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Weather is on firefighters' side - for now
Cool, moist air is aiding the battle against the last of the Southern California wildfires, but Santa Ana winds are expected to return by this weekend. More
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Firefighter Josh Balboa monitors the Harris fire in southern San Diego County.
Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times
We're signing off from this blog for now. Updates on the fires will continue on the homepage or on the California/Local page. Thanks for reading.
We're signing off from this blog for the evening. Updates on the fires will continue on the homepage throughout the night, and we will be back in this space Sunday morning. Thanks for reading.
Schwarzenegger, in an appearance this morning at a fire command center in Irvine Regional Park, acknowledged that improvements can be made in coordinating fire fighting efforts between state and local officials. He said problems that arose over the use of fire fighting aircraft in Orange County earlier this week will be fixed to fight fires in the future.
The governor seemed to be alluding to the hurt feelings of some Orange County fire officials who believe the county was overlooked in the early days of the Santiago Fire by Cal Fire officials who had deployed aircraft to San Diego County.
In concluding remarks made during a light drizzle, Schwarzenegger vowed to make sure that “Los Angeles doesn't get all the rain and no rain is allocated to Orange County.”
--H.G. Reza
Photo: Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times
Clouds and cooler weather moved into the region today, courtesy of tropical moisture traveling northeast from the Pacific Ocean, said Dan Atkin, meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in San Diego. No Santa Ana winds are forecast until later next week, and are predicted to be moderate, Atkin said.
In San Diego and Orange counties today winds are "light and variable, a little weak," at around 5 miles per hour, Atkin said.
The light winds will change direction Sunday, bringing slightly warmer, drier weather to Orange and San Diego counties, meteorologists said.
Those winds from the northeast could push against the fire and might allow crews to fight it from the front.
"Hopefully, this will give us a chance to do a little more of a direct attack," Berglund said late this morning. "With the winds coming from the opposite direction, that will slow the fire as it reaches the ridgetop" that divides the two counties. Those same winds could also create drier conditions before moister air returns Tuesday, when firefighters may wake up to a marine layer and higher humidity.
A few raindrops fell today in the Santiago Canyon area of Orange County. "Everyone was saying, 'Hey, we feel raindrops,' but we didn't see it on the ground," said fire information officer Tom Berglund.
Go to the National Weather Service website for updated forecasts for Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
--Deborah Schoch
Despite cooler weather and overcast skies, the AQMD, the region's air pollution control agency, issued an advisory this morning warning residents to take precautions:
As wildfires continue to burn in the Southland, air quality will remain
unhealthful today and tomorrow in areas directly impacted by smoke."
Areas forecast to have unhealthful air quality today are the central San
Bernardino Mountains, including Lake Arrowhead, and the Saddleback Valley
area in Orange County.
In other areas not directly impacted by smoke in San Bernardino,
Riverside and Orange counties, air quality today and tomorrow is forecast to
be unhealthy for sensitive individuals. Air quality in coastal and valley areas
of Los Angeles County is predicted to be in the moderate range.
Read on »
Scott Lewis is executive editor at voiceofsandiego.org. He is among members of the community we have asked to post thoughts, news and follow-ups to the wildfire story.
A simple point about home values seems to be getting lost in the discussion these days. I've been meaning to write a post about this for a few days. On the local radio show Editor's Roundtable yesterday morning, I heard KPBS' Alan Ray advocate a rethinking of whether we should rebuild homes in the areas destroyed by the fire.
Read on »
Flames from the Santiago fire are within a mile of the Riverside County line, and fire officials hope to restrain it there, fire information officer Larry Tunforss reported at 9:45 a.m. "That's where we're trying to build a line and hold it there."
Specialized crews are guarding the communications towers atop Santiago Peak and Modjeska Peak, and fire retardant has been spread in a 2-1/2-mile radius around both towers in hopes of saving them, Tunforss said.
The towers are linchpins for communications in the area, he said. "You've got a lot of radio stations, television stations. You've got a lot of cell towers."
-- Deborah Schoch
Scott Lewis is executive editor at voiceofsandiego.org. He is among members of the community we have asked to post thoughts, news and follow-ups to the wildfire story.
Yesterday I wrote a column about a San Diego resident named Cheryl Hamano and the challenge of measuring a disaster.
I had met Hamano and her family four years ago after they lost their home in the Cedar Fire. It was by sheer luck that the family had been able to evacuate during that firestorm. Their daughter had gotten up early on a Sunday morning to go to the bathroom. She had smelled smoke and looked outside. Another teenager was running in the street and told her to get out.
