D
Digger
Guest
My sister got evacuated today. This story is very much very personal to me.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21405632/page/0
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21405632/page/0
see other topic for my end..
70 mph unrelenting gusts at my house. Smoke and ash all over the place.
...Fire officials said more than 265,000 people have been evacuated and nearly 4,900 firefighters are battling the fast-moving blazes, which began over the weekend.
By Monday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention had reported 13 active wildfires have consumed more than 98,000 acres and destroyed or damaged at least 50 homes and businesses across six counties...
...Fire officials said more than 265,000 people have been evacuated and nearly 4,900 firefighters are battling the fast-moving blazes, which began over the weekend.
By Monday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention had reported 13 active wildfires have consumed more than 98,000 acres and destroyed or damaged at least 50 homes and businesses across six counties...
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
I just don't think they need 64 combined radio and TV stations covering it all.
You can only watch one station at a time.
Nobody missed the football games here; channel 2 and 11 never broke NFL coverage.
kelloggs5TLfan
Team Owner
I hope everyone stays safe. Prayers to all involved.
Benevolent One
Team Owner
I've got nephew who lives in San Diego. He is in the Navy. So far, he and his wife are okay. He was evacuated the last time this happened out there as the fires came within a hundred yards or so of his apartment.
D
Digger
Guest
I want to thank...
I'm sure Kid Rock's chipped tooth is so important.
I'm sick of this. Cable "NEWS" stations need to cut off the pundits, tell Hillary Clinton to screw herself, put next November's election away, stop the gossip bullchit and go deliver NON-STOP BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE of this major catastrophe! CNN, MSNBC and FOX say they're NEWS channels, so cover the effing news or rename yourselves.
NOBODY CARES about Britney Spears' visitation fight. Nobody cares about Kid Rock hurting his thumb in a bar fight ... NOBODY GIVES A DAMN! This fire is affecting the 2nd largest city in the country. Pardon my language, but I'm pissed off.
When VT happened, for weeks it was "Virginia Tech" this, Cho Seung Hui that! Imus this, Imus that, nappy headed hos this, Sharpton that. But when it comes to a major catastrophe, you can hear a mouse squeak, metaphorically.
This affects far more people than Virginia Tech ever did.
... MSNBC for thinking this fire only deserved 3 MINUTES of coverage from 5pm-5am.
I'm sure Kid Rock's chipped tooth is so important.
I'm sick of this. Cable "NEWS" stations need to cut off the pundits, tell Hillary Clinton to screw herself, put next November's election away, stop the gossip bullchit and go deliver NON-STOP BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE of this major catastrophe! CNN, MSNBC and FOX say they're NEWS channels, so cover the effing news or rename yourselves.
NOBODY CARES about Britney Spears' visitation fight. Nobody cares about Kid Rock hurting his thumb in a bar fight ... NOBODY GIVES A DAMN! This fire is affecting the 2nd largest city in the country. Pardon my language, but I'm pissed off.
When VT happened, for weeks it was "Virginia Tech" this, Cho Seung Hui that! Imus this, Imus that, nappy headed hos this, Sharpton that. But when it comes to a major catastrophe, you can hear a mouse squeak, metaphorically.
This affects far more people than Virginia Tech ever did.
barelypure
Spectator
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2002
- Messages
- 6,695
- Points
- 0
... MSNBC for thinking this fire only deserved 3 MINUTES of coverage from 5pm-5am.
I'm sure Kid Rock's chipped tooth is so important.
I'm sick of this. Cable "NEWS" stations need to cut off the pundits, tell Hillary Clinton to screw herself, put next November's election away, stop the gossip bullchit and go deliver NON-STOP BREAKING NEWS COVERAGE of this major catastrophe! CNN, MSNBC and FOX say they're NEWS channels, so cover the effing news or rename yourselves.
NOBODY CARES about Britney Spears' visitation fight. Nobody cares about Kid Rock hurting his thumb in a bar fight ... NOBODY GIVES A DAMN! This fire is affecting the 2nd largest city in the country. Pardon my language, but I'm pissed off.
When VT happened, for weeks it was "Virginia Tech" this, Cho Seung Hui that! Imus this, Imus that, nappy headed hos this, Sharpton that. But when it comes to a major catastrophe, you can hear a mouse squeak, metaphorically.
This affects far more people than Virginia Tech ever did.
Well I can kind of understand...it is California after all...besides the vegetables what else would be missed...
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Andy you have to keep tour tv on for more than 3 minutes...I have been watching reports of the fire all afternoon.....
Winds have significantly diminished. Many people now homeless.
