Guest guest Posted October 24, 2007 Report Share Posted October 24, 2007 in SFGate you can see a NASA photo of the smoke billowing hundreds of miles out to sea Half a million people flee as wildfires continue to torch SoCal homes By ALLISON HOFFMAN and GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writers Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Southern Calif. Wildfires Nearly 1 million people flee Map | KPIX video Evacuees wait out disaster in Qualcomm Bush vows FEMA help Bay Area firefighters head south Homes leveled at Lake Arrowhead New fire in San Diego County -- (10-23) 15:22 PDT San Diego, Calif. (AP) -- Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a frenzy across Southern California, firefighters all but conceded defeat Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has already chased nearly a million people away. Unless the shrieking Santa Ana winds subside, and that's not expected for at least another day, fire crews say they can do little more than try to wait it out and react — tamping out spot fires and chasing ribbons of airborne embers to keep new fires from flaring. " If it's this big and blowing with as much wind as it's got, it'll go all the way to the ocean before it stops, " said San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries. " We can save some stuff but we can't stop it. " The number of people joining the mandatory exodus — and the number of homes destroyed — was expected to grow as several fires continued to burned a path toward the sea — through populated communities. In San Diego County, authorities placed evacuation calls to 346,000 homes, said Luis Monteagudo, a spokesman for the county's emergency effort. The county estimates, based on census tracts, that approximately 513,000 people were ordered to leave. " It's basically a mass migration here in San Diego County, " Monteagudo said. " The numbers we're seeing are staggering. " In Orange County, a fire chief lashed out at the state, saying air support, such as tankers, might have helped control fires early on, before they burned homes, if it had been available. It wasn't because so many fires struck California almost simultaneously beginning last weekend. " There is not enough resources to go around ... because of the number of fires that are going on in our state right now, " said Orange County Fire Authority Chief Chip Prather, who said a fire that has been growing since Sunday was still threatening homes and the safety of firefighters. " You need to have sufficient number of resources " to react quickly when wind conditions allow flights. " And we haven't had that benefit. " Prather said a dozen firefighters battling blazes in Orange County's Irvine and Lake Forest areas had to deploy emergency shelters, a last resort when they are surrounded by flames, or take cover in buildings. " They should not have had to do that, " he said. " If we'd had the resources earlier to take care of those lines with hand crews, we wouldn't have been in that situation. " Prather's comments came minutes before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, touring fire damage in Lake Arrowhead, promised more help, including more people and equipment. He said the flames were threatening 68,000 more homes. When asked about the fire chief's critical remarks, the governor said: " I'm not aware of that. " When pressed whether he was unaware of the criticism or unfamiliar with a state plan developed to avoid the issues the fire chief raised, he said: " All I'm saying is that I'm very happy that everyone is working so well together under such difficult circumstances. " More than 200 homes burned in the San Bernardino County communities of Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs along with another 1,100 homes, businesses and other buildings in San Diego County, fire officials said. One person died in San Diego County over the weekend, and authorities confirmed a second person died Monday of injuries received the day before in the Buckweed Fire in northern Los Angeles County, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jay Nichols. The first victim was identified as Thomas Varshock of Tecate, a town on the U.S. side of the border southeast of San Diego, the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office said. Authorities had told him to evacuate, but he didn't leave and authorities left to take care of other evacuations, the Medical Examiner's Office said. There were 45 injuries reported throughout Southern California, including at least 16 firefighters. The University of California San Diego Medical Center Regional Burn Center was treating 16 patients from the San Diego County fires, including three firefighters and four others in critical condition. With some 375,000 acres, or 585 square miles, ablaze, President Bush declared a federal emergency for seven Southern California counties, a move that will speed disaster-relief efforts. He also scheduled a visit to the region on Thursday. " He wants to ensure that the state and local governments are getting what they need from the federal government and he wants to make sure to deliver a message in person to the victims that he has them in his thoughts and prayers. " Meanwhile, the Department of Defense agreed to send six Air Force and Air National Guard water- or retardant-dropping planes. Fire crews and fleeing residents described desperate conditions that were sure to get worse. Temperatures across Southern California were about 10 degrees above average and approached 100 degrees Tuesday in Orange and San Diego counties where sustained Santa Ana winds gusted in some areas to 65 mph. The fires were exploding and shooting embers before them in all directions, preventing crews from forming traditional fire lines and greatly limiting aerial bombardment. In Orange County, flames tore through Modjeska Canyon, forcing firefighters to take cover and destroying homes. " Our house is still there right now but there are only six houses on our street that are still standing, " said Vallary Townsell, 25, who lives in the canyon and works as a reporter with local cable TV Channel 3. Thousands of residents throughout Southern California sought shelter at fairgrounds, schools and community centers. The largest gathering was at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, where evacuees anxiously watched the stadium's television sets, hoping for a glimpse of their neighborhood on the local news. The clubhouse at the famous Del Mar racetrack was converted into a shelter. Hundreds of people starred at television sets blaring reports from the fire lines and damaged neighborhoods. Many dozed on cots, their countless pets penned in with temporary fencing. " We're going crazy trying to get back into our apartment just to see what kind of damage we've got, " said Tim Harrington, who arrived at the racetrack with his wife, son and their two pet rats. " Then we'll pick up the pieces from there. " Just outside the clubhouse, barns that usually house thoroughbred race horses sheltered a variety of large animals. " I'd say spirits are pretty good. The biggest question is, 'When can we go back to our homes?' We have to tell them we have no idea. All we can tell them to do is tell them to watch those TVs, " volunteer coordinator Beverly Ferree said. Public schools were closed, as were campuses at the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University. National Guard troops were manning highway checkpoints in San Diego County. At Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, about 40 aircraft that included F-18 fighter jets, C-130 cargo planes and Marine helicopters were evacuated to other bases in California and Arizona. The scope of the infernos was immense and was reminiscent of the blazes that tore through Southern California four years ago this month, killing 22 and destroying 3,640 homes. As the fires spread, most out of control, smaller blazes were merging into larger, more fearsome blazes. The winds — which sweep through Southern California's canyons in fall and winter — are stronger than normal, turning already parched scrubland into tinder. Full containment of the most fierce fires in San Diego, officials estimated, could come as early as Nov. 1. ___ Associated Press writers Chelsea J. Carter, Jeremiah Marquez, Daisy Nguyen and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles, Martha Mendoza in Lake Arrowhead, Jacob Adelman in Santa Clarita, Elliot Spagat and Scott Lindlaw in San Diego, and Pauline Arrillaga in Del Mar contributed to this report. Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance. Confucius Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 24, 2007 Report Share Posted October 24, 2007 we're still ok. my parents house in the south county is threatened. " weird scenes inside the goldmine... " -j. morrison, the doors blake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.