California remains active

[NJFFSA16]

AZUSA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire spread rapidly across 3,000
acres of national forest Sunday, sending thousands of holiday
campers fleeing.
The fire was burning in the Azusa Canyon area of the Angeles
National Forest about 30 miles east of Los Angeles.
About 7,000 to 8,000 campers were told to evacuate campgrounds.
"This was a holiday weekend and the canyon was full of
people," state Department of Forestry dispatcher James Arthur
said.
Nearly 4,250 acres of brush were aflame across California.
In El Dorado County east of Sacramento, a fire destroyed one
house and threatened at least 30 others. It had consumed 700 acres
Sunday and was 30 percent contained.
A 15-year-old boy was in the county's juvenile hall in
connection with the fire. A second boy, also 15, was questioned
then released to his family, sheriff's Lt. Kevin House said.
One boy was playing with matches when the fire started Saturday
between the cities of El Dorado Hills and Rescue, House said.
In San Bernardino County, a 554-acre fire was 46 percent
contained Sunday. Investigators were trying to determine whether a
burned body and an incendiary device were connected to the blaze
that started Thursday.
The device was discovered Sunday morning, said U.S. Forest
Service spokeswoman Ruth Wenstrom. She had no further details.
Nationwide, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 17
large active fires Sunday that were burning 660,000 acres.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A 15-year-old boy is in
custody after starting a wildfire that has burned more than 600
acres, northern California law enforcement
officials said Sunday, while firefighters in southern
California have found an incendiary device in the midst of a
wildfire there.
Lt. Kevin House, a spokesman for the El Dorado County,
California, Sheriff's Department, covering an area about 40
miles east of the state capital of Sacramento, said the
boy has admitted to starting the fire, which destroyed one home
and threatened others, while playing with matches.
Another 15-year-old was initially detained as well in
connection to the fire, but was released to his parents after
it was determined he was not involved, House said.
As of Sunday morning five to 10 residents of homes in the
path of the fire were still under an evacuation order, the
spokesman said.
A second spokesman for the sheriff's department said 1,200
people were battling the fire, which is about half contained.
He said the blaze was being fought so heavily because the fire
area is surrounded by homes on two sides and on the other two
sides by a state botanical area.
Separately, in the San Bernardino National Forest, 80 miles
northeast of Los Angeles, firefighters battling a
blaze Sunday discovered a can filled with gasoline and
equipped with a detonating device, according to Karen McKinley,
a spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service.
She said the can was drained of the gas and the detonator
disassembled by the local sheriff's department, and the area is
being cleaned up by a hazardous materials team. A spokesman for
the department was not immediately available for comment.
McKinley could not say if there was any connection between
the device and charred human remains discovered in the area of
the fire Friday. She also said no information had been
provided to the Forest Service on the identity of the body.
The fire, which has consumed 554 acres, is
46 percent contained and is expected to be fully contained by
next Friday.
As of Saturday, 17 large wildfires were burning throughout
the western United States, according to the Web site of the
National Interagency Fire Center.
While the number of wildfires to date this year is in line
with the 10-year average, according to the Center's site, the
area burned, at 6.3 million acres, is
more than twice the 10-year average.
Besides fires caused by people, a number of blazes this
summer have been blamed on severe drought conditions throughout
the West, coupled with high temperatures.

REUTERS

[Engine101]

The Azusa fire is right on the other side of the mountain, Here in Monrovia we could see the header from that fire
Right now it is 0% contained and burned 10,000 acres, There was a fire up there 5 years ago, I was up there few months back and alot of the vegitation has begun to grow back, Alot of vegitation in San Gabriel Canyon

Also E101, Arcadia E105, Alhambra E71, Monterey Park E61, San Marino E91 and San Gabriel Battalion 5 were sent on Strike Team this incident to the incident in the Santa Clarita area
This is our 8th Strike Team Deployment and 12th out of area fire assist

[NJFFSA16]

