Archive through October 28, 2003
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Archive through October 28, 2003
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:30 pm     I'm so sorry for the misinformation. Darn that Fox news....winds just changed. KCAL NOW GIVING A WHOLE OTHER REPORT. I see flames very close now. I'M SO SORRY, HONESTLY, I JUST REPORTED WHAT I HEARD FOX SAY! |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:32 pm     Stevenson Ranch/southern oaks development: flames creeping very close. This is nuts...conflicting reports. |
Whit4you | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:34 pm     Thought I'd share some info from KFI AM-640 From Lake Arrowhead - a reporter is discussing the situation Eric - it's been quite an operation to get where I am right now - they are not allowing people up here which is in violation with CA law - 409.5 says they have to let the media in, all they can do is warn us and advise us... the CHP has decided that law is not law anymore. The problem with that - the people who live up here rely on us to get information. The CHP if they like a media station in - they wouldn't let the Spanish station in, they wouldn't let me in - but they let channel 9 in. Host - What's the feel of the firefighters. Eric - they sound confident at the fight they are fighting, when they are in control of one little spot - they feel they can win that battle. But they can win the battle and lose the war... there are all these dried out pine trees - there's brown treetop after brown treetop. Host - All the trees killed by the Bark bettle Eric - Down here there are people living in convereted appartments - companys were charging 10 grand a tree to get them out without them falling on your house. Host - How long is the fireline? Eric - a big thrust of it will come up to the roadside - but then a mile or two down the hill - without it racing up a canyon - but slowly this other arm of the fire keeps advancing. What you're watching on TV is very misleading - what you're not seeing is the 2 or 3 line fireline - it's not in a straight path. Host - It's inconclusive if they can hold flames from Arrowhead Eric - it's totally going to depend on the weather - when they take out a couple thousand gallons of water they increase their weight and makes it very difficult to fly. They have planes dropping in fire retardent but they can only go so low and the higher up they are the less effective it is. It's like climbing up the side of a mountain. The pilots from Canada, there specialty is fighting mountain fires... I'm not running this fire if there's an opportunity to get in - those are the kind of planes that may make the difference. Host - What is your plan now? Host - I'm hunting for a payphone to get back to you. Terry - Stevenson Ranch - Voluntary evactuations, no official mandatory evactuation yet. Some streets are closed in the area - firefighters are launching an air attack. Phil - I'm in the newsroom - it's ever changing down here the news - the entire San Diego area now. John - we were talking about the two fires merging Phil - I don't know if it's happened yet - we talked about I 79 and how it could leap over that. The fire is now gobbling up some 300,000 acers of brush here - destroyed over 1,000 homes here in San Diego county. John - That's mind boggling Phil - 534 in the Ceders... I think that's also including outbuildings as well. John - we are hearing reports that the firefighters are being so exhuasted they are being pulled off the line. Phil - early this morning I was in Lakeside - I was talking to a Div captain he was overseaing a crew from Marin county - these guys had to take a break they've been going at it since Saturday night. The took some of our resources and sent them up there. John - is there anyone coming from the outside? National gaurd? Phil - they have some of the BLM - and getting aid from Nevada and Arizona - if you are out there listening we could use you guys. Terry - Voluntary evacts - of the Southern Oaks - Sunset points fire tracks. The fire is being pushed towards the east - it has advanced towards the Stevenson Ranch area. Alex - Flames are less than a mile from Stevenson ranch - most everyone has evactuated - firefighters have surrounded the homes - sprayed foam on the homes closest to the fire. some more info from KFI AM-640 Alex - what's going on now - right now it is really a defensive move - the FF's have come in to Stevnson Ranch - they are surrounding the homes, putting foams on them... the ones that are right up against the wilderness where the fire is burning... earlier it was miles away now it's less than a mile away and for a while we couldn't get out. It's very windy up here. What they were hoping was going to be a burnuot situation and the winds started pushing to the east in the direction of Stevonson Ranch. The helio's are making drops - on the leading edge. The problem is they are popping out so much smoke they are having a hard time getting in. Host - it's going to get dark... Alex - it feels dark here - we are under a blanket of thick black smoke - it felt like it was midnight as the flames were passing by. This area is pretty much vacant - everyonce in a while you'll see someone there car is packed and they are sitting in the driveway... but most people have gotten out... the FF'ers were confident their burnout would work - they are saying it's up to the wind. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:35 pm     showing water dropping from chopper. people waving to the camera, smiling, on their cell phones, on the street....yet I can see a tree on fire right behind one house. they sure look like they feel safe! |
