Meanwhile, a landowner near where the blaze began, Betsy Ann Cowley, said she got an email from Pacific Gas & Electric Co. the day before the fire last week telling her that crews needed to come onto her property because the utility's power lines were causing sparks. PG&E had no comment on the email, and state officials said the cause of the inferno was under investigation.
The stories are stark and heartbreaking. Read all for the total impact of what is happening.
Heartbreaking.
Horrible.
And meanwhile in Malibu, the locals are berating LACoFD for not saving their mansions.
More from the article:
Tad Teays awaited word on his 90-year-old dementia-stricken mother. Darlina Duarte was desperate for information about her half-brother, a diabetic who was largely housebound because he had lost his legs. And Barbara Hall tried in vain to find out whether her aunt and the woman’s husband, who are in their 80s
and 90s, made it out alive from their retirement community.
There were a LOT of retirees in Paradise, CA.....can’t stand to think about the elderly and infirm trying to get away from these flames....
An email from a friend:
The Los Angeles Times reported on the front page of today’s (11 November 2018) that, as a headline put it, “The town of Paradise ‘is gone’ and the news only gets worse”.
I knew Paradise, California. It was on the western slope of the Sierra mountains in the northern part of the state. My parents had purchased a lot there as a consequence of being lured to a presentation by an unprincipled real estate development firm. Mom and Dad contemplated living out the rest of their lives among the trees of the idyllic community.
Fortunately they both passed away before they moved north. I inherited their parcel. Eventually I visited the town. What I immediately noticed about that community genuinely terrified me, and I use that word advisedly.
Paradise sat on a gentle slope. The local forest was made up of young trees that were spaced perhaps twenty-five to fifty fee apart; the floor of the forest was a thick layer of pine needles, and a few bushes grew here and there.
It was clear to me that in the event of a fire, the slope of the land and the abundant fuel would create a fast-moving blast of flame that just might trap residents in their homes.
When my lot in Paradise was sold, I was both puzzled and tremendously relieved. Because I knew the buyer had to be a fool, I reasoned that he would never have understand me if I had shared my horror with him: obviously he would not have seen the circumstances for what they were.
As the years went by, on occasion I wondered why Paradise still existed, even as I remained absolutely certain that the entire town would eventually burn to the ground. I do not exaggerate.
You might not believe this, though I swear it is true: simply visiting Paradise, California had been a genuine horror for me.
No, I was not and am not gifted with some psychic power that allows me to predict the future. The danger was obvious, unmistakable, and utterly undeniable. Everything about that misbegotten community screamed that a hellish fate awaited. Today I wonder why no one else saw it; that makes me want to ask how the local authorities ignored the obvious danger. Is there no Fire Marshal or governmental authority tasked with disaster prevention? If I could see the horrifying circumstances at once, why were local officials blind?
Today I can only repeat that the doomed town and its looming forest genuinely frightened me so badly that I literally could not get away fast enough. I recall scribbling, “I want to sell before you have your fire” on a note to the real estate agent who handled the sale of my doomed parcel....
And metal looking like rivers of silver that came from cars that burned.
On Friday at 4:00 a.m. my friend in Thousand Oaks was awakenened by a police bullhorn to evacuate immediately. She doesn’t know if her complex is still standing.
And now our former pastor’s home in Simi Valley is being threatened. They’re keeping a close watch.
That is so sad.
Sad.
I read there were some dead in S. CA too.
May God have mercy on their souls and comfort those left behind.
Wasn’t there a freeper who said he b lives in Chico? I understand the fire is now close to Chico.
I can’t even imagine the horror and fear they felt.
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It’s really hard to believe that there is loss of human life in these fires. Why aren’t they leaving sooner??
I believe it was Bret Baier that reported the death count 31 with over 200 missing....on his show this evening.
Terrible.
The last rash of wildfires in CA was caused by poorly maintained lines and high winds.
42 now confirmed dead.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/trump-oks-major-disaster-declaration-for-california-wildfires
It is horrendous.
Aren’t people the real problem in this galaxi?
Jihadists were advised to time their arson "preferably in the later part of night to the early hours of morning when people are generally asleep," and instructions were offered on how to block off exits to inflict casualties. For wildfires, ISIS said to look for dry brush "as fire cannot endure in damp or wet environments." Arsonists were encouraged to leave the mark of ISIS somewhere near the fire site with spray paint or black marker. Suggested target locations for arson attacks, the magazine stated, "include houses and apartment buildings, forest areas adjacent to residential areas, factories that produce cars, furniture, clothing, flammable substances, etc., gas stations, hospitals, bars, dance clubs, night clubs, banks, car showrooms, schools, universities, as well as churches, Rafidi [Shiite] temples, and so forth. The options are vast, leaving no excuse for delay." https://drudgereport.com/?NF=1