The family left just before flames consumed their house. Cheryl had no time to grab her purse. She was left with no official proof of who she was.
Quite a story.
Since then, the family rebuilt. But the marriage dissolved -- the stress of reconstruction didn't help. Cheryl had to move into a rented house in the same neighborhood.
And, this week, she found herself being evacuated again. The flames stayed away from her home but she said the experience of fleeing the fire was much more orderly this time around. She had plenty of warning and plenty of time to collect the most valuable of possessions.
She said dealing with the insurance company was more difficult than she had hoped. She said that unlike her neighbors, the family's new house was not much bigger than the one they lost. After the divorce, she had to sell and move out dropping the price over and over again in a slumping real estate market.
She said that the stress the fire caused has never really gone away.
"People think once you rebuild from the fire that it's all back to normal," she said. "But it's not -- not always."
-- Scott Lewis
Scott Lewis is executive editor at voiceofsandiego.org. He is among members of the community we have asked to post thoughts, news and follow-ups to the current Southern California wildfire story.
Throughout the week of fire, there has been a series of headlines usually tucked in below all of the important news. The stream of updates had to do with what seemed like an overly agonizing decision about when and where to play the Chargers game. Government and team officials passed this decision around like the hottest of potatoes. And they just passed it off completely. The game had been scheduled for Sunday.
About Tuesday, as the fires were raging and causing evacuations all the way to the coast, the Chargers decided to move their practices to Arizona.
By Wednesday, they had decided to pass the decision on when the game would occur over to San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders: The Chargers are fully prepared to implement whatever decision the Mayor makes, including either playing the game at Qualcomm Stadium or relocating the game to another facility out of the San Diego area.
The mayor on Thursday sent the decision back to the Chargers: "Should they decide to play in San Diego, the stadium will be ready on Sunday," said Fred Sainz, the mayor's spokesman. "It's their decision to play in San Diego or not."
Neither side wanted to be saddled with responsibility for a potentially controversial choice. After all, the air in San Diego is still hazy. The fires are still burning in parts of the county. It doesn't take a genius
to figure out some choice criticism for the team or the city for callously putting resources into a game.
So no decision came.
Until Friday, when the NFL stepped in. Chargers President Dean Spanos explained that, after all that, it was the NFL's choice all along.
Read on »
Sacramento:
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his aides today struck a triumphant and self-congratulatory note as they attempted to show that they were moving into the recovery phase of the 2007 California fire disaster.
Schwarzenegger called cabinet members and agency heads to his Office of Emergency Services headquarters at the former Mather Air Force base for a 20-minute session in front of reporters to discuss recovery efforts. The governor, flanked by other state officials, then walked into a state operations center and thanked emergency services workers who helped coordinate the response.
"This is not over, I just want you to know," Schwarzenegger said. "I always say, this is the sprint. Now comes the marathon."
Read on »
Air quality will remain unhealthful in some areas of the Los Angeles basin on Saturday, particularly around Riverside and Orange County's Saddleback Valley. Because normal wind patterns have returned, smoke is remaining in interior areas, closer to fires, rather than spreading to the coast. Most of the valleys and coastal areas returned to moderate air quality today.
In areas where unhealthful air quality is forecast, as well as anywhere that smoke or ash is seen or smelled, health officials advise everyone to avoid exerting themselves, indoors or outdoors. People with heart disease, respiratory diseases including asthma, as well as the elderly and children should remain indoors.
-- Marla Cone
Wild Animal Park bird handlers have re-evaluated fire damage and decided that the destruction of a condor facility will not keep the birds from breeding. The park has 23 California condors, part of a breeding program to save the endangered species.
-- Tony Perry
All Ramona residents are urged to boil water or to avoid using tap water altogether. A flashing sign on the northbound 67 Freeway this morning warns residents.
"The Ramona Water District is on a boil order because of all the ash in the area," said Rochelle Jenkins, spokeswoman for the state office of Emergency Services. "It's a safety precaution."
The order has been in effect since Thursday afternoon. Residents in Lake Arrowhead and Running Springs are also urged to take precautions.
-- Tami Abdollah
The Wild Animal Park, in fire-struck San Pasqual Valley, has reopened. Hundreds of birds and small mammals were evacuated during the height of the Witch Creek Fire, but are now back on exhibit. One bird and one member of the horse family died, possibly due to stress or smoke inhalation.
