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San bernardino wild fires { October 26 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2582283/detail.html http://www.nbc4.tv/news/2582283/detail.html 13 Dead, 650 Homes Burned As Wildfires Ravage Southland Several Fires Merge POSTED: 9:07 a.m. PST October 26, 2003 SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Wildfires that have burned for days merged into walls of flame stretching across miles in parts of Southern California on Sunday, leaving 13 people dead, burning 650 homes, frustrating overmatched firefighters who worked relentlessly against fierce winds, and prompting one ariline to cancel all flights into the Southern California region Sunday night. Major fires had burned 264,000 acres by Sunday night. The state's largest fire, in eastern San Diego County, caused at least nine deaths, including two who died inside their car as they apparently tried to escape the flames, San Diego Sheriff Bill Kolender said. Mountain Fire Damages 12 Structures 1,000 acres and 12 structures have been damaged due to a fire in the Hemet, Calif., area, according to the Riverside County Fire Department. Earlier reports indicated the blaze had consumed 2,000 acres and damaged 60 homes. Captain Rick Vogt of the Riverside County Fire Department told NBC4 that the earlier figures were estimates. The fire started at approximately 11:45 a.m. Sunday, according to Vogt. Two civilians have been injured, one by a burn and one from smoke inhalation. No firefighters have been injured. Voluntary evacuations are in effect for the area. An evacuation center has been set up at the Temecula Valley High School which is located at 31555 Rancho Vista Road, Temecula, CA 92592. 17 air tankers were working the fire according to NBC4's Chip Paige. Old Fire, Grand Prix Fires Combine In the congested suburbs of San Bernardino, about 50 miles east of Los Angeles, one flank of a 50,000-acre fire burned through four towns while the other flank destroyed more than 300 homes. Two men collapsed and died, one as he was evacuating his canyon home and the other as he watched his house burn, the county coroner said. LATEST IMAGES: Southland Fires The 40-mile fire in the San Bernardino area was formed when two smaller fires merged, covering the region with thick smoke and ash. At approximately 4:25 Sunday, the fire progressed to near Lake Arrowhead, Calif. According to NBC4, some homeowners in the area have decided to stay in their homes, despite evacuation recommendations from authorities. NBC4's Chuck Henry estimated that the fire could reach the Arrowhead area by 8 p.m. Sunday. Evacuations have been called for in Arrowbear and Bluejay. Firefighters were spread thinly around threatened communities, focusing on saving what homes they could. Winds prevented the air tanker drops of retardant and use of backfires that are key tactics of fire containment. Gov. Gray Davis, visited the San Bernardino International Airport evacuation center Sunday to announce that he was extending the state of emergency to Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Davis said, "These declarations pave the way for federal assistance." Davis has also asked that President George W. Bush issue a major disaster declaration for both counties. Davis issued a similar declaration for San Bernardino and Ventura counties Saturday night. Davis' administration also gave an emergency briefing to Gov.-elect Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some of the evacuations ordered included Indian reservation casinos, California State University, San Bernardino, where fire burned two temporary classrooms and a temporary fitness center, and Patton State Hospital, home to 1,300 mental patients. About 1,100 prison inmates also were evacuated, and at least 200 juvenile wards were evacuated Sunday from two probation camps in La Verne, said Ken Kondo, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Probation Department spokesman. About 1,000 people packed the San Bernardino International Airport center. Fifty of those evacuees were elderly people in wheelchairs who were taken from a convalescent home. 850 spent the night at the evacuation center Saturday night. Three transmissions lines are impacted due to the fires, according to Steve Conroy of Southern California Edison. There is a possiblity of interruption of service during the work week in the vicinities of the fires, according to Conroy. Forest Falls, a community below the Crestline area, had service interrupted Sunday due to the fires. Approximately 5,000 customers in the Idyllwild, Calif., area were without power Sunday night according to Conroy. Conroy asked customers to conserve power,particularly on Monday from noon to 4 p.m., the peak hours of demand. 25 Homes Lost Crestline In Fire Area 25 homes have been lost to the Crestline area fire according to a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino National Forest Department. Firefighters, including 25 strike teams and 125 engines, were making a stand at Crestline, U.S. Forest Service fire information officer Stanton Florea said. "If the fire starts to crown, racing from one tree to the next, it will be an extreme situation," Florea added. A firefighter from Vista who was battling the Crestline blaze told NBC4 that they were working on letting the fire burn the "lighter stuff underneath and keeping it from getting in the trees. We want to get the ground fuels removed so it doesn't get the trees, cause once it gets up in the trees it could run over our heads pretty easily."

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