California Fires

Three sets of fires erupted in California in mid-November 2008. The Tea Fire in the Montecito area was 75% contained as of November 16, 2008. However, several others fires in Sylmar, California near the Angeles National Forest continued to burn and were less than 35% contained. The fires could cause rolling blackouts in Los Angeles.Reuters: Los Angeles Fears Blackouts As Wildfire Burns (November 15, 2008) Bloomberg: Wind-Driven Fires Burn 22,000 Acres Across California (November 16, 2008)

Firefighters made some progress to contain the Sylmar fire as the Santa Ana winds died down the evening of November 16, 2008, but the fire is not yet contained.KHQA (IL): California firefighters make gains on fires (November 18, 2008)

A number of issues make California a hotbed for wildfires. First, the dry environment causes plants to dry out, making them more susceptible to fire and burn more quickly. Additionally, the Santa Ana winds can quickly spread a fire across an area.Reuters: Los Angeles Fears Blackouts As Wildfire Burns (November 15, 2008) Finally, it is believed that arsonists may have been behind some of the recent fires.LA Weekly: Biggest Arson Investigation in Los Angeles History?

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.Environment News Service: California Wildfires Force Hundreds From Their Homes (October 22, 2007)Los Angeles Times: Disaster status means more federal fire aid (October 25, 2007)

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.Environment News Service: California Wildfires Force Hundreds From Their Homes (October 22, 2007)Los Angeles Times: Disaster status means more federal fire aid (October 25, 2007)

While some of the fires erupted as a result of wind-downed power lines that triggered brush fires, several of the 2007 fires appeared to be deliberately set.The New York Times: Boy Admits to Starting One of the Wildfires (October 31, 2007)

• 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)

• Bloomberg.com: Santa Ana Winds Feed California Wildfire; One Killed (October 22, 2007)

• USA Today: Deadly fires across Southern California (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

• <iframe width="425" height="350" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117631292961056724014.00043d21dedd02f5ae1f7&om=1&ll=33.651208,-118.146973&spn=2.199313,4.405518&output=embed&s=AARTsJrG-jo7gfjO2429h75QCD2vjq72fw"></iframe>

• View Larger Map</hypertext>