Devastating FireStorm

[montrealboy]

Here are pictures collected from different websites this evening:

From http://www.cnn.com:













From http://www.foxnews.com:









From http://www.MSNBC.com:



From http://www.ABCnews.com:





From http://www.CBSnews.com:

[montrealboy]

Visit the link below for occasional Live video/audio on KNBC (MSNBC's affiliate):

http://www.msnbc.com/m/lv/default.asp?0cm=c21

[btangy]

1100 homes, half million acres. Only thing good to report is that the winds have died down. But, a reversal of wind could send fire up into the Lake Arrowhead area in the mountains where they're having a problem with a beatle infestation that's killing off millions of trees. Dead trees and fire... well, you get the picture.

[PTrackerLA]

I can only imagine how terrible it is to watch your home burn with nothing you can do about it. Hopefully they can start to contain the fires tomorrow. SoCal residents keep us all posted!

[montrealboy]

Associated Press now reporting at least 15 deaths.

http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20031027_2281.html

[btangy]

Calming down but still dangerous:

Sky is a little more blue today as the smoke isn't so thick. By tonight, the winds should shift from easterly to westerly bringing in higher humidities and cooler temps. On Thurs though, strong SW flow may bring gusty winds to the mountain areas causing trouble if the fires have not been contained by then. Lets hope for the best. Chief concern is in Simi Valley, Lake Arrowhead/Crestline/Big Bear, and N of San Diego.

[southerngale]

This is so heartbreaking!!!

Another pic....

[btangy]

Big Bear area NE of LA in the San Bernardino mountains has been evacuated. The city has a population over 6,000, so it's no easy task to get everyone out. Winds are mostly calm in the area, so firefighters are using this respite to try to contain some of these massive blazes. On TV, dozens of planes frantically dropping fire retardant and water near mountain homes to try to save them. Hopefully they will be able to. Perhaps the beginning of the end in sight, but it'll take awhile to get all these fires out.

[btangy]

From San Diego weather forecast discussion:

ALTHOUGH RELATIVE HUMIDITY WILL INCREASE BY THU...THE WINDS LATE WED AND THU WILL CREATE MAJOR PROBLEMS FOR CONTROLLING FIRES ESPECIALLY IN THE SAN BERNARDINO MTNS WHERE A SIZABLE POPULATION IS LIVING IN A FOREST OF DEAD TREES.

[stormchazer]

http://us.cnn.com/2003/US/West/10/26/california.wildfire/index.html

Ventura County firefighters watch a twister of flame rise from a back fire in Simi Valley, California.

AP photo

Amazing stuff!!

[weatherlover427]

I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a firefighting helicopter en route to fight one of the fires yesterday when I was out and about.

[montrealboy]

Here is the latest info from NBC local affiliate KNBC:

Fires Move Into Stevenson Ranch Neighborhoods

http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2583516/detail.html

LOS ANGELES -- LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Homes were reportedly burning in an area near Stevenson Ranch on Tuesday evening as darkness approached, threatening to make the fire situation even worse. Voluntary evacuations were suggested.

The fast-moving fire is reportedly moving toward Interstate 5. An evacuation is underway in the Sunset Point area. The California Highway Patrol says units are being pre-positioned on Interstate 5 near State Route 14 in case it becomes necessary to halt traffic on the interstate.



Bulldozer and hand crews were cutting new fire roads and setting backfires in an effort to keep homes from burning.

At least one home in historic Mentryville, the old California oil and gold town named for French immigrant Charles Alexander Mentry, that was settled around 1876, burned Tuesday evening.

County fire's Roland Sprewell told NBC4, crews purposely started the fire just behind the house to "back fire out" some of the brush at an opportune time. He said the fuel-depriving operation was successful.

NBC4 Reporter and Stevenson Ranch resident Chris Schauble told NBC4 via phone that the fire was just three blocks away from his home. He said that while evacuations were not yet mandatory on his block, they were prepared.

Schauble, who has 2-year-old twins and a pregnant wife, said he was keeping his family inside were the air was breathable, but that they were full ready to evacuate. Schauble said they were monitoring the fire's progress on their news, had all of their important items packed and ready to go, and had an escape route planned.

College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita cancelled all evening classes Tuesday, but classes were expected to resume as usual Wednesday morning. The college's campus is also currently being used as the emergency evacuation center for the Stevenson Ranch area.

Firefighters are preparing for the possibility that the fire may jump Interstate 5. Unless the winds pick-up, they do not expect the fire to move any further towards the east. If, however, the flames do jump Interstate 5, residents in Valencia will have to consider the possibility that they too may be asked to evacuate.

[Anonymous]

This is very, very, very distressing. I am still having a hard time dealing with the hurricane damage I saw in Nags Head 2 weeks ago.

