Anyone seeing the coverage of these fires in Cali?? Thats some scary shit !!!

They've even started evacuating some of the animals from the San Diego Zoo!

This is real scary. What a shame.

Between the drought in the Southeast and the wildfires in California, Nature is making herself known in a bad way.

Boy, I'm telling you. The fires seem to keep popping up. San Diego and and Malibu are really getting hit hard. :(Understandably, Governor Schwartzengger declared state of emergency in 7/8 counties in CA.

The Santa Ana winds are unbelieveably strong with as much power I hear as 80 MPR and last night anyway, I heard it reported that in Malibu it was 0 per cent contained. The winds are due to last tomorrow and then die down. God, I hope so. It would not even be half the problem it is if the winds stopped.

One problem I heard reported as I drove home from work tonight was that the fire department has to spend a lot of time rescuing people who refused to evacuate when told to. What can you do???? I know, I'd be on my way if I saw a fire coming toward me and was told to leave.

My place backs up to the Cleveland National Forest in Riverside County, but thankfully my area is fine. The closet fire to me is probably in San Bernardino (which I found out about just this morning). By work the sky is gray and dirty looking and all outdoor activities (including lunch) had to be held indoors. And, on my way home I smelled the stench of smoke in the air, but I am no where by the danger zone like the other poor people in San Diego and Malibu.

TIS

Not to distract from the topic at hand, but I believe a Californian Wildfire is what they call the exact opposite of a Brazilian.

If one of those fires was heading towards me I'd evacuate immediately. After I changed my underwear I'd get out of there, too.

It looks like the firefighters are just hoping to hold the fire lines until the winds die down. Its been reported here that the relative humidity is about 5% (EXTREMELY dry) with winds over 50 mph.... two VERY bad things in fighting fires.

Yeah so I'm just in my apartment down at San Diego State. My parents in Del Mar had to evacuate at around 8 PM tonight. They moved to Temecula to get away from it all. The fire is about 3 miles or so from my apartment. It's pretty crazy to be honest. The football players and I went to the top of a parking structure to watch the fire. Residents of Rancho Santa Fe(some of the most expensive property in the nation) may be losing their homes through the night. My house should be fine as well as my dorm. Basically the fire is Southeast of me.

Will let you know. I've been awake for 22 hours and 30 minutes now. And I'm wide freakin' awake.

DC,

Hope you're ok. I thought there was a fire in Temecula too???? I'm getting confused. I just wake up and see Santa Clarita now is on fire. I'm listening to the traffic report now and good God, every freeway seems to be at minimum slow, with even in my area, a 15 minute delay.

Stay safe DC and keep us posted. I know it's really bad in your area. And if they say evacuate, please do so. I hear the fireman were begging people the other day to leave and some just didn't.

TIS

Watching this on the news here is just surreal. It's unbelievable. And the winds are supposed to "slow down" to only 30 mph by tomorrow, but they will stay high today and continue to spread the fires. I can't imagine being in that position. And isn't this the same area that was just hit when that road cracked and the houses were all damaged???

I understand they are evacuating 300,000 people and that they have set up a shelter in the stadium where the Chargers play.
Supposedly the game set for there this weekend may have to be moved.

This is surreal...its like a Katrina in reverse.

God bless all those firefighters out there.

The local weather guy just announced that L.A. has only received 2" of rain this year.

With things THAT dry its no wonder everything is burning.

I'll tell you something, Arnold has had his hands full with disasters, many natural, some not, since becoming Governor.

And the poor people of California have gone through hell over the last couple of years.

This is really very upsetting to watch. Makes me feel so helpless sitting here not being able to do something to help in some way.

You're right SC, we have been in desperate need for "real" rain for a very long time, and absolutely, it doesn't take much for anything to catch fire. The winds are an added curse. Now I hear they will die down on Thursday. They have the National Guard helping out, and Camp Pendelton is in San Diego, so I don't know if it'd be appropriate to ask help from them, or if they already have.

We had a couple teachers evacuated from the Running Springs fire, and a co-worker of mine has a 92 year old father in San Diego, who she is concerned about. I have smelled the smokey air all day, but can't see any fire/flames from either my work or my home, so I don't feel threatened thank God!! I don't know if I recall so many separate fires throughout all of SoCal at one time. It really is surreal.

Check out these pictures that actually that I guess people sent in (scroll down to photo gallery on left side). Very sad indeed but these are sure powerful shots.

California Wild Fires

TIS

NOTE: If you looked at the photos in the link, you'll see Magic Mountain Amusement park also on fire. I just heard that that particular fire was started by a single spark from a welder, whom I assume was simply doing his job in the park.

I've watched these news stories for many years now. I'm still dumbfounded by the ferociousness of these fires year after year. I'm still amazed at our lack of controlling these annual catastrophes. How much longer will we allow these areas to be rebuilt, fully knowing that in some point of the future we're gonna have to spend millions of dollars trying to prevent what nature does best?

Its frustrating.

We have been seeing this over here as well!
Awful and very scary

More than a half a million people have had to evacuate!

My God, I can't even begin to imagine having to go through this.

Thanks for the pictures, TIS. It's very sad to see people's homes being devastated while there's nothing they can do.

I wish I could send the rain we are getting out there to help out the firefighters. Was it lightning that caused the fire?

Well, last night I heard that the good news was the winds should stop by today. I hope so. I also heard that in some fire areas people were allowed to go back for a few minutes only to get medication and/or belongings (if they aren't ashes).