Police shot and killed a fleeing arson suspect, another arson suspect is in custody and yet another is being sought...damn sick people...
Thank God for the Red Cross and God bless the firefighters.
Arson probed as cause of wildfires
Calmer winds offer hope to firefighters; damage reaches $1 billion
NBC News and news services
Updated: 5:41 p.m. PT Oct 24, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Special FBI teams gathered evidence Wednesday as part of an arson investigation into the wildfires devastating Southern California, the agency said.
FBI evidence response teams recovered materials they hoped would identify the source of the fires that have burned for four days. Correcting an earlier report, the FBI said a house was not searched as part of the investigation.
Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman in Washington, said the evidence response teams “have been working with other federal, state and local authorities” to identify the source of the fires.
Late Tuesday, police shot and killed a man who fled when officers approached to see if he might be trying to set a fire.
San Bernardino police said the man was shot following a chase that ended when the unidentified Arizona man backed his car into a cruiser and an officer opened fire.
On Wednesday, a man accused of setting a small brush fire in a rural foothill area of the San Bernardino Mountains was booked for investigation of arson. However, San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said authorities don’t know if he is connected to any of the region’s wildfires.
Bush signs disaster declaration
The devastating blazes have caused at least $1 billion in damage in San Diego County alone, officials said Wednesday, as easing wind gave firefighters hope that they could begin to gain ground against the flames.
The fires have destroyed 1,500 homes and caused at least a half-million people to flee — the largest evacuation in state history. At least 1,200 of the damaged homes were in San Diego County, and officials believe that number will rise.
“Clearly, this is going to be a $1 billion or more disaster,” Ron Lane, San Diego County’s director of emergency services, told reporters during a news conference.
The announcement of San Diego’s staggering losses came as President Bush signed a major disaster declaration for California in the wake of the wildfires that have charred about 426,000 acres, or about 665 square miles.
The declaration puts in motion long-term federal recovery programs to help state and local governments, families, individuals and certain nonprofit organizations recover. Bush plans to visit the state on Thursday.
“Americans all across this land care deeply about them,” the president said after a Cabinet meeting convened to coordinate federal relief efforts. “We’re concerned about their safety. We’re concerned about their property.”
The fierce Santa Ana wind that has stoked the explosive blazes had started to moderate Wednesday although stiff gusts continued to blow through some canyon areas. Forecasters said the wind eventually would be followed by cooling sea breezes.
Wind gusts slow
Wind was reported blowing at a sustained speed of 21 to 36 mph in some areas Wednesday, considerably less than the gusts of up to 100 mph earlier in the week.
The shift could allow for a greater aerial assault and help firefighters beat back the most destructive blazes, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
An unmanned NASA aircraft outfitted with high-tech imaging equipment took off Wednesday from Edwards Air Force Base on Wednesday for a 10-hour flight to help firefighters locate hot spots. Pilots at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center were remotely controlling the aircraft, outfitted with a thermal-infrared imaging system capable of seeing through thick smoke.
Crews also were anticipating additional firefighters and equipment from other states, mostly throughout the West. Frustration over the firefighting effort began to emerge Tuesday when a fire official said not enough had been done to protect homes.
Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather told reporters that firefighters’ lives were threatened because too few crews were on the ground. He said a quick deployment of aircraft could have corralled a massive blaze near Irvine.
“It is an absolute fact: Had we had more air resources, we would have been able to control this fire,” he said.
Governor: Criticism unfounded
The state’s top firefighter said Prather misstated the availability of firefighters and equipment. Eight of the state’s nine water-dumping helicopters were in Southern California by Sunday, when the first fires began, along with 13 air tankers, said Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Grijalva said the fires would have overwhelmed most efforts to fight them.
“Anyone that is complaining about the planes just wants to complain because there’s a bunch of nonsense,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told ABC News. “The fact is that we could have all the planes in the world here — we have 90 aircraft here and six that we got especially from the federal government — and they can’t fly because of the wind situation.”
Twenty-one firefighters and at least 24 others have been injured. One person was killed by the flames, and the San Diego medical examiner’s officer listed five other deaths as connected to the blazes.
Agonizing wait
Thousands of people remained in emergency shelters, where many had an agonizing wait to find out whether their homes had survived.
“I’m ready to go, but at the same time, I don’t want to go up there and be surprised,” said Mary Busch, 41, who did not know whether her home in Ramona, in San Diego County, was still standing. She has lived at the evacuation center at Qualcomm Stadium since Monday, sleeping in her SUV with her 11- and 8-year-old sons.
