Calif. Wildfire Forces More Evacuations

Thousands Flee As Firefighters Work Round-The-Clock To Keep Flames From Reaching More Homes

(CBS/ AP)  Firefighters worked overnight to keep flames from reaching more homes after a lightning-sparked wildfire advanced early Thursday in California's Sierra Nevada foothills.

As CBS News Early Show meteorologist Dave Price reports, the battle against nature has already taken a major toll.

The wildfire in Butte County destroyed at least 50 residences earlier in the week, mostly in Concow and officials did not yet know whether more homes were lost Thursday. Ten thousand Butte County residents have been ordered to evacuate and in Paradise, thousands of homes are evacuated, Price reports.

"Hand crews and bulldozers were (in Concow) all night, posted at individual homes" trying to turn back the flames, said Joshpae White, an engineer for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Thousands spent another night away from home after fire officials ordered evacuations Tuesday ahead of wind-whipped flames bearing down on the nearby town of Paradise for the second time in just a few weeks.

The fire threatens nearly 4,000 homes in Paradise. A separate wildfire destroyed 74 homes in Paradise last month.

Firefighters were making their stand along the Feather River on the banks opposite Paradise, which is at risk if the winds shift and the blaze jumps the river.

"We have low humidity, high temps and then the wind, so the conditions are still red flag," meaning the most extreme fire danger, said Mike Mohler, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "If the weather cooperates, we have a good chance. But it all depends on what Mother Nature gives us the next few days."

The hot, dry weather was expected to continue Thursday.

The blaze is one of about 40 lightning-sparked wildfires that have charred 49,000 acres - or more than 76 square miles - in this northern California region during the past two weeks.

For Clay and Nancy Henphill, running from raging wildfires is becoming routine. They were forced to evacuate their home for the second time in just over two weeks.

The Henphills awoke to blaring sirens around 1 a.m. Tuesday and were told to leave immediately. Only a week earlier, they had returned to their home in Concow after spending a week at a shelter.

"You almost feel like somebody is out to get you," Nancy Henphill, 61, said Wednesday.

Firefighters faced a sudden drop in humidity and triple-digit temperatures amid a heat wave that was expected to last until the weekend. At least six firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion Wednesday, Mohler said.

In Concow, small flames flickered and smoke rose from charred trees and homes. Firefighters were able to save most of the houses, often stopping flames at the doorsteps.

Fire crews across California have been straining to cover hundreds of wildfires that have burned more than 1,000 square miles and destroyed nearly 100 homes since a lightning storm ignited most of them more than two weeks ago. Some 1,450 fires had been contained Wednesday, but more than 320 still were active, authorities said.

On the state's Central Coast, firefighters pushed back a blaze threatening Big Sur - enough to allow hundreds of people to return to their homes Tuesday and Wednesday. At least 27 homes and 31 other structures have been destroyed in Big Sur. The fire has burned more than 140 square miles.

Fire officials said the blaze is still searing the mountains east of the Big Sur community and had crept within a mile-and-a-half of a historic Zen monastery.

Monks at the Tassajara Zen Mountain Center had spent weeks preparing to fight the blaze, but they decided to flee Wednesday night, according to the center's Web site.

A fire burning in the Santa Ynez Mountains above the Santa Barbara County coast was more than half contained Wednesday. More than 1,100 firefighters, nine helicopters and five air tankers were attacking the blaze, which had blackened more than 15 square miles of land northwest of Los Angeles.

Some people who had been forced to flee days ago were settling back in.

Wieke Meulenkamp, a mother of two young daughters, had gathered her family, valuables and two dogs and fled the flames, staying with friends for three days. They returned on Sunday to their home in the mountaintop community of Painted Cave near Santa Barbara.

"It looks pretty good now," she said. "But you're never out of danger up here."

[docbarber-2009]

GOP_forever....I hope your comment is removed and you are banned from commenting on this site forever. Yes this is a free country but you are one of the types of people i wish I didnt go over to Iraq for and defend. Your comment is both ignorant and mean. How can you wish bodily harm or even death on a person just becuase your religion seems to encourage blindness anddeafness to anyone different than you?

[piercetheval]

...I don''[t know what GOP said...it looks like it was removed.
Here, east of Sacramento its nearly impossible to breathe outside and not so easy inside. It''s been like this since around June 20th.
Is God punishing Calif. for the legalization of Gay marriage? Could be.
I suggest watching out for brimstone.

