Lightning sparks 800-plus fires in California

Jolie Rouge

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Lightning sparks 800-plus fires in California
By MARCUS WOHLSEN, Associated Press Writer
22 minutes ago

SAN FRANCISCO - Firefighters from neighboring states arrived to help Monday after an "unprecedented" lightning storm sparked more than 800 wildfires, from Big Sur to wine country to Humboldt County.

Thousands of firefighters battled the blazes on the ground and from the air and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he was alarmed by the number of fires that kept erupting.

He said he was told late Sunday evening that the state had 520 fires, and he found it "quite shocking" that by morning the number had risen above 700.

Moments later, a top state fire official standing at Schwarzenegger's side offered a grim update: The figure was actually 842 fires, said Del Walters, assistant regional chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. All but a couple were in the northern part of the state.

"This is an unprecedented lightning storm in California, that it lasted as long as it did, 5,000 to 6,000 lightning strikes," Walters said. "We are finding fires all the time."

The assistance, mostly firefighting aircraft, arrived Monday from Nevada and Oregon after being requested over the weekend. Schwarzenegger said he had enlisted the help "because you can never prepare for 500 or 700 or 800 fires all at the same time."

Part of the reason for the swelling number of wildfires was that local and state officials were still counting after the fierce thunderstorm Friday night that touched off the blazes.

"We didn't get real lucky with this lighting storm," Walters said. "It wasn't predicted — which often happens with these storms that come in off the Pacific, there's no history of the weather as it approaches the shore — and so we got hammered."

In Mendocino County alone there were 110 fires, with just 17 contained.

Two of the biggest fires had each charred nearly 6 square miles.

One started in Napa County and quickly moved into Solano County, and threatened about 250 homes about 40 miles southwest of Sacramento, said Kevin Colburn, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It was 60 percent contained Monday.

The other was in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, about 160 miles north of Sacramento, and threatened about 1,200 homes. The largest of the fires threatened about 1,200 homes, and several youth camps and forced evacuations. The governor declared a state of emergency in Monterey and Trinity Counties on Monday.

Along the coast in the Los Padres National Forest, a 2,000-acre wildfire burning south of Big Sur since Saturday forced the evacuations of 75 homes and businesses, destroyed one house and threatened hundreds of others.

It also led to an emergency airlift Sunday of eight endangered California condors. U.S. Coast Guard helicopters transported the seven juveniles and one adult bird from a wildlife center to the Monterey Airport.

A second fire in the Los Padres burned more than 57,000 acres and has injured nine firefighters.

Two blazes about 25 miles south of San Jose had forced hundreds of residents to flee over the weekend, but most were being allowed to return Monday. One fire was 90 percent contained and the other 50 percent.

In southern Arizona, two new human-caused wildfires were burning Monday but not threatening homes. A 700-acre fire in the Rincon Mountains east of Tucson was fully contained. Lightning sparked that fire.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080624/...etHJhqJRms0NUE

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Smoky skies threaten health in fiery California
By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
Sat Jun 28, 7:55 PM ET

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Hundreds of lightning-sparked wildfires have turned the air of Northern California into an unhealthy stew of smoke and ash, forcing the cancellation of athletic events and other outdoor activities.

Health advisories urging residents to stay indoors to limit exposure to the smokey air were issued Saturday from Bakersfield north to Redding, a distance of nearly 450 miles.

Air pollution readings in the region are two to 10 times the federal standard for clean air, said Dimitri Stanich, spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.

Some areas are experiencing the worst air quality on record, with the smoke hanging down to the ground like a fog.

Air quality agencies are especially concerned about small-particle pollution. The tiniest particles can penetrate past the body's immune defenses, traveling deep into the lungs and the bloodstream.

"When you have it on the scale we are seeing now, it is very dangerous to the general public health," Stanich said. "This is a very serious problem."

Changing weather brought smoke-clearing breezes and brief relief to some areas Saturday, but it could also bring lightning storms similar to the ones that ignited fires across Northern California a week ago.

Thunderstorms could strike anywhere in the northern Sierra Nevada or the northern Central Valley on Saturday night, said National Weather Service forecaster Johnnie Powell in Sacramento.