Some knew their homes were destroyed. Mike and Tere Miller of Rancho Bernardo were able to return Tuesday. They had left frantically when they realized flames were approaching, stopping only to drag their dog out the door and awaken a handicapped neighbor. When they came back, they kept looking for their home — and never saw it.
”It was just a smoldering pile of nothing,” Mike Miller told NBC’s TODAY show.
His wife said she had packed papers they knew they would need, but that was it. “If you even think that something’s going to happen, you should prepare, and consider all the things that are most meaningful to you. Because once they’re gone, you can never get them back,” she said tearfully.
Some evacuation orders lifted
Others were eager to return to houses they were confident had survived.
“I called my home and my answering machine still works, so that’s how I know we’re OK,” said Rancho Bernardo resident Fuli Du, who packed his belongings Wednesday preparing to leave Qualcomm.
He spent his 41st birthday Tuesday at the stadium, where he has been staying with his wife and two young sons.
More evacuation orders were issued Wednesday. Residents of the San Diego County communities of Fallbrook and Julian, an area devastated by a 2003 wildfire, were ordered out of their homes. Officials also were evacuating De Luz, an unincorporated community north of Camp Pendleton that was being threatened by a wildfire on the Marine base. The fire also closed Interstate 5 and the Metrolink commuter rail, snagging the morning commute.
However, residents were allowed to return to some areas of San Diego County including Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach.
“There are some hot spots and issues there, but we wouldn’t be letting people go back if it weren’t safe,” county spokeswoman Lesley Kirk said.
The city of San Diego was assessing whether to allow people to return to their homes in Rancho Bernardo, one of the hardest-hit areas, Mayor Jerry Sanders said.
So far, the fires have inflicted the worst damage in San Diego County, where five blazes continued to burn. The largest fire had charred 196,420 acres — about 300 square miles — from Witch Creek to Rancho Santa Fe, destroying 650 homes, businesses and other buildings. Other hard-hit areas included San Bernardino County, where hundreds of homes burned in the mountain resort communities near Lake Arrowhead.
The American Red Cross has set up a service for evacuees to register their status and for loved ones to search for evacuees. Either call 1-800-REDCROSS or go to disastersafe.redcross.org . Click here for more information on how you can help.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
Police shot and killed a fleeing arson suspect, another arson suspect is in custody and yet another is being sought...damn sick people...
Thank God for the Red Cross and God bless the firefighters.
Arson probed as cause of wildfires
Calmer winds offer hope to firefighters; damage reaches $1 billion
NBC News and news services
Updated: 5:41 p.m. PT Oct 24, 2007
SAN DIEGO - Special FBI teams gathered evidence Wednesday as part of an arson investigation into the wildfires devastating Southern California, the agency said.
FBI evidence response teams recovered materials they hoped would identify the source of the fires that have burned for four days. Correcting an earlier report, the FBI said a house was not searched as part of the investigation.
Richard Kolko, an FBI spokesman in Washington, said the evidence response teams “have been working with other federal, state and local authorities” to identify the source of the fires.
Late Tuesday, police shot and killed a man who fled when officers approached to see if he might be trying to set a fire.
San Bernardino police said the man was shot following a chase that ended when the unidentified Arizona man backed his car into a cruiser and an officer opened fire.
On Wednesday, a man accused of setting a small brush fire in a rural foothill area of the San Bernardino Mountains was booked for investigation of arson. However, San Bernardino County sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindy Beavers said authorities don’t know if he is connected to any of the region’s wildfires.
Bush signs disaster declaration
The devastating blazes have caused at least $1 billion in damage in San Diego County alone, officials said Wednesday, as easing wind gave firefighters hope that they could begin to gain ground against the flames.
The fires have destroyed 1,500 homes and caused at least a half-million people to flee — the largest evacuation in state history. At least 1,200 of the damaged homes were in San Diego County, and officials believe that number will rise.
“Clearly, this is going to be a $1 billion or more disaster,” Ron Lane, San Diego County’s director of emergency services, told reporters during a news conference.
The announcement of San Diego’s staggering losses came as President Bush signed a major disaster declaration for California in the wake of the wildfires that have charred about 426,000 acres, or about 665 square miles.
The declaration puts in motion long-term federal recovery programs to help state and local governments, families, individuals and certain nonprofit organizations recover. Bush plans to visit the state on Thursday.
“Americans all across this land care deeply about them,” the president said after a Cabinet meeting convened to coordinate federal relief efforts. “We’re concerned about their safety. We’re concerned about their property.”
