Fire in So Cal, news help anyone


tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
Bony or Souther Cal help

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Hey Bony can you or some of the south cal people tell me where this fire is in relation to Seal Beach Leisure world, the folks are elderly and CNN says the cell phone are jammed so that would explain why I cannot get through.

My wife Janet is their helping them pack & move and I cannot contact her.

Here is the link to where the fires are.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/22/wil...o#cnnSTCOther1

Link to Leisure world location

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp...zipcode=90740+

any news would be helpful, I worry to much but its my family
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
Bony or Souther Cal help

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hey Bony can you or some of the south cal people tell me where this fire is in relation to Seal Beach Leisure world, the folks are elderly and CNN says the cell phone are jammed so that would explain why I cannot get through.

My wife Janet is their helping them pack & move and I cannot contact her.

Here is the link to where the fires are.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/10/22/wil...o#cnnSTCOther1

Link to Leisure world location

http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp...zipcode=90740+

any news would be helpful, I worry to much but its my family


Bump
 

Chris A.

GT #32
Mark II Lifetime
Feb 6, 2007
1,245
Ortega Mountain, CA
I live in Belmont Shore and my office is in Huntington Beach. Sooooo Seal Beach is right in between.

Not even a smell of smoke over here...no sign of any trouble as of 11:30AM.


I'd be happy to drive by and meet your wife to let her use my cell phone.

Check your PM for my number
 
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H

HHGT

Guest
Same as Steve. I'm here in San Gabriel valley. I am up in the hills and I can see as far as 40+ miles on a good day. I can tell you that Huntington Beach is safe. I can also tell you that in the Los Angeles Metro area the fires are mostly saturated to Malibu Canyon which is North of LA (HB is south), Irvine and North San Diego County - I have a friend who has been evacuated - he tells me the fire is heading towards Poway. Most of these fires are in the rural canyons where the Santa Ana winds are gusting 60+ mph. Also, Lake Arrowhead (San Bernardino Mountains) is now in peril.

For the most part, LA is well equipped to deal with these sort of emergencies but real help comes from the USGS volunteer fire fighters and I understand they are on their way.

If your family needs anything at all, please call me at (626) 391-8290. Also, if you would like me to try to setup a 3-way land line call, I am more than happy to set that up as well.

Sam
 

SteveA

GT Owner/B.O.D
Mark IV Lifetime
Dec 13, 2005
3,700
Sandpoint Id
I live in Lemon Heights. Power went out at about 7pm. At 9pm I loaded up as much as I could, put the GT on the trailer and prepared to "Scram" at the request of the OCFA. Then at about 11pm the danger mostly passed and we unpacked.
As for Leisure World, the fire would have to burn through many, many neighborhoods to reach them. IMHO, I don't think there is much chance of this happening. My guess would be they(OCFA) are probably more worried about the amount of choking smoke in the air and the effict it could have on the older residents of that community.

If you have an emergency let me know and I will drive over and see if I can hunt her down.:thumbsup 949 683 9946
 

tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
Thank you all very much you have eased my mind a bunch.

Your offers of help show just how good our GT brotherhood is.

And I have saved your numbers in case I need them.

Thank you again and again.

Hard to be thousands of miles away and have to rely on the drama CNN coverage.
 

kjslider

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Mar 1, 2006
360
socal
There is no, absolutely NO, danger of wild fires hitting there.
 

todd

GT Owner
Feb 3, 2006
1,020
so. ca.
Seal beach is not in a forest fire area it is very built up. So no worries.
On the other hand my 2nd property in Aguanga is under evac orders So when we do our cruise next month we will see where the Roco fire was.
 

todd

GT Owner
Feb 3, 2006
1,020
so. ca.
check here for more info: http://www.nifc.gov/fire_info/nfn.htm
 

todd

GT Owner
Feb 3, 2006
1,020
so. ca.
A couple of pics from my house.
All those clouds are smoke. there are 2 seperate fires in these pics.
one to the east and one to the south.
 

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SYCO GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 9, 2006
5,046
California
1640 AM is the local Irvine emergency radio station. It also lists a (714) area code hotline number when you tune into the radio station.

Some of my friends in Irvine/Portola Hills areas voluntarily evacuated yesterday, and I moved my family as a precaution yesterday morning, but returned today. We personally are not currently in any apparent danger.

