High Winds Stoke Calif. Wildfires

Firefighters Struggle To Control Deadly Blazes As Santa Ana Winds Fuel Increasing Fires

(CBS/AP)  Flames whirled dangerously close to homes Tuesday as gusty Santa Ana winds sent the biggest of southern California's wildfires flaring in hilly brushlands on Los Angeles' northern edge and along subdivisions to the west.

Firefighters with hoses guarded houses as helicopters unleashed loads of water on hot spots of the more than 20-square-mile blaze charring slopes above the San Fernando Valley communities of Porter Ranch and Granada Hills.

Flames then pushed west to the rolling grasslands of Ventura County and made runs toward Simi Valley neighborhoods of modern homes defended by a broad firebreak, helicopters, airplanes and ground crews.

The fire is one of three major blazes that have burned more than 34 square miles of Southern California, destroyed dozens of homes and forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes this week. One man died in the flames, and a motorist was killed in a crash as a fire neared a freeway.

Fifteen homes and 47 outbuildings were destroyed in the Porter Ranch area, and another six homes were damaged, said Los Angeles County fire Inspector Ron Haralson. Officials said Tuesday night they did not know how much of the fire was contained.

Dazed residents like Michael Rausch returned home to a nightmare - as houses were replaced by charred ruins, reports CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker.

"I feel like I'm still in shock," said Rausch. "I know I'm probably going to have a meltdown. I'm in disbelief."

Ten 10 miles away, there was major progress against Los Angeles' other big wildfire.

A 7½-square-mile blaze in the northeastern San Fernando Valley was 80 percent contained and some evacuees were allowed to go home. But people who lived in an area where 38 mobile homes were destroyed were not permitted to return.

Teresa Escamilla, 47, lay on a cot in a Red Cross shelter, thinking the worst. She believed she lost everything including a shoebox containing five years of savings.

"It feels like it's not real," the nursing assistant said in Spanish. "It's a nightmare."

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa acknowledged the uncertainty facing residents of the fire areas.

"Many still don't know when they are going to return home," he told a news conference. "Our hearts and prayers are out with all of them."

(Left: An airplane drops water on a brush fire in Los Angeles, Oct. 13, 2008.)

On the north coast of San Diego County, a 3,600-acre fire at the Marine Corps' Camp Pendleton was 60 percent contained. Evacuation orders were largely lifted for about 2,000 Marine Corps personnel and family members in military housing and residents of about 1,500 homes in neighboring Oceanside.

In eastern San Diego County along the U.S.-Mexico border, a 200-acre fire that forced residents from 300 homes in the community of Campo was 70 percent contained and evacuations were canceled.

The outbreak of fires followed the weekend arrival of the first significant Santa Ana winds of the fall.

The National Weather Service said the intensity of the winds was diminishing but warned there would still be strong gusts. Warnings for critical fire weather conditions were to remain in effect until Wednesday night.

The Santa Anas usually sweep in between October and February as cold, dry air descending over the Great Basin flows toward Southern California and squeezes through mountain passes and canyons. The extremely low humidity levels, which make vegetation easier to burn, and high windspeeds combine to whip fires into infernos.

[juwboy]

Aunty Zion:

The oil pipeline from Iraq to the Israeli port of Haifa was built about 80 years ago.

It was shut down in 1948 by feral subhuman jihadist Arab thugs like patriotic9.

Why shouldn`t it be re-opened when it would benefit America?

The oil tanker route from Haifa to East Coast ports is far shorter than the route from the Persian Gulf and avoids the Suez Canal bottleneck.

Aunty Zion, why don`t schickerer Yocks like you spend some time studying Middle East history instead of wasting ours with your ignorant opinions?

[patriotic9]

Somehow our government can justify dropping a trillion dollars in bombs on Iraq on behalf of a Israel and the Rothschild pipeline that now pumps oil from Iraq to Israel and a trillion on the richest 1% on Wall Street but can''''t invest Jack *** on fire suppression for the tax payers.
Posted by AntiZion at 09:23 AM : Oct 15, 2008

They have same mindset regarding hard working American people like Bush''s mother about Katrina victims, who issued this statement following hurricane Katrina;
"Those people were under-priviledged any way"

[antizion]

Somehow our government can justify dropping a trillion dollars in bombs on Iraq on behalf of a Israel and the Rothschild pipeline that now pumps oil from Iraq to Israel and a trillion on the richest 1% on Wall Street but can''t invest Jack *** on fire suppression for the tax payers.

Since the government does not represent us but instead represents Israel with our tax dollars, why not succeed and form our own country.

We can leave New York and the wall street cronies with the 10 trillion dollar debt that they stole from us.

[patriotic9]

patriotic9 -- a feral, subhuman Arab jihadist posing as a patriotic American.

Posted by juwboy at 05:33 AM : Oct 15, 2008

patriotic9...hey man ,you are gonna give yourself a stroke...chill out
Posted by lovesamerica at 12:55 AM : Oct 15, 2008

There is no problem making a comment, provided that it should be accompanied by supporting sound and valid reasons.

Differences of opinions is not a bad thing at all, rather it''s a great thing, again when it is supported by scientific evidences.

Is any one of you going to deny the fact that it''s animosity against the United States of America to sacrifice American money, American lives and American interests for a non-American cause, non-American people and a non-American land?