AZUSA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire spread rapidly across 10,000
acres of national forest, sending thousands of holiday campers
fleeing.
About 8,000 campers, hikers and residents had to leave the
Angeles National Forest after the fire erupted Sunday afternoon.
Several said they were separated from friends and family and had to
leave their belongings behind.
"They told us we had 10 seconds to get out, to run," Lisette
Cardenas told a Los Angeles television station. "You could see the
smoke right behind us."
The fire rapidly spread north on both sides of Highway 39 north
of Azusa, about 30 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, said U.S.
Forest Service spokeswoman Gail Wright.
It grew to 11,500 acres and there was no immediate word on when
it might be contained, said Gwen Smith of the U.S. Forest Service.
Authorities said possible causes included a lightning strike and
a propane tank explosion. The fire destroyed an abandoned forest
service building.
Farther north, in El Dorado County about 40 miles east of
Sacramento, another fire destroyed one house, consumed 776 acres
and was threatening 30 other homes, although the danger eased by
Monday afternoon, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Bill Fiedler said.
A 15-year-old boy was being detained Monday in connection with
the fire. A second boy, also 15, was released to his family on
Saturday after being questioned by authorities, said sheriff's Lt.
Kevin House.
House said at least one of the boys was playing with matches
when the fire ignited Saturday amid heavily forested canyons
between the cities of El Dorado Hills and Rescue. Forest Service
spokesman Ken Thompson said firefighters hoped to have it contained
by Tuesday.
In Wrightwood, about 55 miles northeast of Los Angeles, a
554-acre fire was 61 percent contained. Investigators had found a
body in the fire and drug manufacturing equipment for a
methamphetamine lab nearby, Forest Service spokeswoman Karen
McKinley said.
Nationwide, the National Interagency Fire Center reported 18
large active fires Monday that had burned more than 667,000 acres
in eight western states.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

[NJFFSA16]

In Northern California:
HICKOK FIRE: In El Dorado County, a 776-acre fire that began
Saturday about 40 miles east of Sacramento was fully contained
Monday night. The fire destroyed one house and an outbuilding.
Eight-hundred firefighters battled the blaze, and four were treated
for heat exhaustion. A 15-year-old boy was detained in connection
with the blaze, and a second 15-year-old boy was released to his
family after being questioned by authorities. At least one of the
boys was playing with matches when the fire started.
REDDING FIRE:
A 50-acre fire outside Redding was 80 percent contained Monday.
The blaze burned in heavy brush near a number of homes destroyed a
carport, an outbuilding and a boat. It also briefly closed Highway
299. Twenty fire engines, 4 fire crews, 5 air tankers, 1 air
attack, 3 helicopters and 4 water trucks were called out to fight
the fire.
In Southern California, major wildfires northeast and north of
Los Angeles:
CURVE FIRE: The Angeles National Forest blaze about 35 miles
northeast of Los Angeles grew to 11,000 acres Monday, continuing to
burn to the northeast and southeast. About 8,000 holiday weekend
campers were evacuated when the blaze erupted Sunday. Two homes and
two outbuildings have burned. Portions of California Highways 2 and
39 closed in the San Gabriel Mountains area.
More than 1,150 firefighters include several hundred transferred
Monday from two other nearby wildfires. The Curve fire remained out
of control. Full containment estimated on Sept. 10. Two minor
injuries among firefighters. Cause undetermined but believed to be
human caused.
WRIGHTWOOD FIRE: The San Bernardino National Forest blaze that
began Thursday near the Mountain High ski area, was held at 554
acres Monday, with containment increased to 84 percent. Estimated
full containment moved up to Wednesday evening. Fire personnel
reduced from 567 to 287 Monday with many moving to the Curve Fire,
which is about two mountain ridges away to the southwest. Seven
firefighter injuries described as minor. Estimated cost of fighting
the blaze $1.9 million through Monday.
CASTAIC FIRE: Los Angeles County fire officials said the
977-acre blaze that erupted Sunday alongside Interstate 5 was 90
percent contained Monday evening. The firefighting force was
reduced from 600 to 400. Five injuries include three firefighters
with heat exhaustion. Interstate 5 traffic curtailed after the fire
broke out Sunday was back to normal in both north- and southbound
by late Monday. The fire's cause has not been determined.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

Well this afternoon
Engine 101, Arcadia Engine 105, San Marino Engine 291, Alhambra Engine 71, Monterey Park Engine 61 and Alhambra Battalion 7 formed into strike team 1205A and are currently at the Castaic Incident

Also enroute from this area are
Burbank Engine's 11 and 14, Glendale Engine's 22 and 24, Pasadena Engine 31 and Battalion 3