The thunderstorms could also bring a small amount of much-needed rain, he said. The front was expected to pass by Sunday, setting up a second week of abysmal air quality.

The renewed threat of dry lightning and stiffer breezes that could stir the wildfires led fire officials to declare a "red flag warning" — meaning the most extreme fire danger — until 5 a.m. Monday for Northern California.

On Saturday, President Bush issued an emergency declaration for California and ordered federal agencies to assist in firefighting efforts in many areas. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had made the request on Friday.

More than 17,000 firefighters, 1,500 fire engines and bulldozers, and more than 80 helicopters and aircraft were fighting more than 1,000 fires Saturday, said state emergency services spokesman Kelly Huston.

"The summer has just begun, and fire conditions will only get tougher," Ruben Grijalva, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, warned in a weekly radio address on behalf of the governor.

The fires have destroyed 47 structures and injured 85 people and continue to threaten nearly 10,000 homes, businesses and buildings, according to his department.

A lightning-sparked wildfire in the Big Sur region of the Los Padres National Forest has burned 42 square miles and destroyed 16 homes. The blaze, which was only 3 percent contained, has forced the closure of a 12-mile stretch of coastal Highway 1 and driven away visitors at the peak of the tourist season.

Farther south in the forest, a wildfire that started three weeks ago has scorched 92 square miles of remote wilderness. It was 80 percent contained Saturday.

Stanich, of the Air Resources Board, advised people to stay inside and keep activity to a minimum. Children, the elderly and people with heart and lung problems are particularly vulnerable, but pollution levels are high enough to affect healthy adults.

Health officials have reported an increase in people complaining of eye and throat irritation and coughing. The poor air can also trigger asthma attacks and bronchitis.

Some veterinary offices said pet owners were bringing in dogs and cats with symptoms ranging from weepy eyes and irritated skin to difficulty breathing or unusual lethargy. Vets were advising that pets remain inside until the smoke clears.

Smoky air canceled this weekend's 100-mile Western States Endurance Run for the first time in its 31-year history. The decision disappointed 370 runners who had traveled from as far away as Africa for the annual race from Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe to Auburn in the Sierra foothills.

In Sonoma County, the limited visibility kept the Energizer Bunny and dozens of other colorful hot air balloons from lifting off during Saturday's Hot Air Balloon Classic in Windsor.

Cities also closed public pools, canceled softball games and called off July Fourth fireworks displays. Schwarzenegger urged residents not to buy fireworks this year and said local governments should consider an outright ban, though he would not impose one statewide.

In central New Mexico, a blaze caused by lightning that forced the evacuation of 400 people was 35 percent contained. Thunderstorms were forecast, and firefighters welcomed the possibility of rain but feared that winds could change the fire's direction.

In Arizona, an effort to stop a blaze in the Phoenix suburb of Laveen failed Saturday, forcing the evacuation of residents of 16 homes near the brush-choked Gila River bed. The fire has almost doubled in size in a day and consumed nearly 8 square miles, officials said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080628/...DEI4Rc9LBH2ocA

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

PinkAquila

We live in the San Joaquin valley and the air here is really bad. yesterday the bad air index was 202. My 15yr son has valley fever and he has to stay in until all this is cleared up. I live in tulare county, and we have one of the worst air in the USA.

http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c...b=50752#graph0

Metropolitan Areas Most Polluted by Short-term Particle Pollution: We Rank 9

Metropolitan Areas Most Polluted by Year-Round Particle Pollution: We Rank 2

Top 26 U.S. Counties Most Polluted by Annual Particle Pollution: We Rank 4

Metropolitan Areas with the Worst Ozone Air Pollution: We Rank 4

Counties with the Worst Ozone Air Pollution: We Rank 5

__________________

PINK!

http://www.myspace.com/pinkpranker
.

Jolie Rouge

Entire town of Big Sur, Calif., evacuated for fire
By AMANDA FEHD, Associated Press Writer
13 minutes ago

BIG SUR, Calif. - Authorities ordered the remaining residents of this scenic coastal community to leave Wednesday because an out-of-control wildfire, one of hundreds in California, had jumped a fire line and was threatening more homes.

