atprm
11-14-2008, 10:50 AM
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20081114/capt.f184bc19b608497394dd986646c61f30.aptopix_wild fires_camt108.jpg
and while I know it seems to happen every single year in California -- it seems to get worse each year.
Fire destroys 100+ homes in SoCal town...
Thousands Evacuated, More Than 100 Homes Burned in Montecito Wildfire
By Olsen Ebright, John Boitnott and Bonnie Buck
Updated 9:33 AM PST, Fri, Nov 14, 2008
Related Topics:Santa Barbara | Montecito
Firefighters and a squadron of aircraft launched a desperate daylight attack Friday to push back a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed "well over 100 homes" in Montecito.
The fire forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the longtime celebrity hideaway, fire officials said.
Click here to watch LIVE VIDEO (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/live/?aid=31997849&vid=30518544)
Officials had no projection on the containment of the fast-moving brush fire that started Thursday evening in the foothills of Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. Fanned by winds between 50 and 70 mph, the fire broke out in the Cold Springs area at about 6 p.m.
Fire officials began an aggressive attack from the air at daybreak with the help of nine water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. A high wind warning was in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Saturday, with possible gusts of up to 70 mph in some passes and canyons.
The blaze, dubbed the Tea Fire, had burned up to 2,500 acres -- about 4 square miles -- and had destroyed at least 100 homes by 6 a.m. Friday. Around 5,400 residents had been evacuated.
An evacuation center was set up at San Marcos High School, at 4750 Hollister, in Goleta. Also, a Red Cross evacuation center was opened at the San Marcos High School gymnasium, located at 4750 Hollister Avenue in Santa Barbara, according to KSBY-TV. For information regarding the evacuation center, please call 805-687-1331.
More of the community's 14,000 residents could be forced to flee if the fire spreads, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. For the latest orders, visit MontecitoFire.com.
A public information call center for the Tea Fire was established at 805-681-5197. Information about emergency services and road closures is available by calling 805-568-3006, or by visiting CountyofSB.org. Despite the fire, the 101 Freeway through Santa Barbara was open on Friday morning.
Santa Barbara County officials said Friday morning that 13 people had been injured. Michele Mickiewicz, a spokeswoman with the county emergency operations center, said 10 people were treated for smoke inhalation and another three had burn injuries. One of the burn victims was reported to be critically injured.
Thousands of feet above the flames, television helicopters captured a scene that looked like a massive campfire with dozens of glowing embers. When cameras zoomed in, however, what appeared to be flaring coals were actually houses gutted by flame. Many of the homes were sprawling estates.
Montecito is filled with ocean-view multimillion-dollar properties owned by celebrities such as Michael Douglas, Rob Lowe and Oprah Winfrey, who owns a 42-acre estate. The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.
Publicists for Lowe and Winfrey told the AP the celebrities' homes had not been destroyed and neither was staying in the area Thursday night.
Fanned by "Sundowners"
The fire was fanned by evening winds known locally as "sundowners," which blew from land to sea late Thursday, gusting up to 70 mph. Around sunset, the winds shift from the normal onshore flow of cool, moist sea breezes and push downhill from the Santa Ynez Mountains.
The winds weakened overnight, gusting from 17 to 25 mph, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "We're expecting conditions to improve for firefighters on the lines, but it will still be warm and dry through (Friday)," she said.
Westmont College
At Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college nestled amid wooded rolling hills, some 1,000 students were caught off-guard by the rapidly moving flames.
"It came pretty fast," said Tyler Rollema, a 19-year-old sophomore, who was eating dinner in the cafeteria when students were told to head to the gym. "We came out and it was just blazing."
The air on campus was dense with smoke and the scent of burning pine. Flames chewed through a eucalyptus grove on the 135-acre grounds, destroying several buildings that housed the physics and psychology departments, a dormitory and at least one faculty home, said college spokesman Scott Craig.
"I saw flames about 100 feet high in the air shooting up with the wind just howling," he told AP Radio. "Now when the wind howls and you've got palm trees and eucalyptus trees that are literally exploding with their hot oil, you've got these big, red hot embers that are flying through the sky and are catching anything on fire."
Hundreds of students fled to the gym, where they spent the night sleeping on the floor. Some stood in groups praying, others sobbed openly and comforted each other.
Beth Lazor, 18, said she was in her dormitory when the alarm went off. She said she only had time to grab her laptop, phone, a teddy bear and a debit card before fleeing the burning building.
Her roommate, Catherine Wilson, said she didn't have time to get anything.
