San Diego Fires October 23 2007


First of all, I’d like to put here San Diego emergency websites:

Unfortunately these websites are down because of high traffic I guess.

So Cal Wildfires

What happened in the past two days?

Fire Evacuations - Thick Smoke from Wildfires
via Associated Press

  • Wildfires blown by fierce desert winds reduced hundreds of southern California homes to ashes Monday, forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee and laid a hellish, spidery pattern of luminous orange over the drought-stricken region.
  • Firefighters described desperate conditions that are sure to worsen in the days ahead, with hotter temperatures and high winds forecast for Tuesday. At least 16 firefighters and 25 others were reported injured since the blazes began Sunday, and one person was killed.
  • At least 655 homes burned - about 130 in one mountain area alone - and 168 businesses and other structures were destroyed. Thousands of other buildings were threatened by more than a dozen blazes.
  • The fire injured seven firefighters and one civilian and was spreading unchecked.
  • A pair of wildfires consumed 133 homes in the Lake Arrowhead mountain resort area in the San Bernardino National Forest east of Los Angeles, authorities said. Hundreds of homes were lost in the same community fours years ago.
  • Firefighters lost valuable time trying to persuade stubborn homeowners to leave and they had their work cut out for them as winds gusting to 113 kilometres an hour scattered embers onto dry brush, spawning spot fires.
  • From San Diego to Malibu, at least 265,000 people were warned to leave their homes. More than 250,000 were told to flee in San Diego County alone.

San Diego Fires - Patients
via Seattle Times

  • Hundreds of patients were moved by school bus and ambulance from a hospital and nursing homes, some in hospital gowns and wheelchairs. Some carried their medical records in clear plastic bags.
  • A 1,049-prisoner jail in Orange County was evacuated because of heavy smoke. The prisoners were bused to other lockups.
  • In San Diego County, more than 200,000 calls from county officials to residents alerted residents to evacuations, said County Supervisor Roberts.
  • About 10,000 of them ended up at Qualcomm Stadium, home to the NFL’s Chargers, where thousands of people huddled in eerie silence during the day Monday, staring at muted TV news reports of the wildfires. A lone concession stand served coffee and doughnuts. Many gathered in the parking lot with their pets, which were banned from the stadium.
  • California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived later Monday to a more festive evening atmosphere, with live music and mountains of catered food. The crowd hooted and hollered as he passed through and Schwarzenegger later declared the people of the makeshift city “are very happy.” Asked how the disaster would unfold in coming days, the governor said: “No one knows. We are relying very much on the weather.”
  • The Federal Emergency Management Agency was sending cots, blankets and other supplies, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a telephone interview.
  • The sprawling Del Mar Fairgrounds on the coast was also turned into an evacuation centre, along with high schools and senior centres. Marine officers at Camp Pendleton opened their base to residents.
  • At least one of the fires, in Orange County, was believed to have been set. And a blaze threatening the homes of the rich and famous in Malibu might have been caused by downed power lines, authorities said.
  • Mel Gibson, Kelsey Grammer and Victoria Principal were among celebrities forced to flee over the weekend, their publicists said.
  • Another blaze was started by a car fire. Flying embers started new fires at every turn.

San Diego Wildfires - Devil’s Work
via LA Times

  • “It was nuclear winter. It was like Armageddon. It looked like the end of the world,” Mitch Mendler, a San Diego firefighter.
  • Tom Sollie, 49, ignored evacuation orders in Rancho Bernardo to help his neighbours spray roofs on his street with water. His home was untouched but he watched a neighbour’s house reduced to nothing but the remnants of a brick chimney.
  • Firefighters complained their efforts to stop the flames were delayed when they were confronted by people who refused to leave their homes.
  • Black smoke blanketed much of northern San Diego and nearby suburbs as flames hopscotched around homes in Rancho Bernardo.
  • Highways, canals and other features normally act as firebreaks. But the towering flames and flying embers rendered them useless this time.
  • “The flames were like 100 feet high and it moved up the hill in seconds. It was at the bottom, it was in the middle, and then it was at the top,” said Steve Jarrett.
  • Fire near the San Diego Wild Animal Park led authorities to move condors, a cheetah, snakes and other animals to the fire-resistant veterinary hospital on the grounds of the park. The large animals, such as elephants, rhinos and antelope, were left in irrigated enclosures.
  • Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the seven affected counties, opening the way for government aid.
  • “Its a tragic time for California,” the governor said in Malibu, where a church, homes and a mansion resembling a medieval castle were destroyed over the weekend.
  • More than a dozen people were in hospital with burns and smoke-inhalation, including four firefighters, three of whom were listed in critical condition, officials said. Some of the injured were hikers, while others may be illegal immigrants.
  • Flames forced the evacuation of the San Diego community Ramona, which has a population of about 36,000.
    Source: Canadian Press

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San Diego Fire Maps:

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San Diego Fires Related Photos:

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October 23rd, 2007
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