California Wildfires Roar To Life - Again

More Than 13,000 Have Evacuated, Flames Destroy Homes In Santa Barbara, Montecito

(CBS/AP)  Paradise is not lost, but it's in flames - again.

The seasonal wildfires that menace this idyllic coastal city roared to life earlier than usual but with all-too-familiar ferocity, burning mansions to their foundations and forcing more than 13,000 to flee. Dozens of homes were destroyed, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said.

"I knew it was time to leave," said Tom Morse, 62, a day after he dusted off his motorhome as the fire neared his Mission Canyon Heights house. "I could see the flames getting close."

The fire was just the latest to ravage the area known as the American Riviera, home to screen stars, former presidents and Oprah Winfrey. The blaze reached the burn area of another wildfire that just six months ago destroyed about 200 homes in Santa Barbara and Montecito.

The latest 1,300-acre fire remained out of control and firefighters were on alert for a predicted return of a "sundowner."

Sundowners are powerful, fire-fueling gusts of wind taht arrive late in the day, reports CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy. Super hot and dry air churns down from the mountains and slams through passes and canyons, overwhelming the cool, damp air near the coasts.

Sundowner gusts can reach hurricane force - a blowtorch spreading the flames, Tracy reports.

A sundowner on Wednesday afternoon turned a slumbering brush fire on rugged slopes above the city into a towering wildfire that hurled flames into homes and spit embers into more distant neighborhoods.

Some 5,400 homes were evacuated, and another 13,000 people were advised to be ready to leave.

"It started firestorming dramatically," said Gregg Patronyk, a lifelong Santa Barbara resident who grabbed a hose and started wetting his roof when he saw other houses ablaze. "The fire got within 200 to 300 feet of my house.

"There was a lot of pressure to leave," he said. "Police wanted me out and I got a frantic call from my sister, who was walking up the hill to get me. So I packed up the car and left, picking her up on the way."

Nearly 1,400 firefighters from many departments were on the lines, aided by aircraft.

Authorities reported 10 firefighters injured, including three who sheltered in a house during a firestorm. They were in good condition at a Los Angeles burn center but two faced surgery. Other injuries ranged from smoke inhalation to ankle sprains.

There were no specific numbers available on property losses. Fire officials would not clarify the governor's estimate, saying assessments were still under way.

The city's location on the state's central coast gives it some of the best weather in the world, with temperatures routinely topping out in the 70s, and views of the Pacific Ocean. Now with a population of about 90,000, it dates to the Spanish colonial era of California and a Roman Catholic mission established in the 1780s is a major tourist draw.

But the geography that gives it beauty and a serene atmosphere also brings danger.

"I'm from the East Coast and at this point I'd rather put up with this than the winter," said evacuee Jim Hatch, 40, an illustrator who returned home to pick up clothes Thursday and motored up Jesusita Road on a baby blue Piaggio scooter to see the fire.

State Assemblyman Pedro Nava fled Wednesday with his wife, two dogs and a cat. They tossed pictures, documents and a few days of clothes into a car and went to the home of a friend.

"I've learned how important preparation is in an emergency," he said. "The public has to be prepared to move, and in Santa Barbara they are prepared. When the police squad car came through with loudspeakers telling us to leave, there was no arguing. And they will all be back."

Morse, the executive director of the environmental group Global Preservation Projects, said he's not surprised by so many fires, blaming it on global warming.

"Temperatures are rising and humidity levels are dropping. It means more fires," he said.

Global warming can't be blamed for specific fires, but it creates conditions that foster larger and more frequent wildfires, scientists say.

"A warming climate encourages wildfires through a longer summer period that dries fuels, promoting easier ignition and faster spread," the Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change wrote in 2007.

Hatch, the scooter-riding illustrator, said his wife grew up in Santa Barbara.

"Her family thinks this is normal," he said. "But after living here for 20 years I think the fires are getting worse."

Elsewhere, a southern New Mexico wildfire destroyed three homes and damaged a fourth near the small mountain community of Timberon. It also burned five outbuildings, such as sheds and garages, and 10 vehicles, fire information officer Darlene Hart said. Twenty homes were evacuated.

[longtree-2009]

samething every year. fires in california. mansions, homes, and etc. burned to the ground. they just rebuild again in known fire zones. governor declares emergency, state and federal monies are used to put out fires and participate in the rebuilding. in some cases, it has been arson or caused by idiots using a campfire where prohibited. they just rebuild. seems like the same old, same old. nothing to get worked up about, it will be all right. they will rebuild, life will go on.

[ubrew12]

azulene said: "When will California idiots figure out that nobody cares. Califonians... think its "cute" to live in the Peoples Republic of Cali. Were are all getting sick of the leeches looking for handouts"

sbbm-2009 said: "F-OFF. my family lives there, and they're not 'leeches looking for hand outs' - SB is NOTHING like the Cali you talk about"

What part of 'nobody cares' didn't you get? That poster doesn't care about California, or even if he has it all wrong? He's ADVERTISING the fact that he doesn't care. Limbaugh-trained America is fully prepared to CELEBRATE if California sunk into the ocean tomorrow. They've got the beer stockpiled for it! They are the disease thats infected this nation, and azulene is just crowing about his infection.

For what its worth, I would laugh if azulene were to get run over by a car. If would serve him right. And THAT's the 'give as good as you get' that the Limbaugh-disease generates in us all.

[forasongca]

The absolute stupidity ("People's Republic of California") and lack of research/knowledge of history ("eco-nazis") on this thread is appalling. Disasters happen *everywhere*, and fire suppression has been done in its current manner for over a hundred years - well before the birth of the current environmental movement.

Remind me to have zero sympathy for you when the tornado, hurricane, blizzard, or whatever local disaster plagues your area destroys *your* home.

[Questionews]

California homeowners would not have to go through this disaster every year if the eco-nazis would allow the clearing of dead underbrush by the forestry service.
Posted by tbbaot at 5:14 AM

The natural cycle of fires have been disrupted by man. At one time fires would go though areas every 3 to 5 years. The ground level dry tinder & debris would be burned off on a regular basis. These ground level fires would not catch large trees on fire because they moved through fairly quickly & many species of trees rely on fire for reproduction. With man suppressing fires over the last century or so, the amount of debris builds (fuel) up to a point where now the trees do catch on fire & are far more devastating to an area. Native Americans tell stories of intentionally setting fires when the saw it was necessary. Their stories touched on how game & plant life would flourish a year or so after these fires.

[avigil2]

When will California idiots figure out that nobody cares. Califonians choose to endure them because they think its "cute" to live in the Peoples Republic of Cali. Were are all getting sick of the leeches looking for handouts when they suffer from their own stupidity. - Posted by azulene

Are you serious with this posting? The same could be said for anyone living in the Mid-West with their tornadoes and those along the Atlantic coast with hurricanes. People in Calif. don't live there because it's "cute". Please stick to your backwoods and pick up a book. They're available in a big building called a Library. Get educated.

[powderseekr]

azulene.....easy, if you keep telling them all the things that suck about Cali. they might find a grain of common sense. Then even more of them will move to my state..... Not good!!

[mrs_entity]

We must pray to God if the winds are to keep calm.

[louiville2]

California homeowners would not have to go through this disaster every year if the eco-nazis would allow the clearing of dead underbrush by the forestry service.
Posted by tbbaot at 5:14 AM

Why would they do that since they are probably setting most of these fires.

[tbbaot]

California homeowners would not have to go through this disaster every year if the eco-nazis would allow the clearing of dead underbrush by the forestry service.