Raging Calif wildfire continues to burn; four towns urged to evacuate
dgrm...@telus.net
Raging Calif wildfire continues to burn; four towns urged to evacuate
Updated 9/27/2006 4:01 PM ET
LOCKWOOD VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - A stubborn wildfire burned within a
half-mile of homes and ranches on Wednesday after jumping containment
lines and prompting recommendations to evacuate four mountain towns.
The fire, which began on Labor Day, was burning in dry brush and dense
stands of pine trees in Los Padres National Forest.
After jumping fire lines on Tuesday, the blaze slowed in the cool
overnight weather. But erratic winds could cause it to flare later,
said Larry Comerford of the U.S. Forest Service.
"They"ll come from one direction one time and then they'll whip the
other direction," he said.
Nearly 4,000 firefighters, aided by bulldozers and aircraft,
concentrated on the northwestern edge of the fire.
Firefighters were surprised Tuesday when the fire, which had been
laying low after the end of weekend Santa Ana winds, suddenly jumped
lines and burned 1,000 more acres.
The run prompted authorities to recommend evacuation of Lockwood
Valley, Pinon Pines, Pine Mountain Club and Lake of the Woods -
remote Ventura County communities west of Interstate 5.
Two barns, an unoccupied cabin and two camp trailers burned, Comerford
said.
No occupied homes have been lost to the fire about 70 miles northwest
of Los Angeles, which has become one of the largest and longest-burning
wildfires in state history. Overall containment was just 42%.
Pat Martin, 61, fled her home in Lake of the Woods. Spending the night
at a Red Cross shelter set up at a high school gymnasium, she feared
her home would be damaged or destroyed.
"When you're this old, how do you just start over?" Martin asked.
Dale King was helping firefighters clear brush around his home when
flames roared across the edge of his 5-acre property.
"The house was vibrating. It sounded like a freight train in the yard,"
said King, 57.
"It was scary. I've never seen a wall of fire 200 feet high moving
right at you and there's nothing you can do," he said. "It makes you
believe in the Lord, I'll tell you."
The blaze has burned more than 148,884 acres, or 232.6 square miles, of
wilderness. It was ignited by someone burning debris. Firefighting
costs have topped $45.5 million.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency for
Ventura County, clearing the way for government assistance with costs
related to the fire.