[barbaraf4]

Don''t you know these poor folks are just about at the end of their rope? The firefighters have been at this nearly a month now. They must be exhausted and ready to go home.

God bless them all.

[nothappyatall]

*** bless them all.

Posted by barbaraf4"

LOL if there was a *** these fires wouldn''t happen to BEGIN WITH.

[lloydbest1]

In view of some of the mean spirited rantings by the more hysterical elements of the Christian Right, I have to wonder if a few of them might think they can help things along if they set a few fires themselves.
Perhaps it is already being done?
I have kept a fairly close eye on the events down in northern California and have not heard of any-man caused fires so I am not accusing anyone of anything - yet.
But if Eric Rudolph and the Rev. Paul Hill can use scripture as a basis for defending their awful crimes, then it ain''t too much of a stretch to assume one or two of these wing nuts will also. To them, spreading their message is of all consuming importance. If that means burning innocent people out of their homes and even killing a few of them, so be it...

[stevex47]

This must be global cooling that the druggie limbaugh keeps spouting about.

[terrapin78]

Which right winger said "We need more global warming. Cold kills more than hot"?

Here is the proof that is BS!

[jankebenz]

Posted by LloydBest1 at 12:54 PM : Jul 10, 2008

Pretty short sighted and and biased of you to suggest that perhaps these fires were started by christians when its known that lightning is the cause. As a matter of fact it was reported that an unprecedendted amount of lightning was responsible for the fires. Now I,m not saying that God sent the lightning as punishment for immorality,but it would,nt surprise me if that were the case. Who then are the wing nuts if after being warned by the bible and many people as to the consequences of sin,keep right on practicing and promoting immorality . The bible is cystal clear that blessings will come to the God fearing nation, and calamities to those that rebel against him.

[terrapin78]

docbarber, I am sorry if your feelings were hurt by my posting of reality.

Posted by GOP_forever at 10:12 AM : Jul 10, 2008

It may be what you perceive as "reality" but in the scheme of things, you wouldn''t know reality if it beeached slapped you in the face.

[lloydbest1]

Posted by LloydBest1 at 12:54 PM : Jul 10, 2008
"Pretty short sighted and and biased of you to suggest that perhaps these fires were started by christians when its known that lightning is the cause...." Posted by jankebenz at 01:58 PM : Jul 10, 2008

"...I have kept a fairly close eye on the events down in northern California and have not heard of any-man caused fires so I am NOT ACCUSING (my emphasis) anyone of anything - yet...." Posted by LloydBest1 at 12:54 PM : Jul 10, 2008

I hope we have cleared that up.
I am considering only possibilities, likelihoods of some fires, in the future, eventually being caused by some extremists if the rest of us do not get in line with what THEY think is proper moral conduct and with what THEY think is proper reverence to the Lord. I think those possibilities are pretty d@mmed good.

[jankebenz]

I hope we have cleared that up.
I am considering only possibilities, likelihoods of some fires, in the future, eventually being caused by some extremists if the rest of us do not get in line with what THEY think is proper moral conduct and with what THEY think is proper reverence to the Lord. I think those possibilities are pretty d@mmed good

Posted by LloydBest1 at 02:24 PM : Jul 10, 2008

While you are considering the possibilities,it would be prudent to keep in consideration the posibility that the bible is correct in its warnings to heed God and the laws of morality. Fires can be started by people, but people can''t start floods, hurricanes,drought earthquakes,tornados,tsunamies.

[jimfinster]

While you are considering the possibilities,it would be prudent to keep in consideration the posibility that the bible is correct in its warnings to heed God and the laws of morality. Fires can be started by people, but people can''''t start floods, hurricanes,drought earthquakes,tornados,tsunamies.

Posted by jankebenz


LOL

Assume god is real and omnipotent. If so, seems like he/she could send a more unambiguous message. After all, fires, tornadoes, etc are merely natural events that can easily be explained.

For example, how about if god replaced Las Vegas with a giant porcelain toilet 5 miles high? Or caused one of those phony televangelist to spontaneously combust during a live broadcast? Or did something really useful, like growing the arms and legs back on our Iraq war vets?

[jimfinster]

....must be assuming that the Old Testament is hogwash and Hell is just a figment of old conservative imagination. Man, I believe that these people are in for a shock of their lives!