San Diego appears to be getting hit extremely hard, as I am sure you know by now. I encourage those that live in questionable areas to contact friends and family and let them know you are safe, or what your current status is.

I wish everyone well, and hope these multiple wildfires can be put to rest soon with minimal further damage. This is truly a devastating event to many.
 
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SYCO GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 9, 2006
5,046
California
FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED:

Calif. Fires Practically Unstoppable

Tuesday October 23, 2007 11:16 PM

By ALLISON HOFFMAN and GILLIAN FLACCUS

Associated Press Writers

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Walls of wind-whipped flames running all but unchecked consumed hundreds of homes across tinder-dry Southern California on Tuesday, and authorities ordered people in more than 350,000 homes to flee the fires.

The blazes bedeviled firefighters as fires roared from mountain passes to the edges of the state's celebrated coastline, spreading so quickly that even hotels serving as temporary shelters for evacuees had to be evacuated. Two people have been killed.

By day three, more than a dozen wildfires had burned more than 1,300 homes and businesses, and the destruction may only be the start for the region. With temperatures rising and wind gusts remaining fierce, the flames were proving nearly impossible to fight.

Marilee Bishop of Running Springs and her 10 year-old-daughter, Erica, rubbed their red eyes Tuesday morning as they woke up in a Wal-Mart parking lot where they spent the night after being forced to leave their home.

``No one ever expects something like this to happen to them,'' said Bishop, as thick smoke rose in the skies behind her.

Since they began Sunday, the fires have burned at least 373,000 acres, or 583 square miles - an area the size of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Affected areas stretched from north of Santa Barbara more than 200 miles south into Mexico. Flames climbed halfway toward the Nevada line, chewing through chunks of seven counties and devastating numerous communities.

At least 346,000 homes in San Diego County alone - roughly one in three, according to census data - were ordered to evacuate, sheriff's officials said. State officials were still struggling to estimate how many people had fled.

As the fires spread, most out of control, smaller blazes merged into larger, more fearsome ones. Evacuations were being announced in one community after another as firefighters found themselves overwhelmed by gale-force Santa Ana winds, some gusting to 70 mph. (Part I)
 

SYCO GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 9, 2006
5,046
California
(Part II of II, FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY, NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFIED)

Authorities hadn't even begun to estimate the dollar value of the damage in some of the hardest-hit areas. A fire that struck Ramona, a city outside San Diego, had destroyed 650 structures. A blaze near Fallbrook, on the eastern edge of Camp Pendleton, wiped out another 500, or three buildings for every one firefighter allocated to it. And 200 more buildings burned in a fire just south of Potrero, across from the Mexican city of Tecate.

President Bush declared a federal emergency for seven counties, a move that will speed disaster-relief efforts, and planned to visit the region Thursday, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

``All of us across this nation are concerned for the families who have lost their homes and the many families who have been evacuated from their homes,'' Bush said. ``We send the help of the federal government.''

Fire crews and fleeing residents described desperate conditions that were sure to get worse. Temperatures across Southern California were about 10 degrees above average and were expected to approach 100 degrees Tuesday in Orange and San Diego counties.

Deputies arrested two men for looting in the community of Ramona, and there were a handful of other looting cases reported, San Diego Sheriff's Lt. Mike McClain said.

The fires were exploding and shooting embers in all directions, preventing crews from forming traditional fire lines and severely limiting aerial bombardment, officials said.

``Lifesaving is our priority. Getting people out from in front of the fire - those have been our priorities,'' said Capt. Don Camp, a spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

Thousands of residents sought shelter at fairgrounds, schools and community centers. The largest gathering was at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, where up to 10,000 evacuees anxiously watched the stadium's television sets, hoping for a glimpse of their neighborhood on the local news. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders pleaded for donations of blankets, cots, pillows and food for the people staying there, and officials said more people were expected to arrive Tuesday.

The wildfires claimed at least two lives. An unidentified civilian died of burns in a fire in Santa Clarita, in northern Los Angeles County, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Jay Nichols said. Another man, Thomas Varshock, 52, was found dead Sunday.

Overall, 45 people have been injured, 16 of them firefighters.

A dozen firefighters battling blazes in Orange County had to deploy emergency shelters, a last resort when they are surrounded by flames, Orange County Fire Authority Chief Chip Prather said.

