardant," the NTSB report says. "While in a left turn from base to final for the drop, the left wing dipped downward and impacted several trees."...