Bonfire Sparks Fire In Cali

Reporting from Los Angeles and Montecito — A smoldering bonfire built by students on a ridge-top overlooking Montecito apparently sparked last week's disastrous Tea fire, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said Tuesday.

Ten men and women, ranging in age from 18 to 22, had gathered at an abandoned property called the Teahouse late Wednesday night and built a bonfire to warm themselves, Brown said.

They told fire investigators that they thought the bonfire was out when they left early Thursday morning. But embers continued to smolder for more than 12 hours and were reignited by Santa Ana-type winds that evening, authorities said.

In what became one of Santa Barbara County's most destructive wildfires, fast-moving flames destroyed 210 homes and damaged nine others. At least 25 people were injured, three of them with burns.

Brown told a news conference that investigators believe that the group did not intend to start a wildfire.

"It appears this was the result of carelessness," he said. - Los Angeles Times

Oh fudge...

Firebombings in Cali

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The police and federal authorities are investigating firebombings at the homes of two researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

The attacks, which the university described as “antiscience violence,” occurred nearly simultaneously before dawn on Saturday, just days after the police in Santa Cruz discovered pamphlets in a coffee shop warning of attacks against “animal abusers everywhere.” The pamphlets included the names, addresses and other personal information of several researchers at the university, according to a news release put out on Friday by the university.

About 5:30 a.m. Saturday, two small bombs ignited outside the researchers’ homes. In one of the attacks, a vehicle was destroyed in a faculty member’s driveway. At the second residence, a two-story home near the university’s front gates, the fire forced the researcher, his wife and two children to flee the home from an upstairs window. The fires were quickly extinguished. - New York Times

There is a fine line between protest and felony.

California fire grows to 2,400 acres

Don't live in California unless you don't mind a huge fire every now and then.

GOLETA, Calif. -- The Gap fire looming over this town has grown to more than 2,400 acres this morning, doubling in size overnight as burned for its third day.

Those returning to San Diego face hardships

SAN DIEGO -- As the worst of the Southern California wildfires are dying down, many residents lucky enough to find their homes intact are likely to still face hardships for weeks to come.

Such hardships include polluted air, no electricity, and no drinking water.

I hate FEMA.

WASHINGTON -- One way to get decent coverage in this rough-and-tumble city is to arrange to have your own employees interrogate you at your news conference.

That would seem to be the strategy of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, much maligned for its sluggish response to Hurricane Katrina over two years ago.

FEMA scheduled an early afternoon news briefing on only 15 minutes notice to reporters here Tuesday to talk about its handling of assistance to victims of wildfires that were ravaging much of Southern California.

But because there was so little advance notice for the event held by Vice Adm. Harvey E. Johnson, the deputy FEMA administrator, the agency made available an 800 number so reporters could call in. And many did, although it was a listen-only arrangement.

At the news conference itself, some FEMA employees played the role of reporter, asking questions of Johnson -- queries described as soft and gratuitous.

Yo, I think Glen is an undercover FEMA employee. I'm going to investigate.

Four bodies discovered in Southern California

SAN DIEGO - As firefighters gained the upper hand in their five-day battle
against the Southern California blazes on Thursday, Border Patrol agents
discovered four charred bodies in the rugged mountains near the Mexican border.

If the fire was responsible for the four deaths, it would raise the death toll of this terrible fire to seven. At least 75 people have also been injured in the flames.

Arson investigation into California fires possible

Special FBI teams gathered evidence Wednesday as part of a possible arson investigation into the wildfires devastating Southern California, the agency said.

FBI evidence response teams recovered materials they hoped would identify the source of the fires.

165,000 hectares burned in California

Firefighters from across the western United States continue efforts to contain massive wildfires in southern California. Forecasters say the strong winds, commonly known as the Santa Ana winds, should let up Wednesday, giving firefighters a better chance at putting out the fires.

The wildfires have destroyed nearly 1,500 buildings and forced more than half a million people to flee their homes.

Hot, dry winds are spreading the fires, which have burned more than 165,000 hectares, from Los Angeles in the north to the Mexican border south of San Diego.

According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, at least 68,000 homes remain at risk.

Wildfire in California Exceeds $1 Billion in Damages

The devastating wildfires in Southern California have caused at least $1 billion in damage in San Diego County alone, officials said Wednesday. The fires have destroyed at least 1,500 homes and over half a million people were forced to evacuate.

More than 346,000 California homes evacuated

SAN DIEGO — More than 346,000 homes in San Diego have been ordered evacuated after a dozen wildfires continued their relentless assault on Southern California, displacing more than a half million people, destroying hundreds of homes and businesses, and forcing federal officials to assist firefighting efforts.

In San Diego County alone, 513,000 people have evacuated, according to county spokesman Luis Monteagudo.

California fire forces half a million from their homes

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 23 — Raging wildfires in southern California have destroyed and estimated 1,300 homes and businesses and have forced as many as a half-million people to evacuate their homes, state and local officials said today.

Hot, gusting winds, which are expected to keep blowing at least through the day, have made the flames nearly impossible for firefighters to control, according to the officials.

California fires cause hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - The fires raging in Southern California have likely caused hundreds of millions of dollars worth of damage to homes and businesses, the state's insurance commissioner said on Tuesday.

More than a thousand homes were destroyed in this fire, along with "scores" of businesses, California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner told Reuters. He said, "This is just a terrible disaster; it's going to be one of the worst ever." Hundreds of thousands of people were forced to evacuate, and there is little hope for relief from the hot desert winds fanning the flames.