[Engine101]

Forest Service officals are moving fire crews off the firelines on the curve fire in Azusa due to the threat of thunderstorms

The fire is believed to of been started by candles from animal sacrifice that was taking places up there

As for the Leona Fire in North LA County this fire is 78& contained much needed rain from hurricane now turned tropical depression in the pacfic ocean is helping firefighter's on this incident
Strike Teams 1203A and 1205A are still not back yet

[NJFFSA16]

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) - A brush fire erupted Monday in a
wilderness park surrounded by suburbs, sending a plume of smoke
over the Los Angeles area and briefly forcing residents out of
their homes.
The fire just north of downtown Los Angeles in Brand Park
quickly spread to 520 acres across the Verdugo Mountains. By
nightfall, it was 20 percent contained.
"What's running this fire is the terrain - very steep, very
heavy fuel. That's what the firefighters are working against,"
said Glendale Fire Department Capt. Thomas Marchant.
Thirty-three homes were evacuated along Glendale's border with
Burbank after flames began rolling down the north face of the range
and toward neighborhoods. But the residents were allowed to return
a few hours later.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
About 25 miles east in the San Gabriel Mountains, a wildfire was
burning across 19,000 acres in Angeles National Forest. It was 75
percent contained, said U.S. Forest Service spokeswoman Susie Wood.
That blaze is believed to have been started by candles used in
an animal sacrifice ritual on Sept. 1. It has destroyed 73
structures, including 50 recreational cabins and some Forest
Service buildings.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

GLENDALE, Calif. (AP) - A Southern California wildfire that
roared through 800 acres in a wilderness area ringed by Los Angeles
suburbs was 30 percent contained Monday evening.
Flames burned within a mile of Glendale's western border with
Burbank, forcing the temporary evacuation of 33 homes along two
streets.
"It's been years since this area burned and that's a major
contributor to why this fire has spread," said city fire Capt.
Thomas Marchant.
Firefighters have set about 100 acres aflame along the inner
edge of the fireline so that flame would meet flame instead of
fresh fuel, he said.
The blaze erupted shortly before noon in Brand Park on the south
face of the Verdugo Mountains. It quickly climbed to the crest and
burned down the north face toward neighborhoods where fire engines
were posted as a precaution.
Residents were asked to voluntarily evacuate other streets in
north Glendale and eastern Burbank, but those evacuations were
lifted by nightfall.
The American Red Cross set up an evacuation center at a Burbank
park, and a local state of emergency was declared as Glendale faced
the most dangerous of two major wildfires burning in California.
Watching the flames, resident Helen MacDonald, 84, recalled that
the last big fire in the same area was in 1963, but it spared her
neighborhood.
"If it gets out of control you have to leave with as much as
you can take, leave the rest and just hope and pray," she said.
Roughly 225 firefighters from 10 agencies were deployed, eight
firefighting helicopters and five airplanes made runs on flames
eating through thick brush on rugged slopes.
"What's running this fire is the terrain - very steep, very
heavy fuel. That's what the firefighters are working against,"
said Glendale fire Capt. Thomas Marchant.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation, he said.
The mandatory evacuations along the Glendale-Burbank border were
ordered when the fire made a westward run before climbing north up
the mountain slope.
"The way it was burning, if they had had downwinds, which is
normal for this time of day, they'd have been in trouble. I came
over because I thought Burbank might go up," said James Trabilcy,
36, of Burbank, watching the fire near Brand Park.
The fire, 10 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, gushed a huge
column of smoke that rose straight up, then bulged into a mushroom
shape and drifted south over the metropolitan area.
Glendale, population 200,000, is bisected by the Verdugos, a
brush-covered range surrounded by portions of Burbank, Los Angeles
and a number of smaller communities.
Area temperatures were in the high 80s at midday and winds were
light.
About 25 miles east in the San Gabriel Mountains, a 19,075-acre
fire in Angeles National Forest was 75 percent contained, said U.S.
Forest Service spokeswoman Susie Wood. Full containment was
predicted for Tuesday evening.
Temperatures there ranged from 60 degrees to 70 degrees, with
south-southeast winds 8-15 mph.
The blaze, believed to have been started by candles used in an
animal sacrifice ritual on Sept. 1, has destroyed 73 structures,
including 50 recreational cabins and some Forest Service buildings.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

