California Wildfires on retreat as experts warn of air hazard
Pastor Dale Morgan
California Wildfires on retreat as experts warn of air hazard*
AFP - Sunday, October 28
SAN DIEGO, United States (AFP) - - California officials called on
health-sensitive people to stay indoors Saturday due to heavy smoke
pollution shrouding the region as the wildfires which devastated the
state this week retreated.
Cooler temperatures and calmer winds have allowed firefighters to
staunch or contain most of the 23 fires that have erupted in southern
California since last Sunday, leaving seven dead, destroying 1,900 homes
and displacing 640,000 people.
Firefighting personnel have predicted that three major blazes could be
brought under control within 10 days, offering the prospect of a return
to normalcy after one of the worst fire disasters in Californian history.
But Californians were still threatened by side-effects of the fires: air
pollution levels rose to three times higher than normal, raising special
concern for the elderly, children and people with respiratory ailments.
Patricia Rey, a spokeswoman for the Environmental Protection Agency,
said authorities were advising people in fire-hit areas to stay indoors.
"For sensitive groups, we are trying to keep them inside, telling them
to try to avoid prolonged exercise activities. If you can do it inside
it will be better. Run the air conditioner rather than keep open
windows," she said.
"There are pockets of areas that are worse than others, but overall the
advisories say they should really be concerned about outdoor activities."
Some 203,000 hectares (502,000 acres) of tinder-dry park and forest land
have been incinerated by the firestorm.
The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said firefighters
were buoyed by the weather conditions but remained vigilant. Figures
released by the office on Saturday showed that some 20,600 properties
were under threat.
"The weather has enabled the fire personnel to make great progress but
there is still a long way to go," spokeswoman Rochelle Jenkins said.
"The weather is helping but we have to plan for the worst and hope for
the best, and that is how we will be proceeding in the days ahead."
The National Weather Service has warned the weather could again pose
problems for crews in coming days, with less humidity and winds
increasing to 25-40 kilometers (15-25 miles) per hour in canyons and passes.
The fires are the worst to hit the state since 2003, when 22 people were
killed and more than 3,000 homes lost in a series of blazes.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Friday that the focus had
shifted from crisis management to the rebuilding effort.
"This first week was like a sprint, but the next phase is like a
marathon," he said in Sacramento. "Hundreds of thousands of Californians
had their lives turned upside down. We have many, many tough tasks ahead
of us."
San Diego County officials said Saturday 640,000 people, sharply higher
than previous estimates of 500,000, had been displaced in the disaster.
Nearly 3,000 people remained in temporary shelters across the state as
many people headed home to find their homes reduced to piles of ash and
rubble.
Hundreds of mental health experts have fanned out across the state to
offer counseling and support to the thousands of people affected.
"Some of them are overwhelmed, very sad, stressed, angry, frustrated,"
said Karen Hoganson, a Red Cross mental health supervisor who spent the
past few days counseling people at San Diego's Qualcomm stadium.
California officials have meanwhile set up a special task force to
investigate insurance and contract fraud matters as well as con-artists
who pretend to be claims adjusters of contractors.
"It is really unfortunate that every time there is a significant
disaster in California, scam artists will come to the disaster area and
try to rip victims off," state Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said
Friday.
San Diego County officials have put the cost of property damage at more
than one billion dollars although insurance industry analysts have said
it may go as high as 1.6 billion.
The causes of the different fires vary, from a fallen power line to
suspected arson.
In Orange County, a 285,000-dollar reward was offered for information
leading to the arrest of an arsonist who started a fire which has
destroyed 14 homes and 11,000 hectares (27,000 acres).
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said five people have
been arrested and linked with various fires.