The fire may prove a setback to the program to save the endangered California condor.
While none of the birds was hurt, the fire destroyed a small facility used to encourage the birds to breed. A breeding season may be lost while it is rebuilt, park spokesman Andrew Circo said today.
-- Tony Perry
President Bush spoke in the White House Roosevelt Room this morning, starting with this comment on the fires:
"Good morning. I went out to California yesterday to meet with families affected by the wildfires, and to thank the state and local officials for their outstanding work in this difficult time. While I was there I saw the terrible destruction and heartbreaking loss. Yet I was also encouraged by the spirit I found –- the families determined to rebuild, the volunteers who stepped forward to help neighbors in need, and the first responders who have shown such courage in battling the flames and caring for those who were displaced."
-- John Hoeffel
Sacramento:
Officials said today that state air support was ready Monday afternoon to join the fight against the Southern California firestorms, but the planes were grounded by dangerous winds. Although there was some flying early Monday, possibly just for reconnaissance, it wasn't until Tuesday that most planes got in the air, because of the time needed to get them ready and bring them to Southern California, and because of serious wind conditions Monday that made flying dangerous.
Maj. Gen. William H. Wade, the adjutant general, California National Guard, said the Guard received "mission request" Sunday afternoon for aircraft. Because of rules requiring crews to get sleep and also the time it took to prepare planes and assemble crews, the Guard had three ready to go at Los Alamitos by late morning Monday, and after fire managers arrived, could have launched them at 12:35 p.m. if not for the wind. The fourth came in and all four were ready to go at 3:43 p.m. Monday.
"All four aircraft were ready to deploy, but unfortunately were still on hold because of high winds," Wade said. ...
Read on »
Some of the suspected causes of the wildfires that burned across Southern California this week (not all fires are listed): Witch fire (Poway area, San Diego County): 197,990 acres burned; 805 houses destroyed; two dead, 10 firefighters injured Possible cause: Downed power lines, a witness said. Harris fire (southern San Diego County): 81,000 acres burned; 200 homes destroyed; 1 dead, 36 injured (25 civilians and 7 firefighters). Cause: Unknown Ranch Fire (Castaic): 55,756 acres burned; 1 house destroyed Cause: Unknown Buckweed Fire (Agua Dulce/Santa Clarita): 38,356 acres burned; 15 homes destroyed; 4 injured (3 civilians, 1 firefighter) Suspected cause: Downed power lines Poomacha Fire (Pauma Valley, San Diego County): 35,000 acres burned; 50 homes destroyed; 12 firefighters injured Cause: A structure fire on La Jolla Indian Reservation that set off a brush fire Santiago Fire (Orange County): 25,000 acres burned; 14 homes destroyed; 4 firefighters injured Cause: Arson Slide Fire (Running Springs): 11,366 acres burned; 200 homes destroyed Cause: Unknown Canyon Fire (Malibu): 4,565 acres burned; 6 homes destroyed; 3 firefighters injured Suspected cause: Downed power lines Magic Fire (Stevenson Ranch): 2,824 acres burned Suspected cause: Sparks from welding by construction workers Grass Valley Fire (Northwest Lake Arrowhead) 1,100 acres burned; 113 homes destroyed Cause: Unknown Little Mountain Fire (San Bernardino): 650 acres burned Cause: Suspicious in nature Rosa Fire (Temecula, Riverside County): 411 acres burned Official cause: Arson Martin Ranch Fire (San Bernardino): 140 acres burned Cause: Suspicious
-- Ron Lin
Los Angeles County:
Sports teams at Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino have continued practicing and playing games, relying on air-quality advisories and communication with athletic directors at other schools, said assistant principal Jeff Thornton. The junior varsity and freshman football teams were in action Thursday, and the varsity football team was scheduled to play Friday against Bishop Amat at home. The water polo team has also been in action.
Coaches have been checking air-quality levels on the website of the SouthCoast Air Quality Management District on a regular basis. At one point earlier in the week, when air particulates at the West San Fernando campus were high, the intensity and duration of football practice was lowered. Physical education classes and other outdoor activities have been curtailed, however, and are being conducted indoors.
"Obviously, if students are coughing or having a hard time, we'll pull them out and let them rest," said Thornton. "We also have two trainers on staff, and they're available at all of our home games."