"I came out and the whole hill was glowing," Wilson said. "There were embers falling down."
Evacuees
About 200 people spent the night at an evacuation center at a high school in nearby Goleta, but rest was out of the question for Ed Naha. He was worried about his home in the hills above Santa Barbara.
"I don't think we are going to have the house when we go back," Naha said.
The 58-year-old writer had been home working on his computer when smoke blanketed his house. He gathered his insurance documents, his wife and two dogs and left as flames approached his neighborhood.
"We are used to seeing smoke because we do have fires up here, but I've never seen that reddish, hellish glow that close," he said. "I was waiting for Dante and Virgil to show up."
"I saw $15 million in houses burn, without a doubt," Santa Barbara evacuee Tom Bain said. "They were just blowing up. It was really, intensely hot."
Bain, a 54-year-old electrician, said authorities ordered him to leave his home around midnight. He quickly collected his three cats, his work files and his computer and was out his house within five minutes. On his way out, he saw at least six mansions on a ridge above his home explode into flames.
Firefighting Response
Fire officials planned an aggressive attack from the air at daybreak Friday with the help of nine water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department sent two strike teams and a helicopter to the area about an hour after the fire was reported.
The Los Angeles Fire Department sent a strike team of five engine companies and one battalion chief, and the Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica fire departments also combined to send a strike team.
The Orange County Fire Authority assembled a strike team of five engines from the Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach departments.
In Montebello, firefighters from the Compton, Santa Fe Springs, Vernon, Downey and Montebello fire departments assembled at Montebello Fire Station 51.
"Looked Like Lava"
Flames had engulfed several multimillion-dollar homes and widespread power outages were reported in the area.
"It looked like lava coming down a volcano," Leslie Hollis Lopez told The Associated Press as she gathered belongings from her house. "It's very tenuous. We're hoping the winds are favorable."
One resident described the area as deserted.
"You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes," Michaelo Rosso told KCAL-TV as he prepared to leave his home. "It sounds like the Fourth of July out here."
Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.
and while I know it seems to happen every single year in California -- it seems to get worse each year.
Fire destroys 100+ homes in SoCal town...
Thousands Evacuated, More Than 100 Homes Burned in Montecito Wildfire
By Olsen Ebright, John Boitnott and Bonnie Buck
Updated 9:33 AM PST, Fri, Nov 14, 2008
Related Topics:Santa Barbara | Montecito
Firefighters and a squadron of aircraft launched a desperate daylight attack Friday to push back a wind-whipped wildfire that destroyed "well over 100 homes" in Montecito.
The fire forced thousands to evacuate their homes in the longtime celebrity hideaway, fire officials said.
Click here to watch LIVE VIDEO (http://www.nbclosangeles.com/live/?aid=31997849&vid=30518544)
Officials had no projection on the containment of the fast-moving brush fire that started Thursday evening in the foothills of Montecito, just south of Santa Barbara. Fanned by winds between 50 and 70 mph, the fire broke out in the Cold Springs area at about 6 p.m.
Fire officials began an aggressive attack from the air at daybreak with the help of nine water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. A high wind warning was in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties through Saturday, with possible gusts of up to 70 mph in some passes and canyons.
The blaze, dubbed the Tea Fire, had burned up to 2,500 acres -- about 4 square miles -- and had destroyed at least 100 homes by 6 a.m. Friday. Around 5,400 residents had been evacuated.
An evacuation center was set up at San Marcos High School, at 4750 Hollister, in Goleta. Also, a Red Cross evacuation center was opened at the San Marcos High School gymnasium, located at 4750 Hollister Avenue in Santa Barbara, according to KSBY-TV. For information regarding the evacuation center, please call 805-687-1331.
More of the community's 14,000 residents could be forced to flee if the fire spreads, said Terri Nisich, a spokeswoman with the Santa Barbara County Executive Office. For the latest orders, visit MontecitoFire.com.
A public information call center for the Tea Fire was established at 805-681-5197. Information about emergency services and road closures is available by calling 805-568-3006, or by visiting CountyofSB.org. Despite the fire, the 101 Freeway through Santa Barbara was open on Friday morning.
Santa Barbara County officials said Friday morning that 13 people had been injured. Michele Mickiewicz, a spokeswoman with the county emergency operations center, said 10 people were treated for smoke inhalation and another three had burn injuries. One of the burn victims was reported to be critically injured.