Engine 101 responded to this incident yesterday on the 4th Alarm
Several Type 1 and Type 3 Strike Teams from all over Southern California have been sent to this incident

Two firefighter's have sufferd minor injuries, Right now IC and Ops Chief are discussing tactics for the next operational period at this time fresh personell are also enroute to take over for personell who have been on since yesterday

[NJFFSA16]

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - A quick and aggressive response by
firefighters quenched a grass fire Tuesday that threatened homes in
the Oakland hills near where a 1991 fire destroyed 3,000 homes and
killed 25 people.
The fire forced the evacuation of a church daycare and nearby
homes. The blaze that roared up the hill was stopped within yards
of homes on the ridge line with million-dollar views.
Six air tankers and three helicopters dropped water and
flame-retardant east of Highway 580. Firefighters were able to
surround the fire in the afternoon despite wind and high
temperatures.
The fire began about 11:45 a.m. No injuries were immediately
reported. Although no homes were burned, embers singed some roofs
and officials said at least one roof was burned. The fire was
initially estimated at close to 30 acres although that was later
reduced to 10 to 15 acres.
Still, there were some tense moments while the fire raged.
"We thought we were going to be evacuated. I was scared for my
mom. She doesn't have a car," said Kimberly Austin, a 21-year-old
college student who was waiting at a police barrier at the bottom
of the hill about an hour after the fire started.
Austin had rushed home Merritt College to try to pick up her
mother but was unable to get past hastily erected street barriers -
so she called her mother by cell phone.
"I said, 'I see smoke. Are you OK?' She said, 'Well, I am
packing up my things,"' Austin said. "I was crying. I was
nervous, I was saying (to law enforcement) 'Please, let me go
in."'
In Southern California, arson investigators probed a wildfire in
Glendale that had charred 1,100 mountainous acres and at one point
threatened homes.
Glendale Fire Capt. Thomas Marchant said the blaze about 10
miles north of downtown Los Angeles was suspicious, but he would
not elaborate.
The blaze erupted Monday along a trail in a wilderness park
surrounded by suburbs. It was 70 percent contained Tuesday evening.
Marchant was optimistic because the fire had only grown by 100
acres in six hours.
"The small change shows us that we're hitting it at the right
places," he said.
Firefighters were hampered by temperatures in the 90s, low
humidity, drought conditions and thick vegetation.
On Monday the fire came close enough to residential areas to
force the temporary evacuation of 33 homes. No evacuation orders
were in effect Tuesday because several canyons stood between the
flames and homes, Marchant said.
Three firefighters and a police officer suffered minor injuries.
No structures had been damaged.
The blaze erupted in Brand Park on the south face of the
mountains. It quickly climbed to the crest and burned down the
north face toward neighborhoods where fire engines were posted as a
precaution.
Glendale, with a population of 200,000, is bisected by the
Verdugos, a brush-covered range surrounded by portions of Burbank,
Los Angeles and a number of smaller communities.
About 25 miles east in the San Gabriel Mountains, a 19,375-acre
fire in Angeles National Forest was 80 percent contained, said U.S.
Forest Service spokeswoman Susie Wood. Full containment was
expected Tuesday evening.
The blaze, believed to have been started by candles used in an
animal sacrifice ritual on Sept. 1, has destroyed 73 structures,
including 50 recreational cabins and some Forest Service buildings.
A total of 11 people were injured.
The cost to fight the fire had reached $9 million.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

[Engine101]

The Mountain Incident in Glendale ca at last I heard was 70% contained and some of the weary crews on this incident were being sent home

A couple Type 3 Strike teams do remain on this incident
The cause is suspicous in nature and Investigators have been able to locate the point of orgin

[NJFFSA16]

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters made short work of a
30-acre brushfire that briefly threatened homes near this Los
Angeles suburb Thursday.
The fire was reported shortly after 1 p.m. west of town and was
doused within two hours, Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Mike
Brown said.
More than 180 firefighters responded to the blaze.
Several homes in the hilly area northeast of Los Angeles were
threatened but there were no evacuations.
The cause of the fire remained under investigation.
Meanwhile, a 20,857-acre fire that started Sept. 1 in Angeles
National Forest was contained Thursday, U.S. Forest Service
spokesman Rich Phelps said
Some 140 firefighters remained to mop up hot spots, he said.
The blaze, believed to have been started by candles used in an
animal sacrifice ritual, destroyed 73 structures, including 50
recreational cabins. A total of 14 people were injured.
Firefighting costs topped $12 million.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