Flames raged in the hills above and ash fell from orange skies as evacuees in packed cars streamed north along Highway 1, the only major road out of Big Sur. Sheriff's deputies told residents they needed to leave the area by late afternoon. "The fire is just a big raging animal right now," said Darby Marshall, spokesman for the Monterey County Office of Emergency Services.

The blaze near Big Sur is one of more than 1,100 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched 680 square miles and destroyed 60 homes and buildings across northern and central California since June 20, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

New mandatory evacuation notices were issued Wednesday for a 16-mile stretch along Highway 1. Authorities have closed a total of 25 miles of the scenic roadway, blocking access to popular resorts, restaurants, shops and art galleries that attract tourists from around the world.

The blaze had destroyed 16 homes and charred about 81 square miles of forest since it was started by lightning on June 21 in the Los Padres National Forest. It was only about 3 percent contained.

The new evacuation notice means that all of the roughly 850 residents who live along the Big Sur coast from Andrew Molera State Park to Limekiln State Park have been ordered to leave, Marshall said.

Janna Fournier, a Big Sur resident for eight years, was heading back to her house to retrieve artwork and rescue her pet tarantula. "I feel sad for the wilderness and the people who lost their homes," Fournier said. "We chose to live in a wilderness among all this beauty, so I know there's that chance you always take."

Helicopters hauling large containers of water droned loudly overhead as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, R. David Paulison, visited Big Sur on Wednesday. "This is a very dangerous fire right now because of the wind and because of how dry things are and how early in the year it is," Paulison said in an interview. "If people evacuate like they're told to, we shouldn't lose any lives. ... My only concern is that people don't take it seriously enough."

Drought, heat and lightning storms have contributed to more than 1,100 separate fires that have blackened 680 square miles of land statewide in the past two weeks. The blazes have destroyed 60 homes and other buildings while threatening thousands more, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Federal fire managers predict an increase in severe wildfire activity in northern California through October due to the unusually hot, dry weather and scant rain.

In Southern California, a fire in the southern extension of the Los Padres National Forest north of Santa Barbara prompted mandatory evacuations of about 45 people in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Officials said that fire had burned 350 acres of heavy brush Wednesday, and that a wind shift was pushing it Wednesday night closer to canyon homes. County fire Capt. Eli Iskow said firefighters were preparing to defend about 30 homes about a mile and a half south of the fire.

In the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, crews struggled to contain a 13,500-acre blaze. Powerful gusts and choking smoke traveling up the steep canyons hampered their progress, and residents of neighboring towns were ordered to evacuate.

Rough terrain in the Santa Ynez area hampered firefighters, said Santa Barbara County spokesman William Boyer. "It's mostly an aerial battle," he said.

Elsewhere, a wildfire threatened 15 homes and the Okanogan tribal bingo casino near Okanogan, Wash., and some residents had been evacuated, said Ron Bowen of the state fire marshal's office. The blaze had covered 1,500 acres — just over 2 square miles — and the state sent people and equipment to help Bureau of Indian Affairs firefighters, officials said.

Firefighters near Crown King, Ariz., were hacking away at brush and trees and burning back land near the town on Wednesday to try to quell a blaze that had burned nearly 12 square miles of land.

Associated Press writers Marcus Wohlsen and Scott Lindlaw in San Francisco contributed to this report.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080703/...qq.IQvOv1H2ocA

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Despite fire, some in Big Sur refuse to evacuate
By AMANDA FEHD, Associated Press Writer
42 minutes ago

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080704/...Pq4zCB8NBH2ocA

BIG SUR, Calif. - An explosive wildfire ravaged the hillsides above this scenic coastal community Thursday, leaving the popular tourist region mostly deserted ahead of the holiday weekend.

Still, some people defied orders to evacuate the Big Sur area and stayed behind to try to save their homes and businesses from the blaze, which has burned 100 square miles of the Los Padres National Forest and destroyed at least 17 homes.

Kirk Gafill, general manager of the popular cliffside Nepenthe Restaurant, said he and five employees were up all night trying to protect the business his grandparents built in 1949. Wearing dust masks, the crew scrambled to stamp out embers, the size of dinner plates, dropping from the sky, he said.

"We know fire officials don't have the manpower to secure our properties," Gafill said. "There are a lot of people in this community not following evacuation orders. Based on what we saw during Katrina and other disasters, we know we can only rely on ourselves and our neighbors."