``They should not have had to do that,'' he said, complaining that quicker air support from the state might have snuffed those blazes before they blew up. ``If we'd had the resources earlier to take care of those lines with hand crews, we wouldn't have been in that situation.''

In San Diego County, public schools were closed, as were campuses at the University of California, San Diego and San Diego State University.

US Airways said it would waive some fees for customers traveling to or from Southern California who need to change their flights because of the fires.

The scope of the infernos was immense and was reminiscent of the blazes that tore through Southern California four years ago this month, killing 22 and destroying 3,640 homes.

The fires have been made worse by fierce Santa Ana winds. The winds - which sweep through Southern California's canyons in fall and winter - are stronger than normal, turning already parched scrubland into tinder. They generated walls of flame that bore down on housing developments in a wide swath.

East of Los Angeles, a fire destroyed at least 160 homes in the Lake Arrowhead area, the same mountain resort community where hundreds of homes were lost four years earlier. Officials said at least 100 more homes were destroyed Tuesday in the mountain community of Running Springs, not far away.

``It's just sad when you see that,'' Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said at a news conference after touring the area. ``We have to do everything that we can to help these people ... to help them get back on their feet as quickly as possible.''

---

Associated Press writers Chelsea J. Carter, Jeremiah Marquez, Daisy Nguyen and Thomas Watkins in Los Angeles, Martha Mendoza in Lake Arrowhead, Jacob Adelman in Santa Clarita, Elliot Spagat and Scott Lindlaw in San Diego, Pauline Arrillaga in Del Mar and Jennifer Loven in Washington contributed to this report.
 
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tpraceman

THEE GT OWNER
Mark II Lifetime
Le Mans 2010 Supporter
Feb 20, 2006
2,835
Washington Michigan
thanks Syco, I have been watching the news and all we see is interviews and photos of houses burning.

What they need to do is a good overlay of a map or maps showing exactly where the fires are. This would help everyone much more than lots of horrible photos.

I think I get more helpful information from the GT Forum people than any other source.

Tom
 

Kingman

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Aug 11, 2006
4,072
Surf City, USA
Flew out this afternoon from John Wayne Airport for Chicago. For the first time ever... for me, we took off heading east, and then the pilot turned south all the way to San Diego before heading back east again.

The entire plane was in shear awe of the devastation. You can only describe the several fires in 'miles'.
 

Ed Sims

GT Owner
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 7, 2006
7,926
NorCal
How is Woboose?

Woboose - Are you ok? I see the fire is close to you.

Ed
 

STUNTS

FORD GT OWNER & LITTLE TIMMYS DAD!
Mark IV Lifetime
Apr 5, 2006
2,438
SoCal
I left thursday last week and everything was fine... NO FIRES... spent the weekend in Chicago for my little sisters wedding and flew back monday.... That's when I heard about the fires..... We fly into Burbank... very short runway.... went over the northern fires and gusts upto 50 knots.... The plane was he-ing and haw-ing all over the place.... pilot gave us a smooth landing though......
 

SYCO GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 9, 2006
5,046
California
I talked to Laura at the Mod Hotel yesterday and she mentioned that Woboose should be entirely clear of any danger.
 

SYCO GT

GT Owner
Mark II Lifetime
Sep 9, 2006
5,046
California
thanks Syco, I have been watching the news and all we see is interviews and photos of houses burning.

What they need to do is a good overlay of a map or maps showing exactly where the fires are. This would help everyone much more than lots of horrible photos.

Tom

I agree completely. The whole time I was thinking, can we occasionally see an overhead map that shows the current location and size/shape of fire, and radius rings showing the neighboring cities? I think that would be invaluable to those in danger, and those curious about those who might be in danger.

They basically do this every night for weather, well without the radius rings...

And then the radio station broadcast was a couple generic sentences. I didn't call the hotline, since I wanted to leave it open for people who needed it, but I was hoping it had more detailed information than the TV and Radio coverage that I saw.

Of course, easier said then done, under emergency situations, but hopefully this can improve in time...
 
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todd

GT Owner
Feb 3, 2006
1,020
so. ca.
thanks Syco, I have been watching the news and all we see is interviews and photos of houses burning.

What they need to do is a good overlay of a map or maps showing exactly where the fires are. This would help everyone much more than lots of horrible photos.

I think I get more helpful information from the GT Forum people than any other source.

Tom

not the best but it is something
http://www.myfoxla.com/myfox/
 

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