Students' Bonfire Blamed For Calif. Blaze

Police Say Montecito Blaze Sparked As "Result Of Carelessness, Not Criminal Intent"

(CBS/AP)  A bonfire built by a group of young adults caused a weekend wildfire in Santa Barbara that destroyed 210 homes, including multimillion dollar mansions, and injured more than two dozen people, authorities said Tuesday.

An anonymous tip led to the discovery that 10 college students had gathered for a late night hangout at an abandoned property where the fire originated, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said. He declined to say which college the students attended.

"It appears this fire was the result of carelessness, not criminal intent," Brown said.

No criminal charges have been filed, but the county district attorney will review the case, Brown said.

The fire consumed nearly 2,000 acres in Santa Barbara County and critically injured a couple who were burned as they fled their home, which was destroyed by the flames.

The college group left the smoldering bonfire in the middle of the night and the embers sparked the wildfire 13 to 14 hours later, Brown said. The group had been hanging out at a property known locally as the "tea garden" next to an abandoned tea house in the hills of Montecito.

"They thought the fire was extinguished, but we don't have a lot of detail to disclose about what they did to do so," Brown said.

The fire was the first of three blazes to erupt in Southern California in the last week which have collectively damaged or destroyed about 1,000 homes and blackened more than 65 square miles.

In Southern California, the Santa Ana winds that swept six counties like a blowtorch died down Tuesday, allowing crews to mop up the smoldering hotspots.

The fire in the San Fernando Valley was 70 percent contained; a third wildfire in Orange County was 75 percent contained.

For a second day, officials allowed residents to return to the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar for a few minutes to salvage what they could from acres of ashes. The fire there burned about 480 homes and left 125 standing.

Residents whose homes were intact were allowed to quickly pick up clothes, toiletries, and other belongings under police escort, reported CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. The scale of destruction was hard for residents to accept.

"It looks like a battlefield," said Rick Asavis. "Just like a bomb went off here."

The county said it was sending crisis counseling teams to comfort the victims.

Help began to come from the state and federal government. President Bush made a disaster declaration for California, freeing federal aid to areas ravaged by the wildfires that blacked more than 65 square miles.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger waived state fees for fire victims who need to replace destroyed birth certificates and other documents or obtain state property inspections. He also waived a one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants who lost their jobs because of the fire.

The state has spent $305 million on emergency firefighting since the start of the fiscal year on July 1, $236 million more than lawmakers had planned.

The firefighting expense is adding to the state's $11.2 billion deficit, the governor's finance spokesman said Tuesday.

The state will try to get some of its costs reimbursed from the federal government, which pays for firefighting on federal land, said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the state Department of Finance.

Last year's wildfires were the most expensive in state history, costing California more than $518 million.

[aw211]

Seasonal fires are more common and more damaging than anything else in California; and typical due to human negligence or malice.

All fires, including fireplace fires, should be prohibited during the "fire season", and when the winds, heat and humidity reach certain levels.

This should be State law, with severe penalties for breaking the law.

Not only do fires cause damage, they cause serious air pollution. No wood burning fireplaces should be sold or permitted.

The public should be responsible to report all fires they may see, bonfires,as well as smoke from chimneys, indicating a wood burning fire.

[colt8881]

Lets Use our BRAINS and build a BonFire when there are high winds and extreamly dry conditions and during almost the Highest Point of Fire Season in California, thats WHAT WE ARE GOING TO COLLEGE FOR is to Learn to use GOOD JUDGEMENT.

[avigil2]

Nobody was killed, so let them off with a warning. Maybe if these kids had someplace to play, besides an abandoned house, things like this wouldnt happen. - Posted by DaVicar1

Let me get this straight. A bunch of bored college kids (who should know better) cost the state of California millions of dollars in financial aid, burned down 1000 homes, not to mention 65 acres of land and DaVicar1 wants to let them off with a warning? Something like, "Don''t play with fire kids"???

Homes and lives were completely destroyed. This was complete negligence. They gotta be held accountable for this horrendous crime.

[standlee5]

Apparently none one of the UCSB kids had ever been boy scouts or girl scouts. Not surprising. Idealism over realism.

[credibility2]

Another example of stupid moronic "young adults". Were they that stupid that they didn''t take into consideration their surrounds and potential risks? I guess all they cared about was the thrill factor in seeing their bonfire lit. They should all be charged with being accessories to arson and punished to some degree for what their stupidity did to innocent people, their property and local staff in fighting the blaze they started. Fools. Probably over-indulgent ones at that.

[greeneyes222]

Let these 10 students pay for the damages they caused. Maybe next time they''ll think twice about their need to party.

[jizzumjim]

dude. lets like go to the tea garden and build a fire. we''ll get some betty''s and some wine coolers and it will be like totally awesome.

[valentin73]

Why allow ANY type of fire in California. They should make a law, No Fires of Any Type Allowed by Law!!!!
I blame the government of California for this act of carelessness. As vulnerable as this region is to wild fires, why allow the igniting of any fire, for whatever purpose, to be begin with. The state government there should enact a law banning ANY fire; Period!

[gop_will_win]

Liberals and their fires. They just cant wait to get to hell cant they?

[mellie1957]

ThinTheHerd2 --- Man you''re angry & hateful. I''d hate to go thru life with that kind of attitude.

[olivia4441]

It should be a criminal offense, carelessness and stupidity.

[au_fait]

Obviously these terrible fires in California are a divine sign of God''''''''s wrath on Californians for having denied homosexuals their just rights as citizens and taxpayers in our great country.

Posted by n8yvn29 at 06:23 AM

You really give Christians a bad name and should not be allowed to speak for us. In the days of old, prior to Jesus, God did smite things. He gave us his son to allow forgiveness of all sins except for one. If you do not undestand this then I would not call yourself a Christian.

[slim1h2o]

For college kids(adults) "They show be stupid"

Charge them with negligence. They should know better.

[ybotheratall]

Obviously these terrible fires in California are a divine sign of God''''s wrath on Californians for having denied homosexuals their just rights as citizens and taxpayers in our great country.

Posted by n8yvn29 at 06:23 AM
---------------------------------
So what were the fires for last year when it was legal? Punishment for pretending to have s.e.x with someone using a bottle or inserting things where men defecate? Give it up; NO ONE wants these diseased freaks in their communities, let alone letting them play real married couples. Give me a break.

[n8yvn29]

Obviously these terrible fires in California are a divine sign of God''s wrath on Californians for having denied homosexuals their just rights as citizens and taxpayers in our great country.

[wl7bzh]

Just curious. Did the bonfire have anything to do with a protest of Prop 8?

[juwboy]

swingset4u:

In California, it is an offense to throw smoking materials out of a car window -- the fine, IIRC, is $1000.

"Smoking materials" includes not only obvious fire hazards, such as glowing cigarette butts, but even the empty packs.

[ramos937]

These 10 students have committed a crime. If they are not prosecuted, others will feel they can do the same thing.

[claydowner]

California seems to be getting more and more fires all of the time. The dirty secret is that with the world in an apparent warming trend huge fires are going to become a way of life. I am talking about 500,000 acre fires or more. If we keep using fossil fuels we could easily see in our lifetime huge chunks of national forest burned to the ground. A one degree increase in temperature means four times as many fires. The fire seasons are starting earlier in the spring and lasting longer in the autumn. These fires are changing our ecosystems in the western states. We also need to manage our water resources with the outmost care. The challenges caused by global warming a burden not only for Californians but for all Americans like it or not.

[swingset4u]

You mean to tell me that California has not labeled FIRE as dangerous and could cause Injury or even death????