The raging blaze near Big Sur was one of more than 1,700 wildfires, mostly ignited by lightning, that have scorched nearly 800 square miles and destroyed more than 60 structures across northern and central California since June 20, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

In an extension of the Los Padres forest north of Santa Barbara, about 45 residents fled a fast-growing fire as strong winds pushed flames toward about 200 canyon homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

The fire is the first in the area since 1955 and is feeding on shrubs that stand almost 20 feet high. The blaze has burned about 4 square miles since breaking out on Tuesday and is about 5 percent contained.

Two other canyons remained under mandatory evacuation orders.

Shifting winds made it tough on firefighters. An onshore breeze Thursday morning pushed the fire back up ridges toward firelines at the top, said county Fire Department Capt. Eli Iskow. But winds were expected to kick up late in the afternoons through the weekend, he said.

A volunteer firefighter died Thursday after collapsing while battling a blaze in Mendocino County, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. Robert Roland probably died of a heart problem, said Anderson Valley Fire Department volunteer Dawn Ballantine.

The air near Big Sur was thick with smoke and ash, and flames licked the forested hills above the coastal highway. The blaze was only about 3 percent contained and wasn't expected to be fully surrounded until the end of the month.

The National Weather Service on Thursday warned of high fire danger in the Big Sur area because of dry and windy conditions. A statewide drought has created tinder-like trees and brush, feeding the flames in California's forests.

Authorities have ordered evacuations for homes and businesses along a 25-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, but many property owners chose to remain in the fire zone at their own risk.

Dan Priano, general manager of the expansive Post Ranch Inn resort, stayed on the 100-acre property with eight employees trying to protect dozens of structures. He said he has been calling state and local officials, begging for more firefighting resources.

"We're staying to protect our livelihoods," he said. "We haven't seen any resources, no helicopters, nothing. Last night I watched three homes burn."

Despite the evacuation orders, fire and law enforcement officials cannot force people to leave their property, said Tina Rose, a Cal Fire spokeswoman.

"This is America. We can't go in and put handcuffs on people and drag them out," Rose said. "People have rights and can protect their property."

If someone refuses to leave, the person must sign a waiver that asks for next of kin and the name of a dentist, so the individual can be identified by dental records in case of death, she said.

About 60 firefighters were hunkered down Thursday at the historic Ventana Inn, trying to save the large resort as flames blazed about 500 yards from the inn's restaurant. The buildings had been sprayed with a foamy fire retardant.

"This is a big, big deal," said Scott Myhre, a battalion chief with the Salinas Fire Dept. "This resort is very well known."

Kurt Mayer, 53, stayed at his Big Sur Deli through the night clearing brush and preparing to cover his business with fire-retardant gel, which he says works best when applied within hours before flames reach a structure.

Mayer watched the flames glowing all night, saying "it was a spectacular scene."

More than 30 miles of the Pacific Coast Highway have been closed. About 1,200 homes are threatened on a long strip of coast in the Los Padres forest, said John Heil, a Forest Service spokesman.

A separate blaze that started about a month ago and covered more than 120 square miles was nearly fully contained Thursday in the Los Padres forest southeast of Big Sur.

In the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, crews struggled to contain a 14,000-acre blaze. Powerful gusts and choking smoke traveling up the steep canyons hampered their progress, and residents of neighboring towns were told to evacuate.

In Arizona, a wildfire that destroyed three homes in the historic mining community of Crown King earlier in the week was still just 10 percent contained Thursday morning. Evacuations continued in the town, 50 miles north of Phoenix, and nearby Horsethief Basin.

Associated Press writers Scott Lindlaw and Malia Wollan in San Francisco contributed to this report.

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

As fire nears Big Sur, residents and beasts flee
By AMANDA FEHD, Associated Press Writer
1 minute ago

BIG SUR, Calif. - Piles of charred rubble smoldered along California's scenic coastal highway Thursday as a ferocious wildfire descended on the storied tourist town of Big Sur, destroying vacation homes and sending forest creatures running toward the sea for cover.

The stubborn blaze, which has burned more than 100 square miles in the Los Padres National Forest, was just one of hundreds raging around the state. And officials on Thursday reported California's first firefighter death this year — a volunteer who collapsed on the fire line in Mendocino County.

