Post by Bennett D. Ebberly on Oct 26, 2003 15:40:29 GMT -5
Hundreds of Home Burn in S. California
By LAURA WIDES
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters worked frantically Sunday to take advantage of a lull in the hot, dry winds that just hours earlier had blown a ferocious firestorm into a neighborhood of suburban homes, destroying at least 200 and forcing thousands of panicked residents to flee.
The fire, blamed for the stress-related deaths of two older residents, was threatening at least 1,000 more homes Sunday morning. It had forced the evacuation of an Indian-reservation casino, state university, retirement home and state mental hospital, and firefighters couldn't say when it might be contained.
The blaze, named the Old Fire, was one of several burning out of control across Southern California and one of two that prompted Gov. Gray Davis to declare a state of emergency for San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
``We are taking every possible step to support the firefighting effort,'' Davis said, adding he had ordered state firefighting agencies to use all available personnel and equipment in battling the blazes. He said he planned to visit the San Bernardino fire scene Sunday afternoon, and he called on President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for the area, which would free up federal loan money for people who lost their homes.
The fire, which erupted about 9 a.m. about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, was propelled by fierce Santa Ana winds as it devoured 10,000 acres of chaparral within hours, spreading to a 12-mile front. The blaze and an even larger wildfire nearby that burned at least 10 homes Saturday closed highways, cut off power to thousands and choked the region with heavy smoke and flaming ash.
The other large San Bernardino County fire was in the Rancho Cucamonga area, where more than 34,000 acres were blackened. Feeding on head-high scrub oak and chaparral, it marched into the northern edge of the city Saturday, burning at least two homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate. Later, east-shifting winds drove flames into the nearby community of Lytle Creek, burning eight homes there.
Meanwhile, in Ventura County, about 100 miles to the northwest, another fire was raging early Sunday in the hills above Simi Valley's Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and still another was burning in the town of Piru, where 300 homes were threatened for a time.
The fires created eerie scenes before dawn, with jagged streaks of orange illuminating the darkened skies so much that white smoke and ash could be seen swirling above blackened hillsides.
All the fires had been pushed by hot Santa Ana winds that gusted to as much as 40 mph during the day Saturday, but the winds died down as temperatures fell late Saturday evening.
By far the most devastating of the blazes was Santa Barbara's Old Waterman Canyon fire.
It forced the evacuation of the San Manuel Indian Reservation's casino and the campus of California State University, San Bernardino, where flames damaged two temporary classrooms and a temporary fitness center. Patton State Hospital, which houses about 1,300 mental patients, also had to be evacuated.
More than 4,200 people were ordered to leave their homes in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, although some refused, staying behind to spray water on their roofs with garden hoses as flames danced all around them.
Robert Wilkes turned his hose on burning palm trees in an effort to keep the flames from his home and his neighbor's until he finally had to leave.
``He saved our house,'' said neighbor Dwane Caddell. Much of the rest of Caddell's property was damaged, however: His swimming pool was black with debris and singed palm trees and shrubbery surrounded the house.
The San Bernardino County coroner's office blamed the deaths of two older men on stress caused by the fire. One of them, 70-year-old James W. McDermith, collapsed as he was evacuating his home. Charles Cunningham, 93, collapsed as he stood in the street watching his house burn.
As residents fled, looters entered the devastated area and at least three were arrested, said police Officer Frank Mankin.
Evacuation centers were packed, including one near San Bernardino International Airport, where as many as 1,000 people gathered, including about 50 people in wheelchairs who were taken from a convalescent home.
Hundreds of people sat beside their cars in the parking lot, some watching the burning hills through binoculars.
One family gathered in a prayer circle. Dozens of caged dogs and cats evacuated by their owners lined the roads.
Gerald Moyeda, 52, of San Bernardino, said he had little hope the home he'd just signed papers for on Friday had survived. He stayed long enough to hose down his roof, but as he fled hot embers were falling on his lawn and homes down the block were burning.
``I'm basically telling myself, it's gone,'' he said.
Sharon Robinson, 62, and her daughter Kim Robinson, 46, left with their clothes and other belongings in the back of their truck.
``We've lived in our home for 35 years,'' Sharon Robinson said. ``Fire has always stopped in the foothills. I never thought it would reach our home.''
The fire closed Highway 18 into the San Bernardino Mountains and knocked out two transmission lines that provided electricity to about 28,000 customers in mountain hamlets including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline and Running Springs. Many houses in the area are vacation homes, said Steve Conroy of Southern California Edison, who added that with the fire hindering repair work, the blackout could continue for as long as 72 hours.
City Fire Chief Larry Pitzer said more than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, which spread furiously both up and down Old Waterman Canyon. It also split east and west, creating two fronts for firefighters to battle.
Compounding the problem was a bark beetle infestation that has killed hundreds of thousands of acres of trees in the Southern California mountains.
``We have a standing dead forest in that region,'' said Jim Wright, fire chief for the California Department of Forestry.