The fierce Santa Ana wind that has stoked the explosive blazes had started to moderate Wednesday although stiff gusts continued to blow through some canyon areas. Forecasters said the wind eventually would be followed by cooling sea breezes.
Wind gusts slow
Wind was reported blowing at a sustained speed of 21 to 36 mph in some areas Wednesday, considerably less than the gusts of up to 100 mph earlier in the week.
The shift could allow for a greater aerial assault and help firefighters beat back the most destructive blazes, said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff.
An unmanned NASA aircraft outfitted with high-tech imaging equipment took off Wednesday from Edwards Air Force Base on Wednesday for a 10-hour flight to help firefighters locate hot spots. Pilots at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center were remotely controlling the aircraft, outfitted with a thermal-infrared imaging system capable of seeing through thick smoke.
Crews also were anticipating additional firefighters and equipment from other states, mostly throughout the West. Frustration over the firefighting effort began to emerge Tuesday when a fire official said not enough had been done to protect homes.
Orange County Fire Chief Chip Prather told reporters that firefighters’ lives were threatened because too few crews were on the ground. He said a quick deployment of aircraft could have corralled a massive blaze near Irvine.
“It is an absolute fact: Had we had more air resources, we would have been able to control this fire,” he said.
Governor: Criticism unfounded
The state’s top firefighter said Prather misstated the availability of firefighters and equipment. Eight of the state’s nine water-dumping helicopters were in Southern California by Sunday, when the first fires began, along with 13 air tankers, said Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Grijalva said the fires would have overwhelmed most efforts to fight them.
“Anyone that is complaining about the planes just wants to complain because there’s a bunch of nonsense,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told ABC News. “The fact is that we could have all the planes in the world here — we have 90 aircraft here and six that we got especially from the federal government — and they can’t fly because of the wind situation.”
Twenty-one firefighters and at least 24 others have been injured. One person was killed by the flames, and the San Diego medical examiner’s officer listed five other deaths as connected to the blazes.
Agonizing wait
Thousands of people remained in emergency shelters, where many had an agonizing wait to find out whether their homes had survived.
“I’m ready to go, but at the same time, I don’t want to go up there and be surprised,” said Mary Busch, 41, who did not know whether her home in Ramona, in San Diego County, was still standing. She has lived at the evacuation center at Qualcomm Stadium since Monday, sleeping in her SUV with her 11- and 8-year-old sons.
Some knew their homes were destroyed. Mike and Tere Miller of Rancho Bernardo were able to return Tuesday. They had left frantically when they realized flames were approaching, stopping only to drag their dog out the door and awaken a handicapped neighbor. When they came back, they kept looking for their home — and never saw it.
”It was just a smoldering pile of nothing,” Mike Miller told NBC’s TODAY show.
His wife said she had packed papers they knew they would need, but that was it. “If you even think that something’s going to happen, you should prepare, and consider all the things that are most meaningful to you. Because once they’re gone, you can never get them back,” she said tearfully.
Some evacuation orders lifted
Others were eager to return to houses they were confident had survived.
“I called my home and my answering machine still works, so that’s how I know we’re OK,” said Rancho Bernardo resident Fuli Du, who packed his belongings Wednesday preparing to leave Qualcomm.
He spent his 41st birthday Tuesday at the stadium, where he has been staying with his wife and two young sons.
More evacuation orders were issued Wednesday. Residents of the San Diego County communities of Fallbrook and Julian, an area devastated by a 2003 wildfire, were ordered out of their homes. Officials also were evacuating De Luz, an unincorporated community north of Camp Pendleton that was being threatened by a wildfire on the Marine base. The fire also closed Interstate 5 and the Metrolink commuter rail, snagging the morning commute.
However, residents were allowed to return to some areas of San Diego County including Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Del Mar, Encinitas and Solana Beach.
“There are some hot spots and issues there, but we wouldn’t be letting people go back if it weren’t safe,” county spokeswoman Lesley Kirk said.
The city of San Diego was assessing whether to allow people to return to their homes in Rancho Bernardo, one of the hardest-hit areas, Mayor Jerry Sanders said.
So far, the fires have inflicted the worst damage in San Diego County, where five blazes continued to burn. The largest fire had charred 196,420 acres — about 300 square miles — from Witch Creek to Rancho Santa Fe, destroying 650 homes, businesses and other buildings. Other hard-hit areas included San Bernardino County, where hundreds of homes burned in the mountain resort communities near Lake Arrowhead.