Well on Saturday Engine 101, Sierra Madre E41, San Gabriel E52, Alhambra E73, Monterey Park E61 and Monrovia Battalion 10 formed Strike Team 1204A and responded to that fire in Santa Clarita

Battalion Chief Sam Digiovanna disbanded the Strike Team late that night after being released from the incident

Th forecast for the next 60-90 days is more hot weather with the starting of the annual Santa Ana Wind season (Hot, dry winds that blow in from the desert)

[NJFFSA16]

ROCKLIN, Calif. (AP) - At least six structures were burned,
including three homes, in a fast-moving brush fire east of
Sacramento Wednesday, officials said.
Several residents left their homes, and one school was
evacuated, said officials with the Rocklin Fire Department. None of
the children or school employees was injured.
An evacuation center was set up for those who left their homes,
officials said.
The blaze started at about 2:50 p.m. south of Interstate 80, at
the intersection with Sierra College Boulevard in Rocklin.
High winds fanned the flames, said Tina Rose, a spokeswoman for
the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Several
air tankers fought the blaze, which was between 500 and 600 acres,
and many farmers gathered their livestock, she said.
There was no estimate of when the fire would be contained, Rose
said.
The high winds blew embers, which then sparked other fires in
the Rocklin and Loomis area, officials said.
The blaze had "broken into three different fires," said
Russell Hildebrand, public information officer for the Rocklin Fire
Department. "Two are in south Placer County, one in Rocklin, which
is contained. The other two are still moving."
The gusty winds were driving those fires south toward Roseville
and the upscale enclave of Granite Bay, Hildebrand said. The head
of the fire was in a rural area and it looked "like they're going
to be able to contain it there," he said.
Those winds were expected to slow during the evening, he said.
"They're fighting some really tough conditions right now,"
said CDF spokeswoman Karen Terrill. "It is still extremely windy
in that area, so they're busy. That's pretty typical of this time
of year. If you look at the history of California, our worst fires
quite often are at end of fire season. Winds are more likely to be
gusty."

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

GLENDORA, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire erupted near rustic Angeles
National Forest communities Sunday, threatening homes and forcing
300 residents and 2,000 campers to flee as a plume of smoke became
visible miles away.
The fire jumped to 750 acres after erupting at 5 p.m. near Camp
Williams and Camp Follows, two privately owned campgrounds with a
mixture of 25 permanent homes, cabins, and trailers about 30 miles
east of Los Angeles, said California Department of Forestry
dispatcher Mark Glos.
Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies aided in the evacuations
from campgrounds in nearby San Gabriel Canyon.
With temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, the fire was fanned
by winds and pushed southwest through thick brush.
"The smoke column was immense because of the winds," said
Robert Brady, a spokesman with the U.S. Forest Service, said.
Roughly 250 firefighters, six helicopters and 5 air tankers were
fighting the fire earlier in the day. Another 400 to 600
firefighters have been called.
Flames licked both sides of East Fork Road and spread up Cape
Horn and Horse Canyon heading toward Glendora Mountain Road. The
fire burned three miles southeast of an area scorched earlier this
month by a fire that consumed more than 16,000 acres.
Temperatures in Southern California rose to record levels
Sunday. Chatsworth in Los Angeles County saw 108 degrees, up from
105 degrees in 1989. Borrego Desert Park in San Diego County also
sweltered under 108 degree heat, one degree higher than the 1979
record, and Simi Valley in Ventura County hit 103 degrees, three
degrees higher than in 1989. Big Bear Lake recorded a high of 82
degrees, one degree higher than in 1982.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

I can see the header from this new fire from the backyard oy my house, Pretty good header
Glendora is 4-5 miles east of Monrovia
LA County Fire Department has Strike Teams 1104A and 1109A on this incident


It was hot today, Very rare that a city like Chatsworth hits Triple Digits, Not surprising to have triple digit heat here in Monrovia

[NJFFSA16]