Reader234 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:36 pm     Dont be sorry Abby, just keep typing, as we keep 'refresh' our pages!! {{{the weiners}}}} |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:39 pm     I just feel so bad....the screen even read: "Stevenson Ranch". Anyway, from what I see there is fire right behind a few homes. Yet there are at least 20 people just sorta' hanging around looking at the fire, talking on phones (this is in this one cul-de-sac area). adults and teenagers. 2 people just smiled and waved at the cameras. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:44 pm     CBS reporting on SR. Again, firefighter talking to Ann Martin/reporter (she's at the news desk) talking about proper brush clearance, tile roofs giving them an advantage on SR. Children/parents still hangin' out, smiling, waving on the street. Helicopters will continue to fly as long as they can (pilot decision) dropping water. However, early sunsets because visibility so low with smoke. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:53 pm     Firefighter saying some flames in backyards of a few homes, but they are very comfortable they can protect all the homes. No homes on fire at this time. Firefighters do feel they can save homes in SR if fires get that close (at least for now). He sounds very calm and very confident about being able to save homes. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 04:58 pm     Reporter saying (David Goldsetin/KCAL9) SR/SOUTH END....fireball on hillside. People in area leave, then come back. Many residents, like Weiner, sound like they are staying close by but coming back later tonight hopefully. Last 5-10 minutes changed dramatically for the better. Helicopters got rid of many flames...just one big hot spot right now. |
Whoami | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:01 pm     I agree with Reader Abby. Don't be sorry. I can't say how much I appreciate you giving us up to date news. Praying hard for Mr and Mrs Weiner! |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:02 pm     just switched to NBC...west side (?) of Stevenson Ranch showing house with huge flames behind it. the homeowner sounds pretty calm though and he's leaving (probably now). |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:04 pm     Back to Kcal news. Okay, my post of 4:58....the same cul-de-sac area now a few flames popped back up. |
Twinkie | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:22 pm     I am praying so hard for everyone out there. I'm so sorry I couldn't get here sooner to tell you all that you are in my thoughts and prayers. Everyone please stay safe! |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:30 pm     abc reporting: reports still the same. voluntary evacuation still suggested (that means firefighters just tell residents to pack, be ready to leave...good if they leave so to clear roads of cars so firetrucks can move quickly/easily). most news coverage in Lake Arrowhead/Big Bear and San Diego area (jullian area?) very bad in those 2 areas now. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:39 pm     Upper Pico Canyon Road (I think west side of Stevenson's Ranch)...some backfires were lit there. Fire not as hot now, but a small flare-up on the hill. Water droppings stopped for now, but for structure protection may start again if they need to. Southern Oaks development of SR under some danger. I'm not sure what area of SR Weinermr's home is. Still only asking for voluntary evacuation. Mainly just ashes falling on houses, but firefighters not even too worried if ambers do fall because most of the homes in SR are new and very well protected from fire. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:45 pm     SR: part of fire getting close to power lines. Valencia area, very populated, hopefully Valencia will be safe (getting very near the 5 then). Let's hope fire doesn't move closer to Valencia.(that would be Lyons exit off 5/Magic Mountain area)..then SR could go in to mandatory evacuation. So far, Valencia looks safe. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:52 pm     No homes hit by fire so far. A couple of residents said fire came a few feet from front door, but they decided to stay. Every homeowner I hear on the news sound confident their homes will be saved (even those that have left). SR has been around for about 10 years. Many structures just a few years old though. "Many strike teams moving out of SR area". Reporter says that may be a good sign for SR since that would mean they feel SR safe enough to leave. Right now wind died down so flames down as a result. |
