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Who's burning California? Democrat crazies...Black arson suspect arrested as fast-moving fire destroys structures, threatens hundreds more near Idyllwild

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Hillbillies

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Aug 11, 2018, 3:42:46 AM8/11/18
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A fast-moving fire swept toward the mountain community of
Idyllwild on Wednesday, burning 4,700 acres and five residential
structures while threatening hundreds of homes.

The Cranston fire began about noon and spread rapidly, San
Bernardino National Forest officials said. It has forced
evacuations of more than 2,100 homes and is sending a massive
tower of smoke rising over the San Jacinto Mountains. By 10:15
p.m. Wednesday, it was 5% contained.

Authorities said a suspected arsonist set multiple fires —
including the Cranston fire— in Riverside County on Wednesday.
The fires burned in southwest Riverside County and on federal
land along State Highway 74 in the San Bernardino National
Forest.

Brandon N. McGlover, 32, of Temecula was booked on suspicion of
five counts of arson to wild land, according to the San
Bernardino National Forest officials.

Witnesses described a vehicle possibly involved in starting the
fire to authorities, California Highway Patrol spokesman Darren
Meyer said. Authorities spotted a vehicle matching the
description about 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Newport and
State roads south of Hemet. Hemet police officers pulled the
vehicle over for an enforcement stop, Meyer said.

About noon, Joe Achtner, 65, noticed the sky above his Idyllwild
home getting dark and flakes of ash falling in his yard. He
drove for about a quarter-mile and saw flames cresting a nearby
hillside, threatening homes in his neighborhood of 30 years.

By the time he and his family loaded up their trucks with their
three dogs and suitcases full of clothes, sheriff’s deputies had
swarmed the area, ordering evacuations.

“It came up on us really, really quickly. Within a half-hour,
the whole town was overwhelmed with flames,” Achtner said. “This
one seemed to come up on us without any notice at all. And all
of a sudden, it was right there — and it was huge.”

While Achtner lives in Idyllwild permanently, many of his
neighbors live there only part time and their homes were empty.

“I just pray for the town. We live in a beautiful town,” he
said. “The whole the town is the trees and the town is the
people and it’s all jeopardized right now.”

Tamara Friemoth, 56, and her husband, Steve, own the Chevron
Idyllwild Garage on State Route 243. She was working at the gas
station and auto shop when she heard about the evacuation.

She rushed home, grabbed some clothes and family heirlooms, and
ran back to the Chevron, where she watched the fire wrap around
the mountaintops in front of the gas station.

Soon, she would hear that houses about a block from her own had
burned, including the home of one of her mechanics.

“It’s the scariest feeling you can have because you’re
helpless,” she said. “But you move forward and do what you can
do.”

An evacuation center has been set up at Banning High School.

Mandatory evacuations were expanded to include residents in
Idyllwild, Pine Cove, Fern Valley, McGaugh Road and McCall Park
Road.

“Leave immediately,” forest officials urged in a tweet.

Roads are closed at Highway 74 from Cranston Fire Station to
Lake Hemet and Highway 243 between Pine Cove and Mountain Center.

The fire broke out on a day of extreme heat across Southern
California and as the deadly Ferguson fire continued to rage
west of Yosemite.

The Ferguson fire grew to more than 41,500 acres as of late
Wednesday and was 26% contained. At its closest point, the fire
is two miles from the park, Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman
said.

Visitors were given until noon to evacuate Yosemite Valley, the
heart of the 1,200-square-mile park. Officials have also closed
Highway 41, the north-south artery that carries travelers from
Southern California to Yosemite, and Glacier Point Road.

A stream of cars, campers and trailers flowed out of the park in
the morning as the blaze inched closer. Heavy smoke from the
blaze has blanketed the valley and created air quality
conditions worse than in Beijing, China’s heavily polluted
capital, Gediman said.

“With this hot, dry weather pattern, you just got the smoke
sitting here,” he said. “The air quality fluctuates throughout
the day but it’s really poor midday — noon to 6 p.m.”

Officials have been handing out high-grade filtration masks and
set up “clean air” centers around the park where employees and
visitors can get a break from the smoke-filled air, Gediman
said. Still, after days in the smoke, he said his voice has
become raspy and he feels a dryness in his throat.

On Tuesday night, officials taped evacuation notices on hotel
doors and campers. Even before the order went out, however,
visitors had begun packing up when they saw dark clouds of smoke
filling the sky.

Forecasters said temperatures Wednesday were expected to break
records. At UCLA, a predicted high of 96 degrees would beat the
1943 record of 91; in Burbank, a forecast of 103 degrees would
beat the record of 101; and in Palmdale, the forecast of 110
degrees would beat a 1975 record of 109.

Downtown Los Angeles could hit a sizzling 97 degrees, but that
won’t best the record of 109, which was set in 1891, forecasters
said.

The blistering weather comes courtesy of a “heat dome” that
settled over the desert Southwest this week and has shifted
gradually toward Southern California. Though the coasts have
been relatively cooler than inland areas, humid conditions have
helped equalize the misery.

The notoriously sweltering towns of Thermal, Palm Springs and
Borrego all broke heat records Tuesday with temperatures
reaching 122, 121 and 118 degrees, respectively. They’re
expected to reach similar temperatures Wednesday before seeing a
slight decrease Thursday.


Dr. Daniel Swain
?
@Weather_West
Impressive #pyrocumulus cloud developing in very hot, unstable
airmass surrounding #CranstonFire in San Bernadino County.
Convection column of this magnitude/height can produce
dangerous, unpredictable winds & perhaps even generate a few
lightning strikes of its own.#CAwx #CAfire

Dave Toussaint
@engineco16
#CranstonFire It's gone nuclear!

11:20 p.m.: This article was updated with an interview with a
resident.

10:45 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage and
containment figures.

9:20 p.m.: This article was updated with information about the
arson suspect.

8:45 p.m.: This article was updated with a new acreage figure.

6:55 p.m.: This article was updated with an interview with an
Idyllwild resident who evacuated.

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with a new acreage figure
and information about the Ferguson fire.

5:45 p.m.: This article was updated with a new acreage figure.

5:20 p.m.: This article was updated to include expanded
evacuation orders.

4:50 p.m.: This article was updated with the arrest of a suspect
in starting the fire.

2 p.m.: This article was updated with additional background on
weather conditions.

This article was originally published at 1:50 p.m.

House burned down? Thank a Democrat.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-cranston-fire-
idllwild-20180725-story.html#
 

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