November CA Wildfire

Update 1 | Summary
Posting Date: November 17, 2008, 11:30:00 AM

Strong winds, with near hurricane-force gusts, fanned three separate fires this weekend in Southern California. More than 40,000 acres (about 62 square miles) have been scorched from Santa Barbara to Anaheim, with around 1,000 residences destroyed. Governor Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in the four affected counties and local officials ordered the evacuation of more than 50,000 residents. Monday morning provided firefighters with the first lull in the fierce Santa Ana winds since the first fire began on Thursday. Sustained winds will continue to weaken as a high pressure system moves east over the Rockies, but forecasters predict continued hot, dry weather for today. Officials believe that at the most optimistic, the fires will be safely contained by mid-week. Wind gusts peaked to over 70 mph on Saturday, and the hot air flow from inland deserts set numerous high temperature records across California as the fires swept over tinder-dry chaparral—the highly flammable mix of stunted trees and bushes commonly found in Southern California—and brush vegetation. Temperatures are forecast to reach 85°F in Los Angeles today with low humidity, but wind gusts have weakened to about 20 mph, according to the National Weather Service. Temperatures will gradually decrease Tuesday and Wednesday, as a cool moist wind from the ocean will blow over the city. Humidity is also expected to increase in the coming days, which will help slow the fires as the vegetation absorbs the moisture in the air. The largest and most dangerous threat is the Freeway Complex Fire, which started at 9:00 a.m. PST on Saturday near the Santa Ana River in Riverside County. By Monday morning, the fire had burned nearly 30,000 acres in Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties, destroying nearly 200 homes while threatening thousands more. This area has various types of residential construction, including stone exteriors and clay barrel roof tiles, both of which perform well during fires. However, many homes are surrounded by dense vegetation and have no setback. Palm trees in the neighborhood also act as a fuel. Over 26,000 people have been evacuated from the area as the fire continues to rage toward the canyons and hillsides of Diamond Bar, Chino Hills, and Brea. A major aerial effort was launched on Sunday, and officials currently estimate that the fire is 40% contained. The cause remains under investigation. The Sayre Fire, also of unknown cause, began late Friday in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest on the outskirts of Sylmar, about 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles. Fueled by dry brush vegetation and high wind gusts, a wall of flames burned across the hillside through over 10,000 acres. The most extensive loss occurred in the Oak Ridge Mobile Home Park, where about 500 high-end mobile homes were destroyed in the gated community. The blaze jumped the 210 and 5 freeways and closed them to traffic for parts of Saturday. In an ironic twist, the charred aftermath of last month’s Sesnon Fire abruptly ended the westward progress of the Sayre Fire, forcing it north into the Santa Clarita Valley. The Sayre Fire was 40% contained by Monday morning. The Tea Fire began around sundown last Thursday in the town of Montecito, about 90 miles northwest of Los Angeles in Santa Barbara County. This fire destroyed 210 residences, including many multimillion dollar homes, and burned over 1,900 acres. A map of the damaged and destroyed homes can be found here. County officials stated that the Tea Fire is no longer expanding and is around 95% contained as of Monday morning. The cause of the blaze remains under investigation, although officials have reported that the fire was “human-caused.” Over the weekend, the fires downed two of the five major electricity lines running from the San Fernando Valley into Los Angeles, causing intermittent power outages to some of the area’s residents. In addition, as families hosed down their residences before evacuating, water pressure levels dropped in some areas, threatening the efforts of the firefighters. Officials are also concerned that the Tea Fire may have contaminated the water supply in the Montecito area because water pipes are located in the path of the fire. Thick smoke from the Freeway Complex Fire settled over Los Angeles on Sunday, causing concerns about the air quality. Dozens of schools have canceled classes in Orange County, and a marathon in Pasadena was canceled on Sunday. Just over a year ago in October 2007, a series of 30 wildfires devastated California, causing about two billion dollars in damage. Over 2,000 homes were destroyed and over half a million people were forced to flee their homes. The AIR Wildfire Team is closely monitoring the fires in Southern California. Additional information will be made available as warranted by events. Meanwhile, a major earthquake struck near the coast of the Indonesian island of Sulawesi on Sunday at 17:02 UTC, about 84 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Gorontalo. The USGS has issued a magnitude estimate of 7.5 for the event. Depth is estimated at 26.1 km. Local officials reported that over 1,000 buildings on the island were damaged or destroyed, and 77 people were injured as structures collapsed. Four people were killed. In December 2004, a massive earthquake off Indonesia's Sumatra Island triggered a tsunami that battered much of the Indian Ocean coastline and killed more than 230,000 people. Because today’s event occurred off the coast of Sulawesi and take-up rates in the affected region are low, insured losses resulting from this event are expected to be minimal.

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Posting Date: November 17, 2008, 11:30:00 AM