Thousands of feet above the flames, television helicopters captured a scene that looked like a massive campfire with dozens of glowing embers. When cameras zoomed in, however, what appeared to be flaring coals were actually houses gutted by flame. Many of the homes were sprawling estates.
Montecito is filled with ocean-view multimillion-dollar properties owned by celebrities such as Michael Douglas, Rob Lowe and Oprah Winfrey, who owns a 42-acre estate. The landmark Montecito Inn was built in the 1920s by Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle, and the nearby San Ysidro Ranch was the honeymoon site of John F. Kennedy in 1953.
Publicists for Lowe and Winfrey told the AP the celebrities' homes had not been destroyed and neither was staying in the area Thursday night.
Fanned by "Sundowners"
The fire was fanned by evening winds known locally as "sundowners," which blew from land to sea late Thursday, gusting up to 70 mph. Around sunset, the winds shift from the normal onshore flow of cool, moist sea breezes and push downhill from the Santa Ynez Mountains.
The winds weakened overnight, gusting from 17 to 25 mph, said Jamie Meier, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. "We're expecting conditions to improve for firefighters on the lines, but it will still be warm and dry through (Friday)," she said.
Westmont College
At Westmont College, a Christian liberal arts college nestled amid wooded rolling hills, some 1,000 students were caught off-guard by the rapidly moving flames.
"It came pretty fast," said Tyler Rollema, a 19-year-old sophomore, who was eating dinner in the cafeteria when students were told to head to the gym. "We came out and it was just blazing."
The air on campus was dense with smoke and the scent of burning pine. Flames chewed through a eucalyptus grove on the 135-acre grounds, destroying several buildings that housed the physics and psychology departments, a dormitory and at least one faculty home, said college spokesman Scott Craig.
"I saw flames about 100 feet high in the air shooting up with the wind just howling," he told AP Radio. "Now when the wind howls and you've got palm trees and eucalyptus trees that are literally exploding with their hot oil, you've got these big, red hot embers that are flying through the sky and are catching anything on fire."
Hundreds of students fled to the gym, where they spent the night sleeping on the floor. Some stood in groups praying, others sobbed openly and comforted each other.
Beth Lazor, 18, said she was in her dormitory when the alarm went off. She said she only had time to grab her laptop, phone, a teddy bear and a debit card before fleeing the burning building.
Her roommate, Catherine Wilson, said she didn't have time to get anything.
"I came out and the whole hill was glowing," Wilson said. "There were embers falling down."
Evacuees
About 200 people spent the night at an evacuation center at a high school in nearby Goleta, but rest was out of the question for Ed Naha. He was worried about his home in the hills above Santa Barbara.
"I don't think we are going to have the house when we go back," Naha said.
The 58-year-old writer had been home working on his computer when smoke blanketed his house. He gathered his insurance documents, his wife and two dogs and left as flames approached his neighborhood.
"We are used to seeing smoke because we do have fires up here, but I've never seen that reddish, hellish glow that close," he said. "I was waiting for Dante and Virgil to show up."
"I saw $15 million in houses burn, without a doubt," Santa Barbara evacuee Tom Bain said. "They were just blowing up. It was really, intensely hot."
Bain, a 54-year-old electrician, said authorities ordered him to leave his home around midnight. He quickly collected his three cats, his work files and his computer and was out his house within five minutes. On his way out, he saw at least six mansions on a ridge above his home explode into flames.
Firefighting Response
Fire officials planned an aggressive attack from the air at daybreak Friday with the help of nine water-dropping helicopters and 10 air tankers.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department sent two strike teams and a helicopter to the area about an hour after the fire was reported.
The Los Angeles Fire Department sent a strike team of five engine companies and one battalion chief, and the Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica fire departments also combined to send a strike team.
The Orange County Fire Authority assembled a strike team of five engines from the Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach departments.
In Montebello, firefighters from the Compton, Santa Fe Springs, Vernon, Downey and Montebello fire departments assembled at Montebello Fire Station 51.
"Looked Like Lava"
Flames had engulfed several multimillion-dollar homes and widespread power outages were reported in the area.
"It looked like lava coming down a volcano," Leslie Hollis Lopez told The Associated Press as she gathered belongings from her house. "It's very tenuous. We're hoping the winds are favorable."
One resident described the area as deserted.
"You can just hear the explosions ... of vehicles, homes," Michaelo Rosso told KCAL-TV as he prepared to leave his home. "It sounds like the Fourth of July out here."
Montecito suffered a major fire in 1977, when more than 200 homes burned. A fire in 1964 burned about 67,000 acres and damaged 150 houses and buildings.