Costacat | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:53 pm     Kaili, Cuyamaca has pretty much completely burned (this is within the last few hours). There are over 900 houses destroyed. I've kept a blog, and I'm going to post it here. It's long, and can be pretty emotional. You may not want to read it. * * * * * * * * * * * October 2003, San Diego ("The Firestorm") Sunday, 7:30 pm Southern California is experiencing some of the worst fires in 10 years. San Diego County is burning all the way along the eastern edge of the county (from north of Ramona down towards the Mexican border). We've had over 100,000 acres burn, with 160+ houses burned and 11 lives lost. Most of this has been due to a single fire that started about midnight last night, and has spread so quickly it's almost unbelievable. This fire has jumped firebreaks and freeways, and is still out of control. We have not had any measurable rain in six months (a record) and our outlying county areas are tinder-dry and exploding in flames. Fortunately, I live in the middle of the city and have been safe from the fires (although the smoke and ash are still a factor here). My father, who lives in the outlying areas of the county nearly lost his house. But he's a retired firefighter and built his house with a fire in mind; he even included hydrants and fire houses. Their area was evacuated but they stayed to fight it out, and they saved their house and nearest outbuildings. All of their neighbors lost their homes. (They live in a very rural area, and their nearest neighbors are quite a ways away.) My father, the firefighter, says he's never seen a firestorm such as this. <snip personal info> This has truly been an inferno -- today has been a day in Dante's Hell. Monday, 6:30 pm I just got back from my dad's. I smell like I've been sitting in a beach bonfire. I am heartbroken... it's like nuclear devastation. I had to take back roads as the freeway was still closed down. And once I got closer to his land, I stopped and parked where it looked safe. (He lives in a very rural area; basically a dirt road that you have to kinda offroad to get to his property.) I didn't drive thru to his house cause I couldn't tell what was still burning (I could see smoke tendrils). So I parked and hiked in. It was surreal... I'd walk along this dirt road and to the right was an oak tree totally burned. Then a little ways up on the left, what was left of a tree was still burning (flames several feet high). And then further along, another one. And, occasionally, a rabbit or a mouse would scurry across the road. No other sign of life. No color. Nothing but black charred trees and plants, and gray ash. My dad really is OK. And they really are fine now. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, left near them to burn. His house on the top of the hill is perfectly fine. They worked hard but saved almost everything (they did lose some outbuildings at the bottom of the hill, but they are mostly minor). They have no electricity, but he has a generator running so they do have fans and can even run the washing machine (not enuf juice to run the dryer though). Thank goodness for the generators... that was what allowed them to pump the wells to keep water running to put out the fires as they surrounded them. Totally and completely surrounded... they are like a little island all by themselves. The smoke and ash are really bad, still, as fires are still burning. Right next to the I-8 freeway, and it was a bit weird to drive past them. More weird driving past at night when the sky was a weird orange red glow from the flames. The wind has died down. And hopefully, we'll now have some more resources to fight the fires. The problem yesterday was we had no air support. None. Zero. And very limited ground crews. Our support was sent elsewhere, and they have to stay where they were assigned until released. So we had quite a few resources fighting up north, while we were burning to the ground. This is phenomenally heartbreaking. I feel shell shocked. Words cannot express what I saw. Tuesday, 5:30 am I haven't cried yet. I don't think it's really sunk it. A few moments of minor levity that I remember from last night... I made my dad drive me back down the hill (it was already dark by then). His wife came with us (she'd not left their home till then). As we rounded the first "s" turn heading down his drive towards the bottom of the hill, we (the truck) got smacked by sprinklers. How incongruous to have sprinklers going when all is burned. However, the shrubs near their house survived and so needed water. And also so very incongruous to see the bright fuschia blossoms of their bougainvillea splayed against the destruction. They had a small tree that had died in their front "yard." They left it there cause birds would play in the birdbath and then go sit in the tree to preen. That stupid freakin' tree wasn't even scorched! We could see hotspots all over the hills as we drove down and around. It's a good thing my better sense made me stick to the roads as I hiked in. Some of the hotspots I remembered seeing, as they had actual flames. But there were a lot I didn't see. I must've learned more from my firefighter daddy than I thought. He was