Isn''t it animosity and disloyalty to the United States to deny the constitution of the United States which seperates church and state, and to use Christianity as a tool to fool the people of the United States?

Isn''t it animosity to the American people to send more then $3 Billion a year for a non-American cause, non-American people and non-American land to buy hatred, terrorism and 9/11 for America and Americans, at the same time when our own brothers and sisters died in New Orleans, following Katrina, because of not getting support from the government, since they were born in a God-Neglected black race not chosen by a racist and unjust god?

[juwboy]

patriotic9 -- a feral, subhuman Arab jihadist posing as a patriotic American.

[lovesamerica]

patriotic9...hey man ,you are gonna give yourself a stroke...chill out

[jeffkahuna]

The guy on the news that got the GOOOD shots on the Fire , Riskeed the lives of more than one fireman to get him out of there, He made a lot of MONEY but he is a typical Channel 2 reporter. I will not watch any more I don''t want to see anyone DIE
The Kahuna

[wl7bzh]

Do you think we should spend our money on non-American cause, Non-American God-chosen people and Non-American Holy land instead of taking care of Unholy land United States and God-neglected Americans?

Posted by patriotic9 at 04:11 PM : Oct 14, 2008

I have never, ever used this expression before in writing, but in your case it is the only appropriate response to your statement:

*** are you talking about?

Your totally irrational statement,and this is redundant, makes absolutely no freaking sense whatsoever.

[patriotic9]

You people are REALLY SICKO, get a life and quit with the Iraq sh** and have some compassion for your fellow man in trouble.


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Posted by R933GTS at 07:58 PM : Oct 14, 2008

Exactly! That''s what I am talking about. We should care about our contry men and women in trouble instead of wasting US tax dollars for a non-American cause, non-American people and a Non-American land.
America comes first.

[r933gts]

You people are REALLY SICKO, get a life and quit with the Iraq sh** and have some compassion for your fellow man in trouble.

[todd652]

Give our brave firemen a lot of prayers. As for the rest of the comments, looks like it''s raining nuts......

[patriotic9]

Don''''t blame God for California''''s environmental,economic, farming, homosexual, or illegal alien problem.

The fine upstanding citizens of California all by themselves. If anything this is the wrath and stupidity of Arnold.


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Posted by wl7bzh at 03:34 PM : Oct 14, 2008

Do you think we should spend our money on non-American cause, Non-American God-chosen people and Non-American Holy land instead of taking care of Unholy land United States and God-neglected Americans?

[wl7bzh]

Don''t blame God for California''s environmental,economic, farming, homosexual, or illegal alien problem.

The fine upstanding citizens of California all by themselves. If anything this is the wrath and stupidity of Arnold.

[patriotic9]

The money we give to the European invaders in Palestine to buy hatred, terrorism and 9/11 against Unholy land United States and God-neglected Americans, should have been spent in the United States for the Americans.
Money we give to Iraqi police and Security forces which they use in killing our same soldiers in the darkness of night, who train them during the day light, should have been used in New Orleans, Houston and CA.
Money spent in Afghanistan to build new schools should have been spent on our own school system in Washington DC where one out of ten people are illiterate and High School graduates can''t read their High School Diploma.
It may sound harsh and selfish to some people but I personally believe in "AMERICA COMES FIRST"!

[calidivegirl]

Are you guys seriously using these peoples lives and the sad unfortunate times to talk about stupid sh*t? Grow up and open your eyes to the world around you!

[displeased]

So are you saying that Islamic jihadists and Al Queda are "innocent people"?
What a loooon..
Posted by StopSocialis

There was no Al Queda and jihadists in Iraq until we showed up. And yes, many innocent people have died. Now, back to the fires...

[easeup-2009]

Now I''ve got it! The cloud looks like Randall "Tex" Cobb--the guy who played the biker dude in Raising Arizona!

Check it out:

http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/9773/hellsangelpx9.jpg

[stopsocialis]

Their sin of supporting the killing of innocent people in Iraq
posted by patriotic9

So are you saying that Islamic jihadists and Al Queda are "innocent people"?

What a loooon..

[stopsocialis]

these fires wont happen if obama is elected


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Posted by jamesm12341


LOL!!

[patriotic9]

Time to end same sexx marriage in California.

The people will be heard on November the 4th, not the liberally biased California Supreme Court which overruled the will of the people the first time.


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Posted by StopSocialis at 01:09 PM : Oct 14, 2008

What about the Hurricane Ikea in conservative Texas?

What sin was involved there?

Their sin of supporting the killing of innocent people in Iraq for setting up the stage of battle of Armagaddon and the 2nd coming of christ?

For supporting the idea of human beings not being created equal but created as god-chosen or god-neglected based on the race or family they are born in?

For sacrificing GOD-NEGLECTED AMRERICAN MONEY, GOD-NEGLECTED AMERICAN LIVES and UNHOLY LAND UNITED STATES for a NON-AMERICAN CAUSE, NON-AMERICAN GOD-CHOSEN PEOPLE and a NON-AMERICAN LAND far away from any state or territory of the United States?

For supporting those Conservative Holy men who sodomize little boys in the same churches where they present homosexuality as sins?