Calif. Resources Strained As Fires Rage

Exhausted Firefighters Still Battling More Than 300 Blazes

(CBS/AP)  A wildfire threatening hundreds of homes in Southern California spread slowly through scenic canyonlands Saturday, straining resources as crews struggled to contain hundreds of other blazes around the state.

"The firefighters are stretched thin, they are exhausted," and some have gone days without sleep, said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who visited a command post in Santa Barbara County.

A slew of wildfires, most ignited by lightning two weeks ago, has burned more than 800 square miles of land throughout California. The blazes have destroyed at least 67 homes and other buildings and contributed to the death of a firefighter who suffered a heart attack while digging fire lines.

More than 20,000 firefighters have defeated most of the wildfires raging across the state, down from 1,700 a few days ago to 334 Saturday. But many of the remaining fires are monsters, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

Schwarzenegger said the state's top priority was in the coastal region of Santa Barbara County, where nearly 2,700 homes were threatened by a four-day-old fire in the Los Padres National Forest that has consumed about 13 square miles.

Cooler, moist air Saturday morning kept the fire sluggish and helped firefighters trying to surround it, said Pat Wheatley, county spokeswoman. The fire was 24 percent contained, she said.

"It's just spreading in each direction, but they are holding the line beautifully," she said.

Crews hoped to make more progress before the return of late afternoon "sundowner" winds that on Friday evening sent flames racing up to homes.

Wheatley said 2,663 homes remained under mandatory evacuation and people in another 1,400 were warned to be ready to flee if the flames gathered speed.

The fire, which was burning in 15-foot-high, half-century-old chaparral, had the potential to roll through a hilly area of ranches, housing tracts and orchards between the town of Goleta and Santa Barbara.

"The advice is that you get prepared, that you get your belongings together and you stay very watchful," Wheatley said.

Temperatures were expected to reach the high 80s, and the smoke from the fire made for bad air quality.

Nearly 1,200 firefighters struggled to surround the blaze while a DC-10 air tanker and other aircraft dumped water and fire retardant along ridges and in steep canyons.

Investigators think the fire, which began Tuesday, was human-caused. The U.S. Forest Service on Saturday asked for public help in determining who set it and whether it was sparked accidentally or on purpose.

Meanwhile, cooler weather helped crews attacking a two-week-old blaze that has destroyed 20 homes in Big Sur, at the northern end of the Los Padres forest.

The fire, which had blackened 107 square miles, was only 5 percent contained, but morning fog that moved in from the sea helped prevent it from advancing on Big Sur's famed restaurants and hotels.

"We're gaining ground, but we're nowhere near being done," said Gregg DeNitto, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service. "There's still a lot of potential out there. The fire has been less active the last couple of days. We've had favorable weather; they are taking every opportunity to get some line on it."

But the weather was expected to become hotter and drier over the next couple of days, he said, with winds and temperatures rising and humidity dropping.

"The fire still has the potential for movement and the potential to get out of our containment lines," he said.

The governor noted that he recently ordered 400 National Guard troops to be trained in wildfire fighting so they could help fight the state's blazes. He also urged lawmakers to adopt his budget plan for a $70 million emergency surcharge on home and business insurance policies to buy more firefighting equipment.

California now has a year-round fire season and needs the money from the fee, which should cost the average homeowner about $1 a month, Schwarzenegger said.

[wl7bzh]

Voltaire333,

I think it''s amusing that you chose Voltaire as a name for posting atheist viewpoints-you might be interested in researching an account of the actual death of Voltaire. You really need to get the description of your namesakes death. : )

[voltaire333]

Voltaire333 , thank you for revealing who one of your "gods" was, George Carlin.
Posted by globalcool08 at 01:31 PM : Jul 06, 2008

Well, at least George Carlin existed, so he''s one up on your "god," based on that factor alone. When you add to the mix his all-powerful wit, there''s simply no contest! Nothing in the Bible can match Carlin''s genius. As Carlin might have said, the Bible is the kind of shoddy work product you''d expect from an office temp with a bad attitude! ;-)

[voltaire333]

He created the earth and He can do whatever He wants. He is in charge. Not humans.
Posted by globalcool08 at 01:43 PM : Jul 06, 2008

He certainly is not the boss of me! I do whatever I want, and he is totally helpless to stop me! LMAO! Watch, if I''m wrong, may God strike me dead in 5 seconds.

tick, 5, tick, 4, tick, 3, tick, 2, tick, 1, ring!

Sorry, still here. See, he''s totally powerless to do anything at all about me. :-)

[edintex]

Many people believe that global warming is a natural cyclical event that has happened many times over the billions of years of earths existence. Similarly, fires in the forests and plains have been a natural occurence for millions of years too. Many smaller fires are useful to remove large amounts of fuel that can lead to MAJOR fires. The western states would do well by figuring a way to stop fires outside their cities, but let them burn outside of and around them.

[providence_4]

Joh 3:4-8 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother''s womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

[beehive21-2009]

Let the fires burn, Natures cleaning house,get out of the way, if you built your house in Smokeys back yard, start looking for a new one ,you do not belong in Smokeys yard.

[voltaire333]

When it comes to bullsh*t, big-time, major league bullsh*t, you have to stand in awe of the all-time champion of false promises and exaggerated claims, religion. No contest. No contest. Religion. Religion easily has the greatest bullsh*t story ever told. Think about it. Religion has actually convinced people that there''s an invisible man living in the sky who watches everything you do, every minute of every day. And the invisible man has a special list of ten things he does not want you to do. And if you do any of these ten things, he has a special place, full of fire and smoke and burning and torture and anguish, where he will send you to live and suffer and burn and choke and scream and cry forever and ever ''til the end of time!

But He loves you. He loves you, and He needs money! He always needs money! He''s all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing, and all-wise, somehow just can''t handle money! Religion takes in billions of dollars, they pay no taxes, and they always need a little more. Now, you talk about a good bullsh*t story. Holy Sh*t!

-- George Carlin a.k.a. "The God of Comedy"

[displeased]

Yippee, I think providence_8 finally went to sleep so now you folks can stop dwelling over the boogie man and discuss the real threat, the fires.

[displeased]

Is Jesus was standing right now in front of you what would you say to Him? Posted by Providence_8

I would ***** my pants while running away screaming. Then I would call ghostbusters to remove this evil entity before he takes me to the grave where he belongs.

[providence_8]

Strong Winds Hamper Calif. Fire Efforts? We have fires, floods, tornadoes, crime and a bad economy, gas prices food prices no jobs losing of homes? Sounds a bit like Pharaoh saying no to God when Moses told him about the Lord?
Maybe, if we wanted a healthier better America we should turn to God to heal our land? Just think? It happened another time in the annuals of history? Yeah God was going to destroy this place called Nineveh and the people repented and God spared them. We could do this in America?