So much forest has burned near Big Sur that animals have been forced out of their habitat and onto the roads. Buzzards flew overhead to snatch up dead rodents and squirrels, and residents reported seeing bear, deer and other big animals migrating toward the Pacific Ocean.

Meanwhile, crews along the Pacific Coast Highway fought back flames from homes and historic landmarks, including the upscale Ventana Inn, which was surrounded by crackling, burning brush.

At least 17 homes have been destroyed in the area since the blaze broke out June 21, and fire officials on Thursday could not immediately confirm which properties were newly burned. The fire remained only 3 percent contained.

Many Big Sur residents followed mandatory evacuation orders issued this week, but some chose to defy the orders, staying behind to try to save their homes and businesses.

Kirk Gafill, general manager of Nepenthe, said he and five employees were up all night trying to protect the cliffside restaurant his grandparents built in 1949. Wearing dust masks, the crew scrambled to stamp out embers, some the size of dinner plates, that were dropping from the sky, he said.

"We know fire officials don't have the manpower to secure our properties," Gafill said. "There are a lot of people in this community not following evacuation orders. Based on what we saw during Katrina and other disasters, we know we can only rely on ourselves and our neighbors."

Greg Ambrosio, who lives next to Nepenthe, signed a waiver Wednesday night to stay in his house. But his plans to stay were disrupted when he was awoken by a neighbor in the middle of the night who warned of the approaching inferno.

"Then there's a knock on the door, and we go outside and the fire had just expanded. It was Armageddon," he said. "Just yellow smoke and ash mixed with fire. It was just raining down."

Ambrosio said he and his wife grabbed their cat and drove to a relative's house for the night.

A total of 367 wildfires are burning in the state, most ignited by lightning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service. That figure is down from a peak of roughly 1,500 fires just a few days ago.

In all, the wildfires have scorched more than 790 square miles and destroyed at least 65 structures across northern and central California since June 20, according to Cal Fire.

With firefighting resources stretched thin early in the fire season, counties have been recruiting volunteer firefighters to help with smaller blazes.

On Thursday, volunteer firefighter Robert Roland, 63, died in a Mendocino County hospital after collapsing while battling lightning-sparked blazes in the area, north of the San Francisco Bay region. It was the first reported death of a firefighter this season, and the governor ordered flags at the Capitol to fly at half-staff.

Crews made progress at a separate wildfire burning nearly 130 square miles southeast of Big Sur. The blaze, also in Los Padres National Forest, was about 95 percent contained Thursday.

Meanwhile, a fast-growing fire in the southern extension of the Los Padres forest north of Santa Barbara forced about 45 residents to evacuate as strong winds pushed flames toward homes in the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County to free up resources to fight that blaze, which has burned nearly 4 square miles and threatened about 200 buildings.

In the Sequoia National Forest east of Bakersfield, crews struggled to contain a blaze burning nearly 22 square miles. Powerful gusts and choking smoke traveling up the steep canyons hampered their progress, and residents of neighboring towns were ordered to evacuate.

In Arizona, a wildfire that destroyed three homes in the historic mining community of Crown King earlier in the week was still just 10 percent contained Thursday morning. Evacuations continued in the town, 50 miles north of Phoenix, and nearby Horsethief Basin.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080704/...Pq4zCB8NBH2ocA

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

Jolie Rouge

Pink : how are you doing ???


Thousands evacuate as flames near Paradise, California
By DON THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
Wed Jul 9, 11:07 AM ET

OROVILLE, Calif. - Thousands of people were ordered to get out of Paradise on Wednesday as an out-of-control wildfire threatened the Northern California city that also was devastated by flames just weeks ago.

Authorities ordered residents of 3,200 Paradise homes to evacuate after the wind-stoked fire destroyed 40 homes and 10 structures Tuesday in the nearby rural community of Concow. Evacuation orders remained in effect for 1,000 residents of Concow and Yankee Hill, about 85 miles north of Sacramento.

Officials said more than 3,800 homes were threatened by the flames Wednesday. Another wildfire destroyed 74 homes in Paradise last month.