The American Red Cross has set up a service for evacuees to register their status and for loved ones to search for evacuees. Either call 1-800-REDCROSS or go to disastersafe.redcross.org . Click here for more information on how you can help.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
W
WNY24Fan
Guest
My thoughts and prayers are with all the people out in CA. I've been able to contact all my friends and relatives and was relieved to hear they're all OK. One of my friends and his girlfriend who live in the city of San Diego have been volunteering at the stadium. Another friend who lives just a couple of blocks from them said the air is thick with smoke and his truck is covered in ash and soot. I sure hope this gets under control soon.
barelypure
Spectator
- Joined
- Jun 12, 2002
- Messages
- 6,695
- Points
- 0
When will the left start blaming Bush for the Cali fires like they accused him of steering Katrina to NOLA? He's going for a tour with Gov. Arnold, no doubt to see his handiwork. I'm just waiting for the MSM and those in Congress to point their fingers...
Or, if the "BIG ONE" would go ahead and hit, Cali would drop into the ocean and that would put out the fires.
Or, if the "BIG ONE" would go ahead and hit, Cali would drop into the ocean and that would put out the fires.
D
Digger
Guest
I've been watching this very closely.
My sister's house made it through the firestorm but she had been evacuated.
My thoughts and prayers to everyone in that region.
And bp, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly started it.
I've already herd Bush started the fires! I've also heard the fires were caused by global warming.
D.C. is in action on this, believe me.
Oh, DemocRATic Rep. from SoCal already said it's Bush's fault because most of the Nationall Guard's equipment is in Iraq.
My sister's house made it through the firestorm but she had been evacuated.
My thoughts and prayers to everyone in that region.
And bp, Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly started it.
I've already herd Bush started the fires! I've also heard the fires were caused by global warming.
D.C. is in action on this, believe me.
Oh, DemocRATic Rep. from SoCal already said it's Bush's fault because most of the Nationall Guard's equipment is in Iraq.
W
WNY24Fan
Guest
Glad to hear your sister's house made it through. I'm keeping everyone out there in my thoughts and prayers, too.
D
Digger
Guest
The big fires aren't out yet and they're expecting the Santa Ana winds to start back up again tomorrow.
From an internet friend, and the pics didn't come thru.
This is a letter that I got from my cousin who survived (including his house and possessions) the fire. Thank God he did.
We have received many inquires from folks that I decided to do a group email to all to give you an update on how we dealt with the wildfires this week. What a week it was!
Last Friday, we decided to take the RV to Big Bear Lake for the weekend to escape the forecasted warm Santa Ana winds. The mountain air was fresh and crisp with nighttime temperatures in the low 40’s and daytime high on Saturday at 60*F which was very nice change for us – we’re so used to an even 72* all year round. Big Bear’s altitude is 8000 ft and the area reminds us of Maine and enjoy it whenever we get a chance – we’re looking into buying a summer camp to park the RV to enjoy during the summer weekends – it is a beautiful area but yet so close to the warm weather at home.
Sunday, things started to go downhill. We woke up to a bright sunny bone chilling windy morning in the mid 40’s. We took our weekly Sunday morning hike on one of our favorite trails in Big Bear along the lake and was very enjoyable. After lunch, we started to tear down camp and get the RV ready for the 3 hour ride back to San Diego. We heard of news reports of a wildfire in Malibu which was further west than where we were to travel home to and didn’t give it much thought.
On our way down the mountain towards San Bernardino, the winds were very strong and Steve fought the winds to keep the rig on the road, but as soon as we got back down to the valley, the winds got stronger and we could start to see a couple areas of smoke, too far to see the Malibu affects and was reported that a wildfire broke out north of San Bernardino and other nearby areas. We continued to drive south on I-15 and if you know anything about Southern California, the I-15 corridor from San Bernardino towards San Diego (Riverside County) is highly known for the smog settling in the valley with a ever lovely hue of grey – it was abnormally clear due to the high winds and as we approached San Diego county, the smoke grew thicker and we could not figure out why – until we tuned in the San Diego news station.
As we got closer to home, the hugest cloud of smoke could be seen from the east and it was moving westward. This was the Witch Creek fire from the Ramona/San Ysabel area (about 1 hr drive from our house in Vista). It was also very warm and dry – temp was around 85 and humidity was nearly 3%. After we got home and settled in for the night, we watched the news coverage which turned into constant coverage by nightfall and learned there was a larger wildfire in the South Bay down by the border which already claimed the life of one person. We then learned that Ramona was ordered mandatory evacuations and the Witch Creek fire was moving west. We didn’t worry too much about it since we’re close to the coast and thought this was it and went to sleep.