Read on »
The Rancho Bernardo service center is drawing evacuees from all over San Diego County, and no one has been turned away, officials said. Other centers, offering help with insurance, federal aid and counseling, are being or have been opened. They are:
Orange Show Fairgrounds
Dome Building
689 South E. St.
San Bernardino, CA 92408
Ramona Community School
1710 Montecito Road
Ramona, CA 92065
Fallbrook Community Center
341 Heald Lane
Fallbrook, CA 92028
Rancho San Diego - Cuyamaca College
900 Rancho San Diego Parkway
El Cajon, CA 92109
Activities Center
George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex
20880 Centre Pointe Parkway
Santa Clarita, CA 91350
The centers located at Rancho San Diego-Cuyamaca College in El Cajon and the George A. Caravalho Santa Clarita Sports Complex in Santa Clarita will open tomorrow (Friday) morning. Additional local assistance centers will be opened as needed and will be posted on the Governor's Office of Emergency Services homepage at www.oes.ca.gov.
Southern California:
Special load permits will be issued to trucks carrying disaster relief supplies to areas affected by fires in Southern California, the governor announced.
Five largest fires in California, officials said:
1. Cedar, October 2003, San Diego County, 273,246 acres
2. Zaca, July 2007, Santa Barbara County, 240,207 acres
3. Matilija, September 1932, Santa Barbara County, 220,000 acres
4. Witch (still burning), October 2007, San Diego County, 197,000 acres
5. Marble Cone, July 1977, Monterey County, 177,866 acres
-- Patrick McGreevy
As of about 9 a.m. today:
-- Valley fire, San Bernardino County, 11,900 acres, 3% contained
-- Witch fire, San Diego County, 197,990 acres, 20% contained
-- Poomacha fire, San Diego County, 35,000 acres, 20% contained
-- Rice fire, San Diego County, 9,000 acres, 30% contained
-- Santiago fire, Orange County, 22,000 acres, 30% contained
-- Harris fire, San Diego County, 81,100 acres, 10% contained
-- Ranch fire, Los Angeles County, 55,756 acres, 70% contained
-- Canyon fire, Los Angeles County, 45,000 acres, 85% contained
A man was arrested Wednesday in West Hills on suspicion of arson, Los Angeles police reported today.
A group of residents said they saw a man light a fire and walk away from a hillside near Del Valle Street and Ponce Avenue. The residents followed the man to a restaurant and kept an eye on him until police arrived.
The man was identified by Los Angeles police as Catalino Pineda, 41. He was on probation for making false emergency reports. He was being held on $75,000 bail.
-- Andrew Blankstein and Richard Winton
The FBI has announced a 1-800 number to report wildfire-related fraud schemes. Authorities anticipate many Internet-based scams cloaking themselves as disaster-relief charities. They warn to contribute only to known, legitimate organizations, and to never give up your credit card number.
To report a complaint, please call (800) CALL FBI. |
|
The wildfires ripped into some of the richest areas of the state’s avocado crop, including the foothills above Irvine in Orange County and Fallbrook and Valley Center in San Diego County.
Based on early reports, an official with the California Avocado Commission said the state might have lost 10% to 20% of what was expected to be a $325 million to $350 million crop in 2008.
If the damage is limited to that estimate, prices -- already high from a January freeze -- are unlikely to take much of a jump, said the commission’s Wayne Brydon.
-- Jerry Hirsch
California state campground reservations have been canceled, as various parks offer refuge to fire evacuees, officials said. Refunds are available from ReserveAmerica. All cancellations are through Oct. 31, unless otherwise noted.
The official list follows:
Los Angeles County
Leo Carrillo State Park – Reservations canceled October 21-25.
Malibu Creek State Park – Reservations canceled October 21-25.
Pt. Mugu State Park – Reservations canceled October 21-25
Topanga State Park
Will Rogers State Historic Park
Orange County
Crystal Cove State Park – Cottages open. Reservations canceled at campsites.
Riverside County
Lake Perris: Reservations honored, no new reservations taken. No boating. Oct. 23-31
Mount San Jacinto State Park: Reservations canceled
San Timoteo Canyon
San Bernardino County
Chino Hills State Park
Silverwood Lake State Recreation Area – Reservations canceled October 22-30.
