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Recent SoCal Fires


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Didn't officials already say this is arson? If so, what's the big deal here?

 

The fire in Irvine was arson.

The fire in Malibu was caused by a down powerline.

The fire in San Diego was an unknown cause, however arson is suspected.

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Well, if it's Islamic gays, we don't have to worry about them being from Iran since they don't have gays there.

:lol Good one, Christy!

 

 

I'm in Riverside, which means that while we've had fires all around us, fortunately none have been closer than maybe 20 miles away.....which of course isn't all that far away if the winds shift! But we've been very lucky. Still, it smells like the whole world is having a barbeque, and I keep hearing heartbreaking stories from friends of friends who had homes in the local mountain communities. One of Brennan's teachers lost her home up there.

 

But this hit closet to home, as I told Mart the day before yesterday:

 

"My sister got a helluva scare this morning, driving from my dad's (north of me in Hesperia) down to our house (she's visiting from Northern CA).....there was fire being fought by fire crews on both sides of the freeway at one point, and as she drove through, the fire flashed over the roadway, and for a moment her car was enveloped! She said she could actually feel the heat, and heard the firehoses' water hitting her car. It was only a moment, but she arrived at my place still shaking, half an hour later. Thanks to the magic of good beer, I have her calm now, but YIKES. That road (215) had to be closed just after the time she passed through there. One side of her car was covered in a fine layer of ash and splatters from the firehoses!

 

She had planned to visit with us briefly & then start the 8-hr drive home, but with the road closures it quickly became apparent that she would have to drive through the L.A. basin's rush hour traffic to even get started in the right direction. So she's decided to spend the night instead & try again in the morning. That worked out nice for me anyway....more time to see each other!

 

As for us, the scent of smoke is strong in the air, but we aren't terribly close to any of the fires so we are ok. My mom & dad are alright too, but had a line of fire creeping up a ridge near them."

 

My sister said she'd never been so terrified in her life, and it happened so fast....as CHP officers were guiding traffic down the freeway!

 

If you are a Southern Californian, someone close to you has suffered in this. It's a pure miracle more lives haven't been lost. I guess the fires of 2003 at least taught us to evacuate more readily. My heart aches for the amount of anguish packed into these past few days, and still ahead for so many people. A home is so much more than a physical place. So sad. :no

 

It seems to finally be beginning to wind down, but stay safe everyone. Prayers and thoughts to all the evacuees.

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I heard a report on CNN last night stating that the Lt. Gov. of California said they would normally call in the National Guard in cases of such severity as this. However, most of the California National Guard has been sent to Iraq.

 

I have not seen or heard any statistics to confirm this, but it sure made for a few shakes of the head.

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I heard a report on CNN last night stating that the Lt. Gov. of California said they would normally call in the National Guard in cases of such severity as this. However, most of the California National Guard has been sent to Iraq.

 

I have not seen or heard any statistics to confirm this, but it sure made for a few shakes of the head.

 

That's because there are no statistics to confirm that. From what I have heard (also, no statistics), there is a good portion of the California National Guard still there and available.

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That's because there are no statistics to confirm that. From what I have heard (also, no statistics), there is a good portion of the California National Guard still there and available.

I kind of wondered if it was something that was blown out of proportion.

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As Calif. fires burned, copters grounded

By AARON C. DAVIS and MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writers

 

 

 

As wildfires were charging across Southern California, nearly two dozen water-dropping helicopters and two massive cargo planes sat idly by, grounded by government rules and bureaucracy.

 

How much the aircraft would have helped will never be known, but their inability to provide quick assistance raises troubling questions about California's preparations for a fire season that was widely expected to be among the worst on record.

 

It took as long as a day for Navy, Marine and California National Guard helicopters to get clearance early this week, in part because state rules require all firefighting choppers to be accompanied by state forestry "fire spotters" who coordinate water or retardant drops. By the time those spotters arrived, the powerful Santa Ana winds stoking the fires had made it too dangerous to fly.

 

The National Guard's C-130 cargo planes, among the most powerful aerial firefighting weapons, never were slated to help. The reason: They've yet to be outfitted with tanks needed to carry thousands of gallons of fire retardant, though that was promised four years ago.

 

"The weight of bureaucracy kept these planes from flying, not the heavy winds," Republican U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher told The Associated Press. "When you look at what's happened, it's disgusting, inexcusable foot-dragging that's put tens of thousands of people in danger."

 

Rohrabacher and other members of California's congressional delegation are demanding answers about aircraft deployment. And some fire officials have grumbled that a quicker deployment of aircraft could have helped corral many of the wildfires that quickly flared out of control and have so far burned 500,000 acres from Malibu to the Mexican border.

 

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and other state officials have defended the state's response, saying the intense winds prevented a more timely air attack.

 

"Anyone that is complaining about the planes just wants to complain," Schwarzenegger replied angrily to a question Wednesday. "The fact is that we could have all the planes in the world here

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Why do we always have to blame someone?

 

There are a dozen different people/agencies that could be blamed for how things turned out. You could blame the arsonists, you could blame the firefighters, the politicians, the president, the environmentalists, etc.

 

The thing is, it happened and there were 100 mph winds and super low humidity and I think the people did the best they could considering the circumstances.

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Why do we always have to blame someone?

 

There are a dozen different people/agencies that could be blamed for how things turned out. You could blame the arsonists, you could blame the firefighters, the politicians, the president, the environmentalists, etc.

 

The thing is, it happened and there were 100 mph winds and super low humidity and I think the people did the best they could considering the circumstances.

Sounds like God is to blame.

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