By LAURA WIDES
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters worked frantically Sunday to take advantage of a lull in the hot, dry winds that just hours earlier had blown a ferocious firestorm into a neighborhood of suburban homes, destroying at least 200 and forcing thousands of panicked residents to flee.
The fire, blamed for the stress-related deaths of two older residents, was threatening at least 1,000 more homes Sunday morning. It had forced the evacuation of an Indian-reservation casino, state university, retirement home and state mental hospital, and firefighters couldn't say when it might be contained.
The blaze, named the Old Fire, was one of several burning out of control across Southern California and one of two that prompted Gov. Gray Davis to declare a state of emergency for San Bernardino and Ventura counties.
``We are taking every possible step to support the firefighting effort,'' Davis said, adding he had ordered state firefighting agencies to use all available personnel and equipment in battling the blazes. He said he planned to visit the San Bernardino fire scene Sunday afternoon, and he called on President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for the area, which would free up federal loan money for people who lost their homes.
The fire, which erupted about 9 a.m. about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, was propelled by fierce Santa Ana winds as it devoured 10,000 acres of chaparral within hours, spreading to a 12-mile front. The blaze and an even larger wildfire nearby that burned at least 10 homes Saturday closed highways, cut off power to thousands and choked the region with heavy smoke and flaming ash.
The other large San Bernardino County fire was in the Rancho Cucamonga area, where more than 34,000 acres were blackened. Feeding on head-high scrub oak and chaparral, it marched into the northern edge of the city Saturday, burning at least two homes and forcing hundreds to evacuate. Later, east-shifting winds drove flames into the nearby community of Lytle Creek, burning eight homes there.
Meanwhile, in Ventura County, about 100 miles to the northwest, another fire was raging early Sunday in the hills above Simi Valley's Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, and still another was burning in the town of Piru, where 300 homes were threatened for a time.
The fires created eerie scenes before dawn, with jagged streaks of orange illuminating the darkened skies so much that white smoke and ash could be seen swirling above blackened hillsides.
All the fires had been pushed by hot Santa Ana winds that gusted to as much as 40 mph during the day Saturday, but the winds died down as temperatures fell late Saturday evening.
By far the most devastating of the blazes was Santa Barbara's Old Waterman Canyon fire.
It forced the evacuation of the San Manuel Indian Reservation's casino and the campus of California State University, San Bernardino, where flames damaged two temporary classrooms and a temporary fitness center. Patton State Hospital, which houses about 1,300 mental patients, also had to be evacuated.
More than 4,200 people were ordered to leave their homes in the foothills of the San Bernardino Mountains, although some refused, staying behind to spray water on their roofs with garden hoses as flames danced all around them.
Robert Wilkes turned his hose on burning palm trees in an effort to keep the flames from his home and his neighbor's until he finally had to leave.
``He saved our house,'' said neighbor Dwane Caddell. Much of the rest of Caddell's property was damaged, however: His swimming pool was black with debris and singed palm trees and shrubbery surrounded the house.
The San Bernardino County coroner's office blamed the deaths of two older men on stress caused by the fire. One of them, 70-year-old James W. McDermith, collapsed as he was evacuating his home. Charles Cunningham, 93, collapsed as he stood in the street watching his house burn.
As residents fled, looters entered the devastated area and at least three were arrested, said police Officer Frank Mankin.
Evacuation centers were packed, including one near San Bernardino International Airport, where as many as 1,000 people gathered, including about 50 people in wheelchairs who were taken from a convalescent home.
Hundreds of people sat beside their cars in the parking lot, some watching the burning hills through binoculars.
One family gathered in a prayer circle. Dozens of caged dogs and cats evacuated by their owners lined the roads.
Gerald Moyeda, 52, of San Bernardino, said he had little hope the home he'd just signed papers for on Friday had survived. He stayed long enough to hose down his roof, but as he fled hot embers were falling on his lawn and homes down the block were burning.
``I'm basically telling myself, it's gone,'' he said.
Sharon Robinson, 62, and her daughter Kim Robinson, 46, left with their clothes and other belongings in the back of their truck.
``We've lived in our home for 35 years,'' Sharon Robinson said. ``Fire has always stopped in the foothills. I never thought it would reach our home.''
The fire closed Highway 18 into the San Bernardino Mountains and knocked out two transmission lines that provided electricity to about 28,000 customers in mountain hamlets including Lake Arrowhead, Crestline and Running Springs. Many houses in the area are vacation homes, said Steve Conroy of Southern California Edison, who added that with the fire hindering repair work, the blackout could continue for as long as 72 hours.
City Fire Chief Larry Pitzer said more than 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze, which spread furiously both up and down Old Waterman Canyon. It also split east and west, creating two fronts for firefighters to battle.
Compounding the problem was a bark beetle infestation that has killed hundreds of thousands of acres of trees in the Southern California mountains.
``We have a standing dead forest in that region,'' said Jim Wright, fire chief for the California Department of Forestry.