More Lightning Expected To Scorch Calif.

Fire Crews From Three States Battling More Than 1,000 Blazes

(CBS/ AP)  Thousands of firefighters from at least three states battled more than 1,000 wildfires set by an electrical storm that unleashed nearly 8,000 lightning strikes across Northern California - a rare example of "dry lightning" that brought little or no rain but plenty of sparks to the state's parched forests and grasslands.

Janet Upton, a CalFire information officer, told CBS News Early Show anchor Russ Mitchell that the number of fires in the northern part of the state is now up to 1,022.

The weekend storm was unusual not only because it generated so many lightning strikes over a large geographical area, but also because it struck so early in the season and moved in from the Pacific Ocean. Such storms usually don't arrive until late July or August and typically form southeast of California.

"You're looking at a pattern that's climatologically rare. We typically don't see this happen at this time of summer," said John Juskie, a science officer with the National Weather Service in Sacramento. "To see 8,000, that's way up there on the scale."

Mitchell reports that another lightning storm is forecasted for the area on Thursday.

"This is nothing short of a natural disaster, with these storms and these fires," said Upton. "The hope is that the lighting storm we're expecting in the next couple of days comes with a little bit more rain than we saw last weekend."

CBS Correspondent Sandra Hughes reports from Chico, Calif. that containment of the fires will not happen for at least another week.

On Tuesday, fire crews from Nevada and Oregon arrived after Schwarzenegger requested extra help.

Despite the reinforcements, firefighters are starting to show signs of fatigue. Firefighters who contained a fire in Napa are heading off - without rest - to the nearby Walker fire, Hughes reports.

"People are tired right now, people are starting to show the sign of wear that we wouldn't see until late in the summer," said Battalion Chief David Shew.

One of the biggest problems firefighters are facing is that there are 300 vacant positions and a shortage of fire engines at the U.S. Forest Service.

"The department has assured me that by fire season, all these positions would be filled. We are into fire season, they are not filled, and that's a real problem," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

So cash-strapped California is looking anywhere it can to pump up its own firefighting budget.

"We need to raise more revenues in order to buy the equipment and get the resources to fight all of those fires," said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. "And so I think our idea is to raise the homeowners insurance."

Hughes reports that military aid is now being sent to the weary firefighters in the form of aircraft and personnel.

The lightning-caused fires have scorched tens of thousands of acres and forced hundreds of residents to flee their homes, though few buildings have been destroyed, said Daniel Berlant, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

"It's just extremely, extremely dry," Berlant said. "That means any little spark has the potential to cause a large fire. The public needs to be extra cautious because we don't need any additional wildfires."

Despite the many lightning strikes that hit the ground on Saturday alone, the weekend thunderstorm brought little precipitation because the rain evaporated in hot, dry layers of the atmosphere before it hit the ground, Juskie said.

The lightning storm struck California when the state was experiencing one of its driest years on record. Earlier this month, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought and directed agencies to speed up water deliveries to drought-stricken areas. Many communities have adopted strict conservation measures.

From San Francisco to Los Angeles, cities have only seen a tiny fraction of the rainfall they normally receive at this point in a typical year. In the Central Valley, the cities of Sacramento, Modesto, Stockton and Red Bluff have recorded their driest March-to-May periods since at least the 19th century, according to the weather service.

"A combination of lightning and very dry fuels will spark fires," said Mark Strobin, a weather service meteorologist in Monterey. "It doesn't take much nowadays especially with how dry it is."

Even before the lightning struck, California had already seen an unusually large number of destructive wildfires that had burned nearly 90,000 acres, compared with 42,000 acres during the same period last year, according to CalFire officials. The fire season typically does not peak until late summer or early fall.

"This doesn't bode well for the fire season," said Ken Clark, a meteorologist in Southern California with AccuWeather.com. "We're not even into the meat of the fire season at this point, and the brush is extremely dry. It's not going to get any better, it's going to get worse."

The weekend's lighting storm combined with extremely dry conditions to spark about 840 separate blazes from the Big Sur area of Monterey County to Del Norte County on the Oregon border.