Monday morning, we woke up to chaos. The Witch Creek fire moved further west into Poway and San Diego city limits (Rancho Bernardo – we lived there for the first 5 years being in San Diego). I went to work like an idiot – only work 4 miles from home – and had limited staff due to freeway closures to do anything, however our Call Center in Rancho Bernardo slowly moved into our Vista office to keep operations going until we lost power in the afternoon for a short while. There was a fire 5 miles away in San Marcos that was threatening, but we were mostly concerned with our Rancho Bernardo office and employees dealing with the fires – many live in the Rancho Bernardo/Fallbrook/Ramona areas. Monday night, we watched the local news like glue and was stunned about what was happening around us. Vista/Carlsbad area were never really threatened at any time, but there was a hint of concern with how fast the fires were moving west and thought that the only thing stopping them is the ocean. Meanwhile, the smoke was visible to the south, but no ash or smell at this point.
Tuesday morning, we woke to continuing devastating news of the fires all around the county. In Vista, the smoke line started to move northward and the San Marcos fire was a concern. As the day went on, the smoke got worse and we started to see ash and the smell was horrible. It was like being inside of an ashtray. Our Rancho Bernardo office was closed, but we were still operational in Vista – we had power and became headquarters for the company during this time. There was not much to do, but we were glued watching local news on the internet and keeping up with reports. Tuesday night was horrible – not knowing if this fire would end, but the San Marcos fire was fully contained and felt much as ease sleeping that night.
Wednesday morning, the whole sky was covered in smoke, nasty ash, and the smell was stinging your nose and throat. Our Rancho Bernardo office re-opened with limited staff but Vista was fully operational except for FedEx and UPS still not operating. As a service maintenance company, we found it challenging in trying to figure a way on how to support customers during this time – thank goodness for our Newark warehouse covering for us! By lunch time, the news was turning around and the winds started to die down, however, the smoke and ash were still around. The Santa Ana winds pushed all of the smoke over the ocean, but by Thursday morning, the sea breeze kicked in and the smoke was blown back over the coastline and Vista/Carlsbad got another dose of smoke and ash, but this time it was heavier since the marine layer added moisture to the mess.
The big news here yesterday was President Bush’s visit to the area – or shall I say the photo opportunity for public relations. Many in San Diego did not want him to visit because he would get in the way with all of what it takes to shuffle him in and out of the area. A fly by would have sufficed just fine. Our Lt. Governor said it best – he said to pull out the National Guard troops out of Iraq back to San Diego so that they can help. Our “Governator” was actually pretty good at keeping folks updated and actually trying to get things accomplished. CA is not Bush country as you can tell. Anyway, whatever your politics, it was inevitable that this natural tragedy would succumb to politics somehow.
Today (Friday), the smoke and ash was pushed inland about 10 miles by the marine layer and today was the first day where it was breathable. The hope is that the fires will go backwards upon themselves and put themselves out. As of today, there are still over 10,000 firefighters still out there and a wildfire in Orange County (Santiago Canyon) was reported as arson – there are a lot of folks angry about that. All in all, 1800 homes were destroyed, nearly 1 million people evacuated (half a million in San Diego alone), and will take months to assess the financial damaged – some are saying it could reach into the billions.
Here are a few pictures (below) I took looking south at the river of smoke on Monday taken from our 2nd floor balcony. This was actually the clearest day we had. You can check the web for other pictures that show how the rest of the area looked. We’re supposed to get another mild Santa Ana tomorrow, but not a big threat. There is some rain forecasted, but we rarely get rain this time of year – probably will be January before we see any real wet weather to clean us from all the ash.
It was quite the experience and this time was very close, but very lucky that our immediate area did not suffer any fire damage. The clean up begins tomorrow morning – anyone want to join me sweeping the back patio and power washing the driveway? The car wash will make a bundle this weekend!
Thanks for all of your concerns – we appreciate it. We still love it here regardless of the fires, earthquakes, mudslides, and insane high cost of living. We love San Diego and think it’s the best kept secret in the country and San Diegans always tell others not to tell people how nice it is here so that people don’t come here to stay!
Take care!
This is a letter that I got from my cousin who survived (including his house and possessions) the fire. Thank God he did.
We have received many inquires from folks that I decided to do a group email to all to give you an update on how we dealt with the wildfires this week. What a week it was!
Last Friday, we decided to take the RV to Big Bear Lake for the weekend to escape the forecasted warm Santa Ana winds. The mountain air was fresh and crisp with nighttime temperatures in the low 40’s and daytime high on Saturday at 60*F which was very nice change for us – we’re so used to an even 72* all year round. Big Bear’s altitude is 8000 ft and the area reminds us of Maine and enjoy it whenever we get a chance – we’re looking into buying a summer camp to park the RV to enjoy during the summer weekends – it is a beautiful area but yet so close to the warm weather at home.
