Homes lost; "0% contained"

Avalon Fire Chief Steve Hoefs said, "The operation went extremely well, although we had one or two firefighters who suffered smoke inhalation and were taken off the island. The fire is zero percent contained. We held the fire from expensive homes, from hotels, schools and condominiums. We saved all of those structures. We did lose a few modest homes in Avalon Canyon."

He said the operaton included five water-dropping helicopters and eight fixed-wing aircraft. Late Thursday night two hovercraft arrived from Camp Pendleton, each carrying five engines.

Hoefs said the helicopters would begin flying again about 6 a.m. He said approximately 300 to 400 residents have been evacuated from this island "but the majority of the populaton of about 3,600 is still here." He said many of them are in the harbor area staying in businesses and homes.

-Louis Sahagun in Avalon

Comments

[Oscar & Joyce Amaro]

Does anyone know the status of The Inn on Mount Ada? PLEASE tell me this beautiful, historic structure is OK.

[thomas]

I am not at all familiar with the terrain, but I would like to learn more about the report that the expensive homes survived and the more "modest" homes burned. On the face of it, that doesn't at all surprise me.

[kellie]

The 'modest homes' that they are talking about are homes in the hills behind the BirdPark, that are not *in* town - they are in a dry, canyon area. Virtually any home in Catalina would be an expensive home!

[noah scott]

ok so they saved some expesive homes some of the SCHOOL(not pluralized as there is only one) and some other things, but you still have the balls to say its zero percent contained?? i cant believe this. doesnt saving a few structures qualify as containment?? im living in northern california right now where there is a lack of news on the fire because most news broadcasts are local, but i did spend the first 18 years of my life growing up on that island and graduating from avalon high. so the only means i had of keeping up with the news on the fire was via the internet, and to see that headline, "homes lost, 0% contained", just made my heart sink, thinking that the whole town was going to burn up. thanks for the scare tactic sir but that was totally unprofessional and unnecessary

[eugene]

This seems like a case of information being blurted out without providing the proper context (an editorial issue). Contradictory statements like "the operation went extremely well" but that the fire was "0% contained" don't make sense, either.

[Anonomys]

The operation can go smoothly and still have no containment. Containing a fire means you have it in one area, the fire has had many flare up's and all of the fire teams are doing the best they can do. Still they do not have the fire surrounded therefore it is not contained. Mt. Ada is fine and at this moment in no danger.