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (AP) - Wary residents huddled in pickup
trucks along dirt roads traversing the Santa Cruz Mountains on
Monday night, keeping close watch over a raging fire that was
threatening their homes.
The 160-acre blaze started late Monday afternoon and crackled
quickly through tinder-dry oak, brush and grasses. Fire officials
had no official estimate for containment Monday evening as 400
firefighters battled the blaze, which glowed along ridges.
Fifty homes were threatened though there were no confirmed
reports of destroyed homes or structures, said Ruth Ferziger, a
spokeswoman with the California Department of Forestry.
Several structures were visibly ablaze Monday night, however, as
dozens of residents voluntarily evacuated their homes, many hauling
horse trailers behind them.
John Moore owns six acres along the summit and stood atop a
nearby ridge with his dog, Dusty, and three cats Monday night
watching flames and thick smoke blow up the hill toward his
property.
"Everything I own is up here," he said.
April and James Williams also live near the summit and said they
did not plan to sleep that night.
"We're definitely going to be keeping an eye on it all night,"
April Williams said, adding that her fear grew when the drone of
air tankers ceased overhead around sundown.
Winds were pushing the blaze southeast Ferziger said, and smoke
from the fire was visible in Santa Cruz.
Conditions in rural Uvas Canyon County Park, about 50 miles
south of San Francisco, have been extremely dry. The lushly wooded
park comprises more than 1,200 acres on the eastern side of the
Santa Cruz Mountains.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

GLENDORA, Calif. (AP) - A 4,300-acre wildfire raged out of
control in the San Gabriel Mountains Monday as firefighters worked
in blistering heat and the rugged terrain of the Angeles National
Forest to try to surround it.
It was the larger of two dangerous blazes in California. The
other raced over 160 acres in a Santa Clara County park west of
Morgan Hill. Hundreds of firefighters attacked the flames on the
ground while 10 planes and helicopters aided from the air. That
fire threatened dozens of homes.
About 1,000 firefighters were on the lines of the Angeles
National Forest fire, but it was only 12 percent contained by
evening, said Linda Steinberg, a U.S. Forest Service fire
information officer. It had not destroyed any homes, officials
said, and no injuries were reported.
Firefighters were protecting 77 cabins and Johnstone Peak, home
to ham radio repeaters, cell phone towers and other transmission
devices, Steinberg said.
The blaze, in the East Fork of San Gabriel Canyon about 30 miles
northeast of downtown Los Angeles, created a ceiling of brown smoke
that draped Glendora and other small suburbs on the foothills of
the mountains.
The smoke and flames gave an orange tint to the moon as it rose
over the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles on Monday night,
and the smoke appeared as an orange-hued curtain in downtown Los
Angeles.
There was no estimate for when the blaze might be surrounded,
Steinberg said.
"We are experiencing extreme fire conditions," she said.
"Rugged terrain, heavy brush and we're looking at 100-plus
temperatures."
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Highway 39 into San Gabriel Canyon remained closed, along with a
few mountain roads.
Firefighters were being aided by eight helicopters and nine air
tankers.
The wildfire erupted Sunday evening near Camp Williams and Camp
Follows, two privately owned campgrounds. Winds fanned the fire and
at one point it threatened homes and forced 300 residents and 2,000
campers to flee.
"A bunch of us got in a circle and held hands and prayed,"
said Lynn Piazza, who had to leave Camp Williams on Sunday.
The fire burned three miles southeast of an area scorched
earlier this month by a 16,000-acre fire.
The National Weather Service reported a second day of record
highs in the region including 110 degrees in the Chatsworth area of
Los Angeles, 5 degrees above the mark set in 1978.
The Santa Clara County fire burned in Uvas Canyon County Park, a
lushly wooded park of more than 1,200 acres on the eastern side of
the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 55 miles south of San Francisco.
Heavy smoke from the fire was visible in Santa Cruz.
About 400 firefighters were on the scene along with four
helicopters, six air tankers and one air attack and the blaze was
moving southeast, a California Department of Forestry spokeswoman
said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

Firefighters thought they were getting a hand on it this morning when the fire jumped into a canyon of unburned fuel and took off

4,000 acres 12% contained over 1,000 firefighters on scene battaling this fire
Forecast tommarow Temp's in the high 90's to low 100's
Low humidty with shifting winds
Engine 101, Engine 52, Engine 91, Engine 61, Engine 73 and Battalion 10 formed Strike Team 1204A and were sent to this incident along with Engine 31, Engine 33, Engine 22,Engine 24, Engine 13 and Battalion 1