Wildwood Canyon
San Diego County
Cuyamaca Rancho State Park – Reservations canceled
Palomar Mountain State Park – Reservations canceled
San Elijo State Beach – Reservations canceled
San Onofre State Beach – Reservations canceled at the San Mateo Campground, only
San Pasqual Battelfield State Historic Park
Silver Strand State Beach – Reservations canceled
South Carlsbad State Beach - Reservations canceled
Torrey Pines State Reserve
Orange County
Doheny State Beach - Reservations canceled
San Clemente State Beach - Reservations canceled
The wildfires have raged in some of the richest areas of the state's avocado crop, including the foothills above Irvine in Orange County and Fallbrook and Valley Center in San Diego County.
Based on early reports, an official with the California Avocado Commission said the state has likely lost 10% to 20% of what was expected to be a $325 to $350 million crop this year.
But Guy Witney, the commission’s director of industry affairs said most of the trees probably survived.
One fire, he said, passed through the through a 1,000-acre grove in the Irvine Ranch, burning the only the first two rows of trees, irrigation piping and leaves on the ground, before jumping into the brush on the far side of the orchard.
Jerome Stehly, who farms 1,000 acres of avocados in Fallbrook, Bonsall and Valley Center, said his orchards had escaped damage. He estimates that other farmers in the region had lost at least 200 acres of trees to the fire, but cautioned that it was still too early to collect solid data.
“It is hard to see how much has been lost so far. The fire has hop-scotched around,” Stehly said.
-- Jerry Hirsch
Cal Fire officals agreed to add 14 military aircraft, including water-dropping helicopters and C-130 warplanes, to the fire fights in Lake Arrowhead and San Diego.
They initially had insisted that each helicopter carry a state fire spotter, but later agreed to let the entire fleet fly with a single spotter in the lead. The agreement came after Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) intervened Tuesday night, according to Hunter’s spokesman Joe Kasper.
The fleet includes eight Marine helicopters and six Air Force National Guard C-130 planes from Colorado, Wyoming and North Carolina.
A Canadian Martin Mars water bomber also is expected this afternoon, San Diego fire officials said. The plane can land on water, lift and drop 7,200 gallons in one trip, enough to douse three acres, Messer said.
NASA also is supplying an Ikhana unmanned plane equipped with a thermal-infrared imaging system that can track and map hotspots through dense smoke, the agency said. NASA personnel on the ground will gather images of fires from Lake Arrowhead to southern San Diego County, then relay them to firefighters on the ground.
-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske
The fires bearing down on Southern California have closed popular tourist destinations, state parks and national forests in the region. The state’s record number of emergency evacuees — perhaps more than 800,000 — means travelers heading to affected areas may find it’s not business as usual.
Hotels from around the area are reaching out to evacuees who need a place to stay by offering reduced rates.
The U.S. Grant Hotel in downtown San Diego reports that one-half to one-third of their guests are local evacuees but says it will honor all regular bookings, said manager Mark Dibella. He said even the hotel’s owners — members of the Sycuan Indian tribe — have come to stay after being evacuated from their reservation.
The 97-year-old hotel has reduced room rates for evacuees — from $300 per night down to $165 to $250, depending on the type of suite needed — and relaxed their policy on pets. "It’s Noah’s ark here," said Dibella, noting guests are now allowed to bring large dogs, fish, birds and other pets. "We are not turning away anybody in need of keeping their pet with them." The hotel also reduced the per-pet rate from $150 to $50. Contact the hotel at www.usgrant.net or call (800) 237-5029.
-- Mary Forgione, Jane Engle and Valli Herman
Washington, D.C.:
President Bush today declared a major disaster in California, which allows people affected by the fires to begin to receive federal grants for temporary housing, home repairs and low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses.
Bush met this morning at the White House with his cabinet and afterward told reporters: "I believe the effort is well coordinated. I know we’re getting the manpower and assets on the ground that have been requested by the state and local authorities."
Speaking in the Cabinet Room, the president said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told him that the state was receiving the federal help it needed. "I assured him that if he needs anything, then, great, we’ll provide it, we’ll do so," he said.
Saying they have learned the lessons of Hurricane Katrina, White House officials have tried to quickly respond to the wildfire emergency in Southern California quickly.
-- Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and James Gerstenzang
Los Angeles County:
L.A. County property owners with $10,000 in fire damage or more can contact the Assessor's office for a corrected tax bill or refund this tax year.
"You can get reassessed so you're not paying taxes on a full value of a house that's destroyed or partially damaged," said Robert Knowles, a spokesman for the Assessor's office.
The reassessment is spelled out under the misfortune and calamity section of the state tax code. It was widely used during the 2003 fires, Knowles said.
