San Diego Burning

[rod]

The fires are engulfing San Diego. A lot of the freeways are closed or clogged up with traffic due to the evacuations. I am safe here in Spring Valley for the moment. If any members here need help let me know. I am not working and I can help if needed. High Santa Anna winds and 90 deg temp will make this realy nasty. Rod

[BuddyRich]

Good luck Rod and everybody down there. Those Santa Ana's can really push a fire.

[Older...]

I lived in Poway while in the Navy via NAS Miramar, so how is my old turf (Poway) doing? Poway = meeting place of the valley. That was over twenty years ago so the whole area is probably nothing that I remember.

But with my fond memories I hope all is well there.

[rod]

I just sent Rose out to our friends house with the important stuff. I have the bike loaded and ready to go. I am watching the area but will haul ass before the fire gets close. Rod

[Princess M]

Good Luck, Rod. Don't leave too late. If they tell you to evacuate...do it. Wishing the best for everyone down there.

[MikeM8560]

Good luck Rod. I havnt heard of this on the news

[Condor]

I can't believe this is happening again so soon after the Julian Fire of just a few years ago. What a mess. Here's a copy from the Sac Bee this morning. And the San Diego fire is just one of many in SoCal, but if diffinately the biggest with 600 homes gone.

http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2007/10/22/22/313-firemain.embedded.prod_affiliate.4.jpg

 

 

SAN DIEGO – An explosive chain of Southern California wildfires has triggered the largest evacuation in state history, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes as weary firefighters struggle to slow the relentless infernos that have consumed more than 267,000 acres since last weekend.

In San Diego County alone, seven separate fires spurred the evacuation of 300,000 people – 10 percent of the county's population.

"There's been a mass exodus," said Luis Monteagudo, a spokesman for the county. "Some roads are gridlocked. Emotions are on edge. We are going through something unprecedented at this point."

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Fire officials estimated that 500 homes and 100 businesses had been destroyed in San Diego County's Witch fire, which had charred 145,000 acres as of Monday night.

Throughout the Southern California fire zone, one death was confirmed and 39 people were injured, including 15 firefighters.

The number of evacuees far exceeds California's previous record, when 120,000 people were displaced in Northern California during the 1997 floods.

Across the south state, at least 14 fires rampaged through seven counties. Fanned by ferocious winds and feeding on vegetation parched by drought, the fires on Monday blazed from the mountains to the sea.

Today's prospects don't look much better, with sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph, gusting up to 80 mph, said Mike Sicilia, an Office of Emergency Services spokesman. He said the winds are expected to die down by Wednesday.

In Los Angeles County, four fires ate through more than 80,000 acres, destroying at least 24 homes, a church and numerous outbuildings and injuring eight people, including two firefighters. Most of those hurt had minor injuries, said Rick Dominguez, a Los Angeles county fire inspector.

For longtime residents of the rugged canyons north of Los Angeles, the massive Buckweed fire represents decades of concern. That fire triggered the evacuation of 15,000 residents, officials said.

"We always have fires in the canyons, and you pretty much know where they're going," said Kim Nelson, a resident of Saugus since 1974. "But this is a wildfire in the truest sense of the word. We haven't had any relief for two days. None."

As winds picked up Monday morning, flames forced brief evacuations in Saugus, a sprawling collection of new developments and old horse ranches in the canyons north of the San Fernando Valley.

Families ran from their homes clutching armloads of clothing and electronics after sheriff's deputies roared through the neighborhood on motorcycles announcing a mandatory evacuation. Neighbors hugged and cried as they parted.

Yet almost as quickly as the fire sped downhill toward two dozen homes, heat billowing ahead of it, the blaze dissipated after consuming the fuel in its path.

In the San Bernardino Mountains, flames roared toward homes north of Lake Arrowhead, with officials confirming that 138 structures were destroyed and 1,500 homes were in peril.

Earlier Monday, an online appeal from Lake Arrowhead firefighters summed up their desperate situation: "Immediate threat to 100 structures and possible threat to thousands ... Multiple downed power lines. IC (Incident Command) asking for resources from anywhere... . Lack of resources hindering suppression efforts. Unable to fly aircraft. All local engines are depleted."

[Sweetnothing]

My thoughts and prayers are with you all down there! Keep us posted Rod, on how you are doing! I wish we lived a little closer, so we could let you all stay at our place, but we moved a little bit farther when we left Northern Cal!

[sdive]

Good luck down there Rod hope they can get control soon.

 

Ron

[nelsonrl]

Good luck - flew into Orange County Airport this morning from Phoenix. Pilot warned us the who trip to not be alarmed when we started smelling smoke in the plane. Rental car covered in ash.

 

SoCal residents are in my prayers.

[Ramblingman]

Rod good luck and best wishes ...hope all remains in tack for you's !! My prayers with be with you folks!!

[rod]

The good news is the fire bypassed us on the other side of the hills. I only had to dissuade one car of looters from our neighborhood. Bad news is the fires have destroyed more area than some states. Over 1/2 million evacuated from San Diego county alone. So far all our friends have come through OK. They will be selling a lot of air filters here for a while. I think I will buy stock in Fram or Wix Rod

[Mariner Fan]

Good luck down there in California. Dang, every time I read about these fires, more people are having to evacuate. Over a million so far!