Posted on 10/27/2007 7:01:13 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
Firefighters battled stubborn wildfires across Southern California on Saturday, but cloudy skies scattering rain showers brought a welcome improvement in conditions.
Tropical moisture flowing from the south replaced the hot, dry, skin-cracking Santa Ana winds that roared in a week earlier and spread fires over more than a half-million acres, destroying more than 2,300 structures, including 1,700 homes.
Drizzle fell as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger visited a command post near Orange County's Santiago Canyon fire to announce assistance for people with losses, warn of contracting scams, and pledge to find whoever set the nearby blaze that continued to threaten homes after destroying 14.
"I'm making sure right now that Los Angeles doesn't get all the rain today," Schwarzenegger quipped.
Addressing controversy over state rules that caused delay in getting military aircraft into use against the fires, Schwarzenegger said it sometimes takes disaster "to really wake everyone up."
"There are things that we could improve on and I think this is what we are going to do because a disaster like this ... in the end is a good vehicle, a motivator for everyone to come together," he said.
The number of deaths directly attributed to the fires officially rose to seven with the addition of four suspected illegal immigrants whose charred bodies were found east of San Diego on Thursday.
The four deaths were confirmed as caused by the Harris Fire near the U.S.-Mexico border, said Jose Alvarez, a public information officer for San Diego County emergency services. Identification of the victims was continuing.
Although more than a dozen blazes were surrounded, containment of nine other blazes ranged from 97 percent to just 25 percent. More than 21,000 structures were considered threatened, and more than 15,000 firefighters were on the lines, the state Office of Emergency Services said.
Active fires burned in the Lake Arrowhead resort region of the towering San Bernardino Mountains 100 miles east of Los Angeles, and in rugged wilderness above isolated canyon communities of Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. A big blaze 60 miles northeast of San Diego stopped its advance toward the mountain town of Julian.
One home burned Saturday morning in Arrowbear, east of Lake Arrowhead, after power was restored in the area and an electrical fire erupted in the residence, said Mike Huddleston, an investigation supervisor with the San Bernardino County Fire Department.
The nearby Slide Fire was about a mile from thousands of homes in Arrowbear, Green Valley Lake and Running Springs. Rain began falling in the mountain range during the late afternoon.
"The fire is moving away from the residences, but with the wind anything can happen," said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Lisa Jones.
Forecasters said there would be some very weak flow of wind out of the north and northwest on Sunday and then a return to calm and drizzle.
In Southern California fire areas, about 4,400 people remained in 28 shelter sites, but others waited out the fires in makeshift encampments.
In Highland, at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, about 20 people were in their sixth day of living in a Wal-Mart parking lot, getting daily visits from sheriff's officials who reported their 17 homes were still intact.
"What are the chances of that? The hundreds of people staying at the shelters, I still don't think they have the comfort of knowing that kind of information," said Robert Newbourgh, 44.
Light rain also fell on the Rancho Bernardo section of San Diego, where more than 360 homes were lost. National Guard troops patrolled and postal trucks delivered mail to homes that were still standing.
"Everybody is really happy for me and I'm sad for them," said Helena Hyman, a retired school administrator whose cul-de-sac home survived with five ruined homes on each side. She credited her good fortune to replacing wood shingles with a fiberglass roof and chopping down a eucalyptus tree within the last five years.
Mike Bunnell, 55, examined the gutted remains of his 5,000-square-foot home which had been listed for sale for $2 million. Houses across the street and on both sides were untouched.
"It was just the freaky luck of the draw. I have no explanation for it," Bunnell said.
Another resident, Bruce Heinemann, 48, spoke with an insurance adjuster as friends sifted through his ruined home, looking for his wife's wedding ring, photos and other mementos.
Meanwhile, his daughter was at a newly rented home making lists of what they lost, and his wife was visiting department stores to get prices for the insurers.
"The kind of mode you're in is, what do you do today? What do you do tomorrow? Just make a list and get it done," he said.
The Heinemanns had about 10 minutes to evacuate Monday morning, just enough time to escape with some clothes and three of their four cars.
Heinemann, a self-employed loan officer, said it makes financial sense to rebuild, but they may never return to live on the street where the fire left hopscotch destruction - some of the Spanish-style, tile-roofed homes left standing, while others were turned to ash, leaving burned-out cars, chimneys and remnants of refrigerators and washing machines.
"It sounds terrible, but I'm glad it's gone. How would you like to sit in your house when one third of your neighbors are gone?" he said.
Elsewhere in the community, mortgage broker Mike Bartholemu, 37, removed rotten food from his refrigerator as he waited for cleaners to vacuum soot from inside his home, which survived the flames.
Bartholemu said returning home stirred memories of the frightening experience as flames advanced toward his home at 4 a.m. Monday. He said he opened his front door to "a bellowing furnace, smoke and embers" as a palm tree across the street burned and neighbors screamed.
Bartholemu said his wife and two children fled in an SUV and he left in another car, but fell unconscious for unknown reasons and crashed into a utility box. He said a police officer rescued him.
"I have never in my life been that scared. I kept repeating to myself, 'Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic.' The fact that no one died in this neighborhood is a miracle," he said.
Bartholemu said it was eerie to be surrounded by ruined homes but he was anxious to come back home as soon as electricity was restored.
"I don't know where I would move in San Diego with these dry Santa Ana conditions we get," he said. "I could move to Indiana, but they have tornados and floods. Everywhere you go in the country you get something. Here we have earthquakes and fires."
Heavy marine layer entered the coastal plain last night...Appears to be returning somewhat.
From what I understand of it, fire prevention efforts such as brush clearance and controlled burns have not been happening in recent years due to environmental regulations.
Another problem is that more and more suburban developments are being built in fire prone areas.
The former fire chief of San Diego resigned not too long ago because he wasn’t able to get more resources to fight big fires. He looks like a visionary now, in that, these fires are bigger than the previous record setting 2003 firestorm which prompted him to request many more fire stations to be built and firemen hired and upgraded equipment.
This fire chief may or may not have been right about needing more fire stations and staff. I tend to agree with him. I do think it is fair to bring up the point that when 60-80 mile an hour winds whip through the canyons and foothills, you could put ten thousand firemen on the front lines and about all you would accomplish is burning up about 9500 of them.
What I do think would be advantagous, is to develop a fleet of super-scooper type aircraft that would be stationed about two-thirds in southern California and one third in northern California. Then distribute as circumstances warranted after that.
We should have thirty or so in southern California and another 15 or so in northern California.
Until we can put massive water drop after massive water drop on these fires moments after they start, we will continue to lose this battle before many homes, businesses and lives are lost.
This one series of fires will see more money spent on fighting it and the losses realized, than it would have cost to have that fleet ready.
What the hell are we waiting for?
It’s a mess, while some want the areas most affected; wildlands with grasses , chaparral and lots of brush and varied greenery, left as is , unfortunately folks also build right up to the edges of these areas, couple that with the neglect of the forests that edge these areas as well, dead wood and prohibitions on clearing it, toss in a lot of high winds, this was definitely an extreme event of a firestorm, a perfect storm if you will in a way, some of it caused by natural or accidental happenings, a few others apparently set intentionally.
I don’t know how anyone could be 100% ready tho,, Hats off to those who fight them day and night and a big Thanks!
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