The assessor is contacting fire and public works departments for a roster of fire-damaged properties. But officials urged people to notify them as well.
"It's always better to err on the side of caution and call us, but for a lot of people it's the last things on their mind," Knowles said.
Property owners in the Malibu area can call (310) 665-5413, and those in the north county area can call (818) 833-6194, to speak to appraisers and to get more information.
Misfortune and calamity forms can be downloaded and are availble on the Assessor's website: http://assessor.lacounty.gov.
-- Tami Abdollah
Latest statistics for San Bernardino County and Los Angeles County fires:
Canyon (Malibu)
4,500 acres burned
85% contained
898 firefighters
Magic (Valencia)
2,824 acres
100% contained
Buckweed (Agua Dulce, Santa Clarita)
38,356 acres burned
1,157 firefighters
94% contained
20-mph winds
Ranch (Castaic)
51,337 acres burned
45% contained
All evacuations lifted
Fire is east of Fillmore, northwest of Piru
1,264 firefighters
Grass Valley (North Lake Arrowhead)
1,000 acres
5% contained
Burning in area called Tunnell 2 Ridge between Lake Arrowhead and Twin Peaks
Mandatory evacuations in Grass Valley, including all communities west of Big Bear Lake and Crestline and communities east
All roads leading into the San Bernardino Mountains are closed to non-emergency traffic
Winds 20 mph out of the northeast expected to diminish sometime this evening
248 firefighters, seven helicopters and three fixed-wing aircraft
Slide (Running Springs)
5,119 acres
No containment
Mandatory evacutions in Green Valley Lake, Arrowbear, Running Springs, Skyforest
Moving southwest toward Highland, which is under voluntary evacuations
564 firefighters, three helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft
Cajon (Devore)
Last update at 6 p.m. Tuesday
250 acres
90% containted
As firefighters curse the Santa Ana winds, surfers couldn't be more stoked about the off-shore breezes that make for better conditions.
Before dawn, the skies over Camp Pendleton glowed orange from fires at the Marine base. Cars and big rigs crowded surface streets in San Clemente, waiting for Interstate 5 to reopen. And Doug Anderson was on his way to catch some waves.
"Gotta surf," he said, a cheery voice in the darkness as he suited up in the parking lot used by surfers headed to Trestles, home of world-class breaks.
Anderson, 53, arrived about 6 a.m., driving some 40 miles from his Villa Park home. Like other surfers showing up before and after him, he was unloading a bicycle equipped with a special bracket to carry his board, making the long trek to the beach a little easier.
Within moments, Anderson was pedaling into the darkness, carrying his 6-foot-8 tri-fin shaped by Casey McCrystal, anxious to ride some head-high surf at Lowers, a right-point break at Trestles.
"The winds are down. The flags are blowing a tad off shore. The swell is the right direction," he said before taking off. "It will be perfect."
-- Christine Hanley
Gov. Schwarzenegger announced a toll-free hot line for businesses to donate large amounts to Southern California fire victims. The line, 800-750-2858, will be staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Mount Palomar, San Onofre:
Fire officials at the command center in Riverside said the Mt. Palomar fire has exploded to 20,000 acres and could threaten the famed observatory at the top, which houses one of the world's largest telescopes. They also said two fires have broken out in Camp Pendleton, the Wilcox Fire at 1,200 acres and the Ammo Fire at 350 acres. The Ammo fire has raised concerns because it is at the base of San Onofre Peak and climbing up toward an array of telecommunications equipment. The San Onofre nuclear power plant is on the other side. Chief of Operations Chief Bob Green said the governor asked him to send in air tankers to lay down water between the fire and the communications equipment.
-- David Kelly
Southern California:
At 3 p.m., the National Weather Service's high wind warning expired, and gust began to taper off. It was still plenty windy, said weather specialist Bonnie Bartling, but the 60 to 100 mph gusts that had roared down the canyons in the last few days would largely disappear Tuesday night.
Winds in the Newhall pass, which on Sunday and Monday clocked in at more than 70 miles per hour, were down to a relatively tolerably 48 miles per hour on Tuesday, Bartling said.
"We're kicking into a weaker Santa Ana tomorrow around noon," she said late Tuesday.
"The high pressure system is going to move far enough to the east where it will turn off the Santa Ana spigot," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Canada-Flintridge.