Two shelters were full Wednesday morning with 500 evacuees, said Melissa Smith, spokeswoman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

The blaze had flared up early Tuesday after erratic winds blew embers across fire containment lines.

"Right now we're battling the weather and the erratic winds," said Todd Simmons, another Cal Fire spokesman. "Whatever the winds are doing, that's pretty much what the fire's going to do."

Firefighters were facing a sudden drop in humidity and a 10-degree spike in temperatures as a heat wave, forecast to linger until the weekend, grips much of the state.

About 30 lightning-sparked wildfires in Butte County, where Paradise and Concow are located, have charred 47,000 acres in recent weeks and were about 40 percent contained, officials said.

Among those evacuated Tuesday were 95 children at a camp for kids with cancer, 70 miles north of Sacramento.

"They've been remarkably good," Michael Amylon, the camp's medical director, said of the children. "We always talk about fire being a danger."

Fire crews across the state have been trying to cover hundreds of active California wildfires, many of which were ignited by a lightning storm more than two weeks ago. Some 1,450 fires had been contained late Tuesday, but more than 320 were still active, authorities said.

Two hundred National Guard troops were to complete their training in wildfire fighting Wednesday and join the more than 18,000 personnel battling blazes around the state.

At a fire east of Bakersfield on Tuesday, wind gusts caused flames to jump fire lines and destroy or damage five residences and four more outbuildings in the Sequoia National Forest.

A blaze threatening the popular coastal community of Big Sur let up just enough to allow hundreds of people to check on their homes Tuesday. Authorities announced that more residents would be allowed to return Wednesday morning.

At least 23 homes and 25 other structures have been destroyed in Big Sur as flames marched over more than 125 square miles of land since June 21.

Although that fire is far from controlled — the rugged terrain has kept containment at 23 percent into the fire's third week — authorities lifted the mandatory evacuation order issued for 25 miles of the 31-mile stretch along the Pacific Coast Highway that had been closed.

Many of the 1,500 evacuated residents of Big Sur headed home Tuesday morning through smoke and ash, anxious to gauge the damage. Officials, however, cautioned that the lifted evacuation orders did not mean conditions had drastically improved.

A wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara grew slightly to 9,785 acres, or about 15 square miles, but the number of homes threatened dropped sharply Tuesday as crews secured fire lines near populated areas.

The blaze continues to threaten about 250 homes, down from a peak of more than 3,000. The fire is 55 percent contained, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Debbie Becker.

"It's going according to plan," Becker said "They've really got a good hold on this fire but there's still a lot of potential to get worse."

In addition to heightening the fire danger, the heat wave raises concerns about heat illness among firefighters worn down by the long fight against blazes that have consumed more than 985 square miles in California since late June.

"We do have a lot of fatigue because of the low numbers of resources in the state," said Thom Walsh, a Forest Service resource unit leader.

Crews took rest breaks in refrigerated trailers with bunk beds, Walsh said.

Highs are likely to be in the triple digits across much of the northern half of the state until at least Friday, National Weather Service forecaster Christine Riley said.

Temperature records for the date were broken in five cities Tuesday, including Sacramento, where the temperature reached 108, breaking the previous high of 104 degrees set in 1997. Modesto hit 107.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080709/...TKR.NBRrlH2ocA

__________________
Laissez les bon temps rouler! Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.** a 4 day work week & sex slaves ~ I say Tyt for PRESIDENT! Not to be taken internally, literally or seriously ....Suki ebaynni IS THAT BETTER ?

PinkAquila

Doing all right, thank you for asking.

They say we are in a Excessive heat wave. The air is really bad. My son cannot go out at all. For a 15yr on summer vacation he is not to happy about it. he has a red, spotty rash all over and his chest is hurting really bad, valley fever is really bad and his symptoms are getting worse because of the air. He is on medication and has an inhaler. But it is still hard for him to breath.
We are taking him in next week to Dr. who will probably send him to children's valley hospital likes they did last year. We are not close to any of the fires, but being in the valley we are getting the bad air and smoke from all directions. They say dry lighting can start a fire anywhere, and that is really scary.

Again, thank you for asking. How are you?
Is there anyone else here on the forums that live where the fires are going?
If there is, you are all in my thoughts and prayers

__________________

PINK!

http://www.myspace.com/pinkpranker
.