Then this morning they are reporting that the "officials" say it's out of control and they are afraid all these fires will merge into one big fireball, and that's what they are trying to prevent. I read yesterday that one firefighter said it won't end til it gets to the ocean. I just pray that it at least begins to get under control when we can relax a bit knowing the worst is over.

TIS

As of 5:30 a.m. PDT, 19 fires burning and 3 contained; over 900,000 evacuated. Amazing

Another tidbit I just heard, they have California inmates helping out as well. They are all minimum security risks, physically fit, and no history of violent crimes. According to the report, this is saving the state millions. Interesting hu?

Maybe their efforts may result in early parole, and save the State a few more dollars. Their assistance might improve the self esteem of some of the inmates too.

So it's not Charles Manson and his family running a bucket brigade along with the Menedez brothers? (Those are the only California inmates I could think of).

Is Scott Peterson there too?

That's all I could think of too. Could be because it seems lately all you heare are most people in California serving only 1 day in jail.

You are correct SC...but its dangerous out there wherever you go. Here in Fla we have hurricane threats every year (as do much of the southeeast and gulf coasts). They have tornadoes in the Midwest and Noreasters in New England.

I do believe, however if someone wants to put a 5 million dollar mansion on a beach or on the side of a cliff in California that Federal funds should not go to them for relief.

What frustrates me is that our political leaders(assholes) are already playing "who's to blame game" I heard that they are blaming:
1. global warming
2. war in Iraq
3. President Bush

Now is not the time to be blaming anybody. Now is the time to help these poor people who lost everything.

Well, a lot of them DID start out as bush fires.

Not the burning bush? Ya know the one from which God spoke to Moses?

Seriously, You Can't Fool Mother Nature. Fire and water - man's arrogance will be humbled by both of them. It is a tragic loss of "property", but in the end....you can't take it with you. It's sad for the people; families, and especially traumatic for the children. This is the stuff that nightmares are made of.

You know something? Yesterday morning I was watching the news about these wildfires, and the thought of someone possibly starting some of these fires, an arsonist, crossed my mind. I thought of posing the possibility here on the boards, but then I decided that maybe I was being a bit too cynical.

Well guess what?

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LOS ANGELES (Oct. 24) - Federal agents joined the search for evidence Wednesday in brush-covered Orange County hills where an arsonist is believed to have ignited one of the wildfires devastating Southern California.

In San Bernardino County, a man suspected of starting a small fire was arrested and another man was shot to death by police after he fled officers who approached to see if he might be trying to set a fire.

Wildfires, burning in seven counties, had destroyed about 1,500 homes and caused more than a half-million people to flee since the first blaze began late Saturday. At least two — in Orange and Riverside counties — have been linked to arson.

Throughout the region, authorities stepped up patrols in hopes of preventing copycat fires and looting. In San Diego County, sheriff's officials have reported scattered instances of looting in fire zones. Two people have been arrested.

Orange County officials converged on a remote area of bone-dry brush where a 19,200-acre wildfire has destroyed nine homes. They were aided by special teams from the FBI and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The federal government planned to send more agents from around the country to help with the probe.

Investigators taped off an area they called a crime scene, took photos, collected evidence and recorded map coordinates, according to ATF Special Agent Susan Raichel. Authorities believe the fire had been set because they found three different ignition points within a short distance — a common sign of arson.

A $70,000 reward was offered for information leading to an arrest in the case.

In San Bernardino County, a motorcyclist who authorities say set a small fire in a rural foothill area of the San Bernardino Mountains has been booked for investigation of arson. Authorities said they didn't know if the man was connected to any of the 16 major wildfires burning in Southern California.

In the city of San Bernardino, police shot and killed a man who fled when officers approached to see if he might be trying to set a fire.

The man, whose name was not released, was shot Tuesday night following a chase that ended when he backed his car into a police cruiser and an officer opened fire, San Bernardino police said.

On Wednesday, a merciful easing of the winds fueling the sprawling wildfires finally gave firefighters a chance to fight back against some blazes.

The improving weather allowed for a greater aerial assault on the flames and helped firefighters beat back the most destructive blazes. Helicopters and air tankers dropped 30 to 35 loads of water on two fires that have burned hundreds of homes in the San Bernardino Mountains, near Lake Arrowhead.

"They're taking it down considerably," said Dennis Bouslaugh of the U.S. Forest Service. Authorities said they had largely contained many of the fires north of San Diego, and all five fires in Los Angeles County were about 50 percent contained or more.

Despite the progress, none of the six major blazes in San Diego County was more than 15 percent contained, and those fires threatened more than 8,500 houses. The top priority was a fire in San Bernardino County that threatened 6,000 homes and continued to rage out of control.

So far, this week's fires have burned 674 square miles across five counties, from Ventura in the north all the way into Mexico.

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How many lives are now ruined and have been changed forever because of some sick bastard? How many people have now lost everything that they've ever had because of some wacko scumbag?

It's not unsual that, unfortuantely, that at least one of these fires is arson. It has happened before.

I too wonder what kind of thrill this person is getting. I mean, is he watching the coverage of the enormous destruction and going, "yea!!! I did that?" Surely, he'd know before even starting a fire that here in California, that type of destruction is not only possibly but likely? If this or any fire is intentionally set, that's life in prison as far as I'm concerned.

Btw, I'm happy to report that nine of the fires have been contained, the winds have stopped and/or ceased enough for the poor firefighters to make some progress. Of course now, the reality will set in for the many many poor families who lost everything. At least perhaps the healing can begin. I just don't know how I'd be doing if I lost everything. I think I'd cling to the fact that myself and family are safe which in itself IS the important thing. Yet.....has to be very very tough.



TIS

maybe it was an act of terrorism