By contrast, 574 lightning-sparked fires blackened about 55,000 acres in Northern California in all of 2007.

One of the state's worst wildfire years occurred in 2001, when more than 2,000 lightning-caused blazes burned 185,000 acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Areas hit the hardest by the weekend thunderstorm include Mendocino County, where 131 fires have burned more than 13,000 acres and threatened about 500 homes; Butte County, where 25 fires have burned more than 3,900 acres and threatened 400 homes; and the Shasta-Trinity Forest, where more than 150 fires have burned about 8,000 acres and threatened 200 homes.

Firefighters continue to battle the state's largest blaze, a 58,000-acre fire that began more than two weeks ago in a remote region of the Los Padres National Forest in southern Monterey County. The so-called Indians fire was about two-thirds contained Tuesday. A separate 8,500-blaze ignited by Saturday's lightning in the forest's Big Sur area was only 3 percent contained.

Smoke from the fires has darkened skies in the San Francisco Bay area and Central Valley, causing public health officials to issue air-quality warnings.

The weather service has said more dry thunderstorms could strike Northern California later this week.

"That's something we have to keep an eye on," Strobin said. The weather pattern "could happen again across Central and Northern California."

[fishinbuddy509]

I in no way do I blame this on the people or property owners in California it is the government, I mean just look at their track record... enough said.

If no one volunteered...
Who would you call??

I''m a Volunteer Fire Fighter and EMT...
Volunteer is the key

[fishinbuddy509]

When Arnold declared the area/state a disaster area the Federal Gov'' steps in and helps.

They have contracts to sign and they state what, how and for what they pay.

Its apparent that a combination of Fed and State didn''t read what they wanted everyone to sign, and are now arguing as to what they agreed upon. So now, with other out of state agencies that assisted are not paid many months later and have to take the burden to pay their personnel until this get straightened out they are a little gun shy about sending additional resources some place that still owes them money.

Its not your home owners insurance that pays for our equipment or wages, its your tax dollars that pay for us to have the equipment, training and wages that it takes to respond to those in their time of need.

Trust me I truly feel for my fellow man when they are in their time of need, I respond at all hours day or night for no pay, I volunteer for my community. But, when it comes to leaving my bill paying job to go out of state or within my state to offer assistance I still need to meet my obligations.

Some of us fire fighters take our own time and attend courses to be trained so that we can respond anywhere in the U.S. and fight fires when the need arises, but we still have obligations to our creditors back home.

[passerby2]

I''m a little confuse, so homeowner''s insurance help pay for firefighting equipment? I was thinking more along the lines of property tax, but homeowner''s insurance?

[fishinbuddy509]

There might be more fire fighters willing to help if the goverment and california pay up for last years help.

All of us will soon be dealing with the same problem do to the dry weather patterns.

I can only wish the best to those who are involved.

[lloydbest1]

This is not my post but I though I would relay it. It came from one of the forums on the Redding (CA) Record Searchlight. Redding is almost surrounded by wildland burning:

"As a volunteer for the Red Cross, I can tell you how ANYBODY can help. And that is by donations. Red Cross funds are all but depleted, and with this fire season, they are going to need all the help they can get. People think, I can''t afford it. But even 5 Dollars is a lot. Just think if everybody in Redding and surounding areas would give 2 Bucks, that would amount to ALOT of money. Just skip your starbucks tomorrow, and give to the Red Cross. Believe me, it is GREATLY appriciated! Just make sure you donate to the SHASTA CHAPTER, and the money WILL stay local."

I followed the advice. I ain''t rich but I chipped in $10.00. You can too. Send it to:
American Red Cross, Shasta Area Chapter
1880 Park Marina Drive,
Redding, CA, 96001

[edgardebbins]

This is the End, beautiful friend. Of our elaborate plans, the END. Of everything that stands, THE END.

[displeased]

I was punished the other night from a hail storm that damaged my gardens. Then I was rewarded because the same storm provided high water for some excellent kayaking. God can''t seem to make up his/her mind.

[varovefr]

So why is the mid west being punished with the floods, they don''t allow gay marriage?

[varovefr]

So why is the Mid West being punished with the awful floods?