Posted by linymo



The key words in your post is "I believe". What you believe is not necessarily connected with facts. The old Testament is full of weird and wacky stuff, and you have my sympathies if your life is based on that !

[underdogus01]

BURN CALIFORNIA BURN LIKE SODOM & GAMORRAH!!

[jimfinster]

Hey genius, do you mean "Sodom and Gomorrah"?

[ariel133]

Religion seems to be a common way some rationalize their fear from tragedy when in fact " s---happens" and that is all.

[underdogus01]

martha44 yep I agree with you ma''m!!

[jimfinster]

GAY MARRIAGE=FOREST FIRES=EARTHQUAKES

Posted by martha44

QUESTION:
Did forest fires and earthquakes occur BEFORE gay marriage? (answer: yes)

Oh, you religious nitwits crack me up !

[gwagener]

Once again, the religion based posts show religion is about hate. Religion exists to group people using hate of other people.

[wl7bzh]

Theoretical question gang:


About 50 years ago this country and others had Sunday blue laws which limited activities on Sunday.
Question-if we went back to no work on Sunday, would there be an effect on global warming?

Let the debate begin-tnx

[underdogus01]

expect: EARTHQUAKES,FAMINE,DEAD ECONOMY,PESTELINE,DESTRUCTION,FLOODS,DROUGHT,WAR,HIGH TAXES,AND DEATH...party is over!!!

[underdogus01]

1938WW2..2008WW3 now deal with it b.astards!

[underdogus01]

THE GREAT DEPRESSION MAY BE ROUND THE CORNER,judgment is coming on the land.....

[underdogus01]

SkyFive AMERICANS will become the next generation of "********".. mark my words!!

[jimfinster]

underdogus01

You are a great example of why we need legal abortion.

[underdogus01]

IRAN IS CALLING YOU!! COWARDS!! HELLO

[wl7bzh]

Oops, I posted.

Gee underdogus01, it looks like you''ll have to come up with more totally random comments in order to get your posts dominating the blog.

If I''m wrong and you''re not some mentally unstable individual seeking attention, you won''t post again.

But then again, you may be paranoid, and feel that you must defend yourself by posting again.

Your response or lack of response should give us all some insight as to what you are really feeling guilty or insecure.

[forasongca]

If the fires were punishment for legalization of gay marriage, don''t you think God would have chosen a more appropriate target than one of only two counties in CA that has stopped performing all marriages rather than risk marrying two people of the same gender?

And what about record numbers of tornadoes in Kansas after that state attempted to substitute religious propaganda for science in the schools re: evolution? Some of which hit churches.

Maybe God doesn''t have the set of values you think He does. Either that, or His aim really s*cks.

[providence_6]

This true story was about a boy who was given by his neighbor a baby lamb to have as a pet. The boy would take the baby lamb where ever he would go throughout the day. The boy had a friend in which he could love and share special times as a little boy only knows. One day the little boys father came home drunk and with no regard killed the baby lamb that boy loved so much. The boy cried out my baby lamb is dead. The boy grieved and grieved. This set him apart from his father so that he ran away from home until one day he was at a soup kitchen in which U had to hear a sermon before U ate. The speaker for that day said Jesus was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth.

What this speaker said brought tears to the man eyes remembering that his baby lamb was killed when he was a small boy. Why would God allow his son Jesus to be killed he ask the speaker? The speaker replied, It was Gods justice being met at the cross for us that he sacrificed His son Jesus for your sins and mine, our debt paid in full, so that U can call on Jesus to be your sin bearer, Savior and Lord, you are then born again. The man calls on Jesus in prayer accepting God sent Jesus to die for his sins; he thanks God for His plan of salvation. Then the man thinks to himself I wonder if God cried when Jesus his son died? He then remembers that when his baby lamb died he grieved and grieved.

[nssherlock1]

To Providence_6



Shouldn''t you be out looking for ''Holy Visions'' on toast, tree bark, and dog turds?

[providence_6]

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?

[observer2020]

God helps those who help themselves. Why wait around for some "good being" to help you when help is at your fingertips (by doing it yourself). People, keep reading and spouting scripture and do nothing. And let''s not forget all those very holy priests that are pedofiles that the catholic church is hiding in their fold. Maybe the fires are caused by God being really ticked off at them and not the gay marriages. Ever think of that?