I can't stand disasters anymore. I guess I am getting too old. Our Intercession group prayed for relief for Californians tonight. We cried out for God's mercy. I personally prayed that God would help firefighters put this horrific fire out very soon and I prayed for rain, but not too much rain at once. I do NOT want California to have mudslides.

I have seen enough disasters for the next 100 years.

It is breaking my heart. The fire damage reminds me of the damage in Nags Head, Hatteras Village, and Kitty Hawk in the Outer Banks from Isabel. I have personally experienced what it feels like to lose something in a weather disaster that meant a lot to me. The pool, dune, and deck at 6901 S Virginia Dare Trl in Nags Head were smashed up and utterly swept away by Isabel. These fires in California are making me sick to my stomach. Just the thought of all those good people in California losing their precious homes is way too much for me. Pets died too. The cost is unimaginable. Where will all these displaced folks go? What will happen to all of the sweet older folks?

It's really sad that some person had nothing better to do than to set a fire. It is utterly beyond my comprehension why anyone would set a fire. It is so very sad to see the results of this sick individual (s) upon California's communities. So sad to see all those people's homes burned, so sad to think of all the people without a home, so sad to think of the forest all blackened and burnt up by this fire. It is a gut-wrenching spectacle to see those homes on fire. Some of those pictures are right out of Hell Itself. Just the thought of fire fighters so exhausted that they can't fight the fire anymore, and so the fire burns more homes up. Of the people killed by the fire........I can not even begin to imagine what those poor folks must have had to go through. Or of the horrific, unimaginable fate of pets caught in the fire, unable to get away from it................................

Please God, I can't take anymore disaster. I can't take anymore, I am still trying to deal with what I saw in Nags Head. Please, no more disasters. Please God, have mercy on this country. Please give us a respite from disasters. Please, no more for a while.....................

I am hurricaned out, I am all fired out, I am all disastered out..........

-Jeb

[btangy]

More bad news to report... unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be much good news these days expect for the fact that the Santa Ana winds are gone. The two big fires in San Diego county... the Paradise (that's an ironic name) and Cedar fires... are about to merge into a super fire which will stretch resources beyond their already drained limits. Firefighters were reportedly so exhausted that they were told to back off and let the fire burn through whatever was in its path. As a result, the entire community of Cuyamaca, CA is gone. I have so much respect for these firefighters who are willing to work 3 days straight without much food or any rest, and I understand the human body can only do so much. We truly need manpower from other states and not machinery and trucks. Planes and helicopters are limited by darkness, so whatever progress they make during the day can be erased at night. To make matters worse, a fire broke out in N California today near Redding and has burned over 1,000 acres.

There's an increasing possibility that I-5 will be shut down due to the Simi Valley fire as it continues to advance eastward, especially with the predicted increased in westerly winds tomorrow afternoon. If that occurs, the closure of the I-5, I-15, and I-8 freeways (down in San Diego) will leave only the I-10 as the only major artery in and out of Southern California.

The ETA indicates the possibility of marine layer drizzle Thurs and Fri. Hopefully that'll slow the fires down in the lower elevations. Won't have any effect on the fires burning in the mountains though.

[weatherlover427]

There is also a chance of showers as far south as just north of Point Conception on Friday. That may be our closest shot at rain yet.

[montrealboy]

A TV newscrew truck (KNBC?) was caught by a firestorm and was burned down. Luckily, the crew was unharmed.

[opera ghost]

Does anyone have a map of the burning/burned out areas?

I'm trying to comprehend what's going on- hurricanes I can understand... fires... I can't even imagine that kind of fire. We were in Utah/Wyoming in June/July 2002 when there were a couple of nasty fires- but being tourists and knowing we were too stupid to play with fire- we steered clear.

Is there any danger to the metro cities or is going to be contained in the suburbs?

[stormraiser]

Any word on the area around Vista, Valley Center/ Escondido (sp?).

I have friends in Vista and Valley Center. I heard word of evacuations, but I can't find anything clear.

[btangy]

Winds have shifted strongly onshore and are now blowing about 20-30mph up in the higher elevations. Expecting gusts up to 50mph tomorrow. Even though humidities will likely increase and there might even be some fog along the coastal slopes, it will still be tough. Right now on the news, they're focusing on a wall of fire moving toward the Lake Arrowhead area. I've been up there myself and it's a very beautiful and peaceful area. Very popular tourist destination along with Big Bear, and it has a sizeable permanent population. It looks very bleak as over 100 homes on the W side of the Lake have gone up in flames today. The fire, being pushed by gusty winds, will probably burn all the way into the city. I'm not sure if there will be a city there tomorrow from the looks of the reports on TV right now. Even the firefighters being interviewed look pretty discouraged.

