Guide Note

In late October 2007, a series of fires broke out across Southern California, spurred on by gusts from powerful Santa Ana Winds. Reports claim the winds reached over 100 miles per hour. In total, the wildfires burned over 500,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,500 homes in San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Ventura, and Riverside Counties. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency.¹²

Fast Facts

San Diego County: 350,000+ acres burned, 500,000 evacuations, 100+ injured, 7 dead, 1500+ homes destroyed¹
Los Angeles and Ventura Counties: 100,000+ acres burned, 100+ homes destroyed¹
Prompted the largest evacuation in California history¹

Causes

While some of the fires erupted on accident, as a result of wind-downed power lines triggering brush fires which then spread out of control, several of the fires appeared to be deliberately set.³

Damage and Results

San Diego County was worst hit by the fires, the two largest of which were the Witch Creek Fire and the Harris Fire. In all, 500,000 residents of the county were ordered to evacuate their homes, with many gathering at Qualcomm Stadium in downtown San Diego. In the Los Angeles area, fires scorched over 100,000 acres, and destroyed nearly 100 homes. By November 9, 20 days after the first fires began, all of the fires had been contained. During and after the fires, a thick and smoky haze polluted the air over large areas of Southern California, forcing officials to warn residents to limit outdoor activity and in some cases, remain indoors.¹²

Categories

News | Disasters | Natural Disasters | Fires | 2007 California Fires

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California Fires

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Official Site: Battling California's Wildfires
California Active Fire Mapper: Center for Fire Research and Outreach
Wikipedia: Summer 2008 California Wildfires
Environmental Health and Toxicology: California Wildfires
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services: California Fires
calfire.blogspot.com: California Fires News

California Fires News

The Lede (NYT Blog): Boy Admits to Starting One of the Wildfires (October 31, 2007)
Guardian.co.uk: Video: 'The locals told us it would never burn here' (October 25, 2007)
BBC News: Bush to fly over California fires (October 25, 2007)
Los Angeles Times: "Hope Rises as Winds Begin to Subside" (October 25, 2007)
Los Angeles Times: "Disaster Status Means More Federal Aid" (October 24, 2007)
MSNBC.com: Weary Firefighters Hoping For A Break (October 24, 2007)
CNN.com: Fires Spread Across Southern California (October 23, 2007)
The New York Times: 250,000 Urged to Flee in California as Fires Spread (October 23, 2007)
Bloomberg.com: Santa Ana Winds Feed California Wildfire; One Killed (October 22, 2007)
Envirnment News Service: California Wildfires Force Hundreds to Flee Their Homes (October 22, 2007)
Telegraph: Film stars flee as California wildfires rage (October 22, 2007)
USA Today: Deadly fires across Southern California (October 22, 2007)
ABC7.com: Southern California Fires - Evacuations and Closures (October 22, 2007)
Office of the Governor: Governor Schwarzenegger Proclaims State of Emergency in Southern California
NASA.gov: Fires in Southern California (October 21, 2007)
Google Maps: Southern California Fire Locations

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California Fires Videos

5min.com: California Wildfires Viewed from Space (Time: 1:04)
YouTube & Google Video: California Fires
Yahoo Video: California Fires
Live Search: California Fires
California Department of Insurance: Insurance Commissioner Poizner Issues Statement (October 22, 2007)

California Fires Insurance News and Information

California Department of Insurance: California Fair Plan
CNNMoney: Filing Fire Insurance Claims
ABC News: Tips for Filing Fire Insurance Claims
Forbes.com: California fires could cost insurers up to 1.5 bln usd (October 25, 2007)
SignOnSanDiego.com: Fires could alter Calif. insurance landscape (October 25, 2007)

California Fires Images

Google Images: California Fires
Yahoo! Images: California Fires
Live Search Images: California Fires
Earth Observatory: Fires in Southern California

California Fires Blogs and Commentary

SignOnSanDiego: Wildfires 2007
BusinessWeek: Inside The California Fires--A Need For Innovation To Fight Them. (October 24, 2007)
Patterico’s Pontifications: California Fires
the Daily greem: California Fires Kill 1, Destroy Homes
HitsUSA.com: California Fires
Emergency.Blog: S. California Fires- Evacuations, Shelters and Closures

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