impressed. Finally, as we wound our way down, and Annie got her first real look at all the devastation, we realized a couple of things. They HAD prepared for a major fire, although they never expected it to be quite the firestorm with so much fury. Their foresight is what saved them and their home. And now, well, they won't have to worry about a fire for a very long time. And we did chuckle that they would very, very old (and probably not living there any more) by the time enough fuel could grow to feed another firestorm. It's coming up on our rainy season, and there are going to be concerns about flooding and mudslides. But if we get some gentle rains first, the vegetation will start to come back. Most of the large older oaks were gone, but here and there was a manzanita standing tall and unscorched. Indicative of how fast the firestorm moved. A plastic chair (like the kind you sit in at the doc's office) was leaning against his work shed at the bottom of the hill. It was slightly more rounded than before, as the edges melted somewhat. But it was not really scorched. Bizarre. I didn't think to bring my camera, and even if I had, I doubt if I would've used it. The images are seared in my mind. Thanks, everyone, for all your thoughts. I hope you never have to live through a disaster like this one. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live through a hurricane or tornado. I don't ever want to have to experience any of these. Ever again. Tuesday, 5:30 pm The fires here in San Diego county are still raging out of control. The newscasters are calling it a "beast." Whole communities in our mountains are gone. I think Cuyamaca is almost completely burned. It's heading now for Julian, and I am praying that they can turn back this monster. There is no way out of town, so they have to turn it back. The Paradise fire is not expected to be under control until Saturday. The Cedar fire is not expected to be under control until Nov 5 -- over a week away. Although the winds have died down, this fire is still too unpredicable. The firefighters are calling it a boomerang... they fend it off, it goes away, and then it turns around and comes right back at even greater force. Truly a monster. Everyone is impacted. We cannot go outside as the air quality is so bad. Unhealthy to very unhealthy. If you have to go outside, you are instructed to wear a face mask. Those who've survived the fire yet have damage on their property (like my dad) cannot even begin to clean up due to the poor air quality. Our sun has been obscured by smoke for days now, and everything smells like smoke. Ash is still raining down out of the sky and everything looks has a gray tinge. And still there is no end in sight. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:57 pm     Thank you Costacat for your post. I've thought about you several times today. More later....going to finish reading your post! I'm so happy you are safe. I've just been updating here about SR because of Weinermr....however, I know how fires are much worse in other areas. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 05:59 pm     SR: according to NBC (4)....SR seems to be in a holding pattern. Firefighters seem to just be waiting to see what happens throughout the night. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:02 pm     Costacat, hugs and prayers to you. My aunt lives in San Diego area. My Mom called me yesterday. My aunt lives near a canyon area, but safe...she was sweet enough to call my mom to tell her she couldn't send my mom her b-day card because the post office didn't pick up mail. I'm so very very sorry for you. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:08 pm     SR: flames much smaller now which is a good thing because not much you can do now 'til morning (water drops). just a few hot spots at top of the peak now. firefighters did/doing a great job. "not much fuel left for the fire". many people left SR...but some coming back now. |
Zachsmom | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:10 pm     Costa, you and your family are in my prayers. Thank you so much for sharing your blog. Very touching. If you or your family need anything, please please let me know! I would be more than willing to come and help with the clean up if needed on the weekends. |
Abby7 | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:13 pm     Great stories about the water droppings at SR earlier in the day. Apparently, every time the water would hit the flames the residents would yell out a big cheer. (I told ya' they were all smiling and waving at the cameras lol) |
Halfunit | Tuesday, October 28, 2003 - 06:17 pm     < ...We interrupt our regularly scheduled announcing to award Abby7 the official TVCH Play By Play award...> Abby, I for one, want to thank you for all you have done to keep this thread going with information. You are a one of a kind!
For the good.
For the bad.
  for everyone. ( I had no idea that when I started this thread it would turn into this. It really saddens me at all of the damage that these fires are causing. Mentally. Physically. Financially.) My thoughts are with all of you! |
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