As for the San Diego vic. fires, it appears that the W flank of the big Cedar/Paradise fire has halted with the onshore flow kicking in, so Escondido should be pretty safe. They're mainly worried about the mountain communities, such as Julian, with that blaze. Unfortunately, there was word that a firefighter was killed and two others critically injured as they were caught in the inferno.

And would you look at that... a chance of rain Fri night and Sat morning. Truly would be excellent news if that verifies. Until then, can only hold our breath.

[weatherlover427]

Here are the zone forecasts for the fire ravaged areas:

CAZ042-301130-
ORANGE COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
230 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

.TONIGHT...BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH FOG. LOWS 52 TO 62.
.THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY...BREEZY AND COOLER WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 64 TO 70. SOUTH WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. LOWS 49 TO 59.
.FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOL WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 60 TO 68.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. LOWS 47 TO 57. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS
62 TO 72. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 48 TO 58. HIGHS 65 TO 75.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 48 TO 58. HIGHS 65 TO 75.

CAZ043-301130-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY COASTAL AREAS-
230 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

.TONIGHT...BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH FOG. LOWS 54 TO 64.
.THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY...BREEZY AND COOLER WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 64 TO 69. SOUTHWEST WINDS 10 TO 20 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. LOWS 52 TO 60.
.FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOL WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 60 TO 67.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. LOWS 47 TO 57. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS
62 TO 70. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 48 TO 58. HIGHS 65 TO 73.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 48 TO 58. HIGHS 65 TO 73.

CAZ048-301130-
SAN BERNARDINO AND RIVERSIDE COUNTY VALLEYS-THE INLAND EMPIRE-
230 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR EARLY...THEN BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH FOG.
LOWS 48 TO 58.
.THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 66 TO 76.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. LOWS 44 TO 54.
.FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOL WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 62 TO 69.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. LOWS 40 TO 50. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS
65 TO 75. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 42 TO 52. HIGHS 70 TO 80.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 42 TO 52. HIGHS 70
TO 80.

CAZ050-301130-
SAN DIEGO COUNTY VALLEYS-
230 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLEAR EARLY...BECOMING MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH FOG. LOWS 48 TO 58.
.THURSDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 64 TO 73.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...CLOUDY WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. LOWS 43 TO 53.
.FRIDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY AND COOL WITH LOCAL DRIZZLE. HIGHS 62 TO 69.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. LOWS 40 TO 50. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS
65 TO 75. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 42 TO 52. HIGHS 70 TO 80
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...AREAS OF LOW CLOUDS AND FOG DURING NIGHTS AND MORNINGS...OTHERWISE MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 42 TO 52. HIGHS
70 TO 80

CAZ055-301130-
SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
310 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH 9 PM THURSDAY...

.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH AREAS OF SMOKE. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH. LOWS 34 TO 50.
.THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY AND COOLER WITH AREAS OF FOG IN THE
MORNING ON LOWER COASTAL SLOPES. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH. AREAS OF SMOKE. HIGHS 50 TO 66.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS. AREAS OF FOG AND DRIZZLE ON THE LOWER COASTAL SLOPES. LOWS 30 TO 44.
.FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY...BREEZY AND COOL. AREAS OF FOG AND DRIZZLE ON LOWER COASTAL SLOPES IN THE MORNING. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS. HIGHS 46 TO 60.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OR RAIN. LOWS 34 TO 42. SOUTHWEST TO WEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS 48 TO 62. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 28 TO 44. HIGHS 52 TO 66.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 28 TO 44. HIGHS 52 TO 66.

CAZ056-301130-
RIVERSIDE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
310 PM PST WED OCT 29 2003

...WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH 9 PM THURSDAY...

.TONIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH AREAS OF SMOKE. SOUTHWEST WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH. LOWS 38 TO 52.
.THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY WINDY AND COOLER. AREAS OF FOG IN THE MORNING ON LOWER COASTAL SLOPES. AREAS OF SMOKE ELSEWHERE. HIGHS 54 TO 68. WEST WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...PARTLY CLOUDY. AREAS OF FOG AND DRIZZLE
ON LOWER COASTAL SLOPES. SOUTHWEST WINDS 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH. LOWS 34 TO 46.
.FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY AND BREEZY. AREAS OF FOG AND DRIZZLE LOWER COASTAL SLOPES. HIGHS 50 TO 62. SOUTHWEST WINDS 2O TO 30 MPH WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. LOWS 30 TO 44. SOUTHWEST WINDS 20 TO 30 MPH WITH LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN. HIGHS 52 TO 64. CHANCE OF MEASURABLE RAIN 20 PERCENT.
.SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 32 TO 46. HIGHS 56 TO 68.
.TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLEAR. LOWS 32 TO 46. HIGHS 56 TO 68.