[observer2020]

Where are you people that are spewing that this is the wrath of God themes? I just want to make sure I''m no where near ya''ll when the lightning strikes you. Caliengineer, Gwagener, and Displeased at least are awake and functioning. Keep God close to your heart and quiet. People who spout the word of God gets it wrong 100% of the time. Religion is best close to one''s heart and that one''s mouth shut. Unfortunately, wild fires are a NATURAL part of life. Not to mention it encourages EVOLUTION. I do feel extremely sorry for the people who are losing all they own due to wild fires...they should do burn-offs during the off season...that helps keep the wild fires down, a bit. It''s NOT because CA approved SSMs either. That is a very antiquated, outdated, and narrow point of view...however, opinions are like a-holes...everyone has one.

[lloydbest1]

"Also, who is clothing the naked? Feeding the hungry? Defending the fatherless?" Posted by caliengineer at 10:38 AM : Jun 25, 2008

Out of all the posts the engineer has made regarding this tragic event, the little snippet above is about the only one that has any relevance to the fundementals of Christian morality and practice
Back to the fires....I have spent several years in the northwestern portion of California; in fact, spent part of one of them putting out such wildfires as we are reading about today. In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful parts of the state. It is sad to see it go up in smoke.
Sadder still is the vehemence of the Christian Right''s insistance this is all a punishment from God. The God I know doesn''t cavalierly destroy hundreds of homes and lives of the innocent to snag a few of the guilty. If He did, then the ministry of Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross to absolve mankind of sin would have been a completely purposeless waste of life.

[acolton1]

It''s going to be a LONG FIRE SEASON for California.

[Syndicate]

Wouldn''t the enviromental thing to do be to let these fires burn! After all the were started by natural means. If we can''t drill for oil off the coast then we should let these fires burn!

[gwagener]

GWAGENER, YOU WONT BE SO BOLD ON JUDGEMENT DAY. THINK HOW YOU WANT.
-------------------------

Posted by newsnut123 at 11:05 AM : Jun 25, 2008

If there is a god and there is such a thing as judgement day then perhaps this god will not look on you kindly for beliving in a vengeful god with lousy aim.

Interesting side note: mopst so call Cristians don''t know their own doctrine. According to most real doctrine in most Cristian churches, good humans do not go to heven when they die. They remain dead until judgement day. Then Jesus returns and raises the good people from the dead. They then live in blissful subission to Jesus'' absolute monarchy for a millinium. The time period millinium is undefined.

[displeased]

newsnut123, you''re kidding, right? In regards to your claim that god is causing these lightning strikes out of anger over gay marriage? Open your eyes and get a grip you psycho!

[newsnut123]

USMCVN2, HE MUST BE A REPUBLICAN BECAUSE HE IS AGAINST ***, AND ABORTIONS...SOMETHING YOU DEMOCRATS SEEM TO THINK IS OK.

[usmcvn2]

If "God" is really causing this chit, he must be a Republican god. A Democrat God would hug the trees, not burn them.

However, this could be the work of an angry feminist god in than time of the month.

[newsnut123]

GWAGENER, YOU WONT BE SO BOLD ON JUDGEMENT DAY. THINK HOW YOU WANT.

[gwagener]

SO CALIFORNIA, HOWS THAT GAY MARRIAGE THING WORKING OUT FOR YA? SHOULD HAVE TAKEN THE WARNING BY WHAT HAPPENED TO NEW ORLEANS.
-------------------------------------

Posted by newsnut123 at 10:14 AM : Jun 25, 2008

So what are the folks on the banks of the floods in the Mid West being punished for?
Besides, the part of the state on fire is not where most of the gay people are anyway.
This god of yours is a real prick, punising huge populations to get at a few people who are not close by.

[caliengineer]

People are saying this is because of defying God? Because of gay marriage?

Well, praise God there are some people awake. However, it is also thanks to idol worship, abortion and adultery- the man and woman kind, outside of god-recognized marriage.

Also, who is clothing the naked? Feeding the hungry? Defending the fatherless?

The fate of America "Mystery Babylon the Great" is already sealed. But what about YOU? Time to spend time with your God.