Patzert said that by Friday, and for sure by the weekend, "we should be back to our marine layer in the morning." Temperatures that reached 95 degrees in Pasadena shoudl be down to the mid- to low-70s by Saturday, he added.
On Tuesday, Pasadena reached 95 degrees, Patzert said. By Saturday, temperatures in that city should plummet to the mid to low 70s, he said. That's just a snapshot of what will happen in the region, Patzert said.
"It will be a lot cooler, a lot more humid, and that will really slow down these fires," Patzert said.
-- Hector Becerra
Washington, D.C.:
Trying to avoid a repeat of the failures of Hurricane Katrina, the White House is taking pains to respond quickly to the escalating emergency posed by the Southern California wildfires. But a leading Democrat says the Bush administration has shortchanged funding for removing dead trees and dry shrubbery that provided the fuel for the fast-moving blazes. And a leading Republican member of the state's delegation called on Congress to quickly provide $1 billion in emergency funds to help pay the costs of firefighting and disaster relief.
President Bush plans to visit the Southland on Thursday. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and David Paulison, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, arrived in the state today. But as the White House scrambled to stay on top of the crisis, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the administration had not put a high enough priority on preventing catastrophic fires in the West. "We have fought for years during this Bush administration to have money for wildfire suppression," Reid said. "It takes effort to prepare the landscape so that these fires don't burn the way they have been."
After the fires of 2003, Congress authorized $760 million a year for "fuel reduction" -- clearing away dead trees. But less than half of that has been provided.
-- Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and James Gerstenzang
Four San Diego County evacuees have died in the last two days, two in the process of being moved from medical facilities, a county medical examiner official said.
Donald Swarting, 92, was being prepared for evacuation overnight from Mount Miguel Covenant Village Health Facility in Spring Valley when he complained of shortness of breath and chest pain, said Rick Poggemeyer, operations administrator for the medical examiner's office. Swarting was helped to the bathroom and became unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at 4:50 a.m.
Read on »
Southern California:
California's power grid managers have called a transmission emergency for Southern California. Fires have affected power lines in many areas, but San Diego is particularly hard-hit, authorities with the California Independent System Operator said in a statement. The agency called for San Diego residents to voluntarily conserve energy, and said it was working with San Diego Gas and Electric and Southern California Edison to coordinate power in changing conditions.
About 15,000 Southern California Edison customers are without service, a spokesman said in a statement today.
In areas that Edison crews can reach to assess the damage, approximately 151 sites have downed power lines, at least 162 poles require replacement and 15 transformers have blown out. Edison says 493,000 customers have been affected since the high winds and wildfires began Sunday.
Washington, D.C.:
President Bush called Gov. Schwarzenegger shortly before 4 p.m. today to make sure the governor was getting the assistance he needed from the federal government, according to Scott M. Stanzel, a deputy White House press secretary. The president told the governor to call him if there were additional needs.
FEMA has provided fire management assistance grants for four major fires in Southern California. These grants provide 75% cost share (25% local) for expenses like field camps, equipment repair and replacement, mobilization activities, etc. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has deployed fire crews, fire engines, air tankers and helicopters to the incident areas.
Schwarzenegger called Bush back after their initial call to ask for military assistance. The Department of Defense has been in contact with Schwarzenegger's office, and the military has already provided the following assets:
-- Firefighting personnel from the area Air Force and naval posts, including fire engines and support vehicles.
-- Three National Guard helicopters, with another standing by.
-- Approximately 1,700 California National Guardsmen called up to assist in the efforts, and an additional 17,000 California National Guard soldiers and airmen are available.
The administration will continue to work with the governor's office to provide assistance in fighting the fires, Stanzel said.
-- James Gerstenzang
Statewide:
CalFire Assistant Deputy Director Ken Pimlott said it was too early to estimate the cost of this week's firefighting efforts, but that it would amount to at least $10 million. "Where it will land will depend on how long it goes on this week," he said.
Who pays for the firefighting on nonfederal lands depends on a complicated set of cost-sharing agreements. But in big, destructive wildland blazes such as those in Southern California in the last two days, most of the tab is ultimately picked up by the federal government.
The state and local jurisdictions initially pay for the firefighting, with the state absorbing the larger share. But the state can then obtain assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover 75% of the cost.
And when wildfires are bad enough to be declared a federal disaster, such as the 2003 wildfires, FEMA picks up more than 90% of the firefighting expense.
-- Bettina Boxall, Jack Leonard and Julie Cart
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