Sunday, things started to go downhill. We woke up to a bright sunny bone chilling windy morning in the mid 40’s. We took our weekly Sunday morning hike on one of our favorite trails in Big Bear along the lake and was very enjoyable. After lunch, we started to tear down camp and get the RV ready for the 3 hour ride back to San Diego. We heard of news reports of a wildfire in Malibu which was further west than where we were to travel home to and didn’t give it much thought.
On our way down the mountain towards San Bernardino, the winds were very strong and Steve fought the winds to keep the rig on the road, but as soon as we got back down to the valley, the winds got stronger and we could start to see a couple areas of smoke, too far to see the Malibu affects and was reported that a wildfire broke out north of San Bernardino and other nearby areas. We continued to drive south on I-15 and if you know anything about Southern California, the I-15 corridor from San Bernardino towards San Diego (Riverside County) is highly known for the smog settling in the valley with a ever lovely hue of grey – it was abnormally clear due to the high winds and as we approached San Diego county, the smoke grew thicker and we could not figure out why – until we tuned in the San Diego news station.
As we got closer to home, the hugest cloud of smoke could be seen from the east and it was moving westward. This was the Witch Creek fire from the Ramona/San Ysabel area (about 1 hr drive from our house in Vista). It was also very warm and dry – temp was around 85 and humidity was nearly 3%. After we got home and settled in for the night, we watched the news coverage which turned into constant coverage by nightfall and learned there was a larger wildfire in the South Bay down by the border which already claimed the life of one person. We then learned that Ramona was ordered mandatory evacuations and the Witch Creek fire was moving west. We didn’t worry too much about it since we’re close to the coast and thought this was it and went to sleep.
Monday morning, we woke up to chaos. The Witch Creek fire moved further west into Poway and San Diego city limits (Rancho Bernardo – we lived there for the first 5 years being in San Diego). I went to work like an idiot – only work 4 miles from home – and had limited staff due to freeway closures to do anything, however our Call Center in Rancho Bernardo slowly moved into our Vista office to keep operations going until we lost power in the afternoon for a short while. There was a fire 5 miles away in San Marcos that was threatening, but we were mostly concerned with our Rancho Bernardo office and employees dealing with the fires – many live in the Rancho Bernardo/Fallbrook/Ramona areas. Monday night, we watched the local news like glue and was stunned about what was happening around us. Vista/Carlsbad area were never really threatened at any time, but there was a hint of concern with how fast the fires were moving west and thought that the only thing stopping them is the ocean. Meanwhile, the smoke was visible to the south, but no ash or smell at this point.
Tuesday morning, we woke to continuing devastating news of the fires all around the county. In Vista, the smoke line started to move northward and the San Marcos fire was a concern. As the day went on, the smoke got worse and we started to see ash and the smell was horrible. It was like being inside of an ashtray. Our Rancho Bernardo office was closed, but we were still operational in Vista – we had power and became headquarters for the company during this time. There was not much to do, but we were glued watching local news on the internet and keeping up with reports. Tuesday night was horrible – not knowing if this fire would end, but the San Marcos fire was fully contained and felt much as ease sleeping that night.
Wednesday morning, the whole sky was covered in smoke, nasty ash, and the smell was stinging your nose and throat. Our Rancho Bernardo office re-opened with limited staff but Vista was fully operational except for FedEx and UPS still not operating. As a service maintenance company, we found it challenging in trying to figure a way on how to support customers during this time – thank goodness for our Newark warehouse covering for us! By lunch time, the news was turning around and the winds started to die down, however, the smoke and ash were still around. The Santa Ana winds pushed all of the smoke over the ocean, but by Thursday morning, the sea breeze kicked in and the smoke was blown back over the coastline and Vista/Carlsbad got another dose of smoke and ash, but this time it was heavier since the marine layer added moisture to the mess.
The big news here yesterday was President Bush’s visit to the area – or shall I say the photo opportunity for public relations. Many in San Diego did not want him to visit because he would get in the way with all of what it takes to shuffle him in and out of the area. A fly by would have sufficed just fine. Our Lt. Governor said it best – he said to pull out the National Guard troops out of Iraq back to San Diego so that they can help. Our “Governator” was actually pretty good at keeping folks updated and actually trying to get things accomplished. CA is not Bush country as you can tell. Anyway, whatever your politics, it was inevitable that this natural tragedy would succumb to politics somehow.
Today (Friday), the smoke and ash was pushed inland about 10 miles by the marine layer and today was the first day where it was breathable. The hope is that the fires will go backwards upon themselves and put themselves out. As of today, there are still over 10,000 firefighters still out there and a wildfire in Orange County (Santiago Canyon) was reported as arson – there are a lot of folks angry about that. All in all, 1800 homes were destroyed, nearly 1 million people evacuated (half a million in San Diego alone), and will take months to assess the financial damaged – some are saying it could reach into the billions.
Here are a few pictures (below) I took looking south at the river of smoke on Monday taken from our 2nd floor balcony. This was actually the clearest day we had. You can check the web for other pictures that show how the rest of the area looked. We’re supposed to get another mild Santa Ana tomorrow, but not a big threat. There is some rain forecasted, but we rarely get rain this time of year – probably will be January before we see any real wet weather to clean us from all the ash.
It was quite the experience and this time was very close, but very lucky that our immediate area did not suffer any fire damage. The clean up begins tomorrow morning – anyone want to join me sweeping the back patio and power washing the driveway? The car wash will make a bundle this weekend!
Thanks for all of your concerns – we appreciate it. We still love it here regardless of the fires, earthquakes, mudslides, and insane high cost of living. We love San Diego and think it’s the best kept secret in the country and San Diegans always tell others not to tell people how nice it is here so that people don’t come here to stay!
Take care!
Should the parents be held responsible? 21 families lost their homes. Countless firefighters risked their lives.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is considering whether to file criminal charges against a boy who admitted playing with matches and inadvertently setting the Buckweed fire that raged across 38,000 acres in Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita.
After being questioned by investigators ... the boy was released to his parents. His age was not revealed, but a sheriff's sergeant said she believes he is a pre-teen.
The fire in north Los Angeles County destroyed 21 homes last week, authorities said Tuesday.
The boy, whose name and age were not released, was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked Oct. 21, said sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht.
"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," said Hecht said in a statement.
The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said.
The 60-square-mile fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread by fierce desert winds. It was among more than a dozen major wildfires that killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border.
Authorities arrested five people for arson during that period, but none have been linked to any of the major blazes.
They said an arsonist also set a destructive wildfire in Orange County that blackened 28,500 acres and destroyed 16 homes. Investigators believe the blaze was deliberately set because they found two ignition points within a short distance -- a common sign of arson.
In that case, authorities have asked for the public's help to find the driver of a white Ford F-150 pickup truck spotted in a canyon area around the time the fire broke out. They said they wanted to talk to the driver, but stopped short of calling the person a suspect.
Officials offered a $285,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to an arrest and conviction.
Firefighters had surrounded all but four of the blazes late Tuesday, and the remaining ones were more than 90 percent contained.
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office is considering whether to file criminal charges against a boy who admitted playing with matches and inadvertently setting the Buckweed fire that raged across 38,000 acres in Agua Dulce and Santa Clarita.
After being questioned by investigators ... the boy was released to his parents. His age was not revealed, but a sheriff's sergeant said she believes he is a pre-teen.
The fire in north Los Angeles County destroyed 21 homes last week, authorities said Tuesday.
The boy, whose name and age were not released, was interviewed a day after the Buckweed Fire was sparked Oct. 21, said sheriff's Sgt. Diane Hecht.
"He admitted to playing with matches and accidentally starting the fire," said Hecht said in a statement.
The boy was released to his parents, and the case will be be presented to the district attorney's office, Hecht said.
The 60-square-mile fire began in an area near Agua Dulce and quickly spread by fierce desert winds. It was among more than a dozen major wildfires that killed 14 people and blackened 809 square miles from Los Angeles to the Mexican border.
Authorities arrested five people for arson during that period, but none have been linked to any of the major blazes.
They said an arsonist also set a destructive wildfire in Orange County that blackened 28,500 acres and destroyed 16 homes. Investigators believe the blaze was deliberately set because they found two ignition points within a short distance -- a common sign of arson.
In that case, authorities have asked for the public's help to find the driver of a white Ford F-150 pickup truck spotted in a canyon area around the time the fire broke out. They said they wanted to talk to the driver, but stopped short of calling the person a suspect.
Officials offered a $285,000 reward to anyone with information that will lead to an arrest and conviction.
Firefighters had surrounded all but four of the blazes late Tuesday, and the remaining ones were more than 90 percent contained.
U
unccracefan
Guest
these fires are so crazy
H
hedgeHodges
Guest
its horrible
my buddy works for Fema and he told me how bad it is...
my buddy works for Fema and he told me how bad it is...