The fire is burning down towards homes in Glendora, La Verne and San Dimas
I am 5 miles east of this fire and yet there is a blanket of smoke hovering over town and tonight there is an orange glow from behind the mountains the fire can also be seen as far way as Downtown LA
These flames are huge in height and there was fire tornadoe even

[NJFFSA16]

LA VERNE, Calif. (AP) - Seventy homes in an upscale suburb
abutting the San Gabriel Mountains stand abandoned as a 4,300-acre
wildfire raged out of control in the rugged terrain of the Angeles
National Forest.
The fire had not destroyed any homes early Tuesday, but homes in
northwestern La Verne, about 40 miles east of Los Angeles, were
evacuated as flames moved southeasterly through the forest, fire
officials said.
"I've got butterflies," said San Dimas Canyon resident David
Butterfield, who packed a few of his belongings but opted to stay
at his house Monday while others evacuated. "They're taking this
very seriously."
The Red Cross set up temporary shelter at Bonita High School in
La Verne and a pet shelter at the Inland Valley Humane Society in
nearby Pomona.
About 850 firefighters were on the lines of the Angeles National
Forest fire, but it was only 12 percent contained by late Monday.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury, authorities said.
The fire was the larger of two dangerous blazes in California.
The other raced over 160 acres in a Santa Clara County park west of
Morgan Hill. Hundreds of firefighters attacked the flames on the
ground while 10 planes and helicopters aided from the air. That
fire threatened dozens of homes.
Forest firefighters were protecting 77 cabins and Johnstone
Peak, home to ham radio repeaters, cell phone towers and other
transmission devices.
The blaze, in the East Fork of San Gabriel Canyon, created a
ceiling of brown smoke that draped Glendora, San Dimas, and other
small suburbs on the foothills of the mountains. Flames were
visible from the downtown Los Angeles skyline. The smoke and flames
gave an orange tint to the moon as it rose over the San Gabriel
Valley east of Los Angeles on Monday night.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Highway 39 into San Gabriel Canyon remained closed.
The wildfire erupted Sunday evening near privately owned Camp
Williams and Camp Follows. Winds fanned the fire and at one point
it threatened homes and forced 300 residents and 2,000 campers to
flee.
The fire burned three miles southeast of an area scorched
earlier this month by a 16,000-acre fire.
The Santa Clara County fire burned in Uvas Canyon County Park, a
lushly wooded park of more than 1,200 acres on the eastern side of
the Santa Cruz Mountains, about 55 miles south of San Francisco.
Heavy smoke from the fire was visible in Santa Cruz.
About 400 firefighters were on the scene along with four
helicopters, six air tankers and one air attack and the blaze was
moving southeast, a California Department of Forestry spokeswoman
said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

Originally posted by Engine 101
These flames are huge in height and there was fire tornadoe even

I viewed video, fed to us from an ABC affiliate. It showed the fire tornado clearly. The headfire appeared to be VERY close to residential areas...with many, many homes!

Be Safe!!!

[MtnRsq]

This is one of the nastier situations we've seen in some time. There are many residences very close to this fire - in fact it is bumping the breaks immediately behind (in the backyard) of many homes.

We have just gotten the official word that the entire Angeles National Forest has been closed until further notice. I believe all the resources in the ANF have been pulled onto this incident. I believe there are something like 2,000 FFs on the lines and over a dozen helos and numerous fixed wing resources.

The whole LA basin is completely filled with smoke and ash.

Lots of additional resources are standing by on this one.

[Engine101]

Well the air quailty rating for Southern California is unhealthfull today due to the amount of smoke that is blanketing the southland

This morning State OES Engine's were deployed on Strike Team to this incident OES 228 assigned to Monrovia, OES 230 assginged to Arcadia, OES 281 assigned to Sierra Madre were sent

Over in Claremont Ca fire officals are beginning to get ready to defend homes in those areas

17 Helos and 9 Airplanes are battling this fire
This fire is burning away from Monrovia
This heatwave continues

[NJFFSA16]

LA VERNE, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire in the foothills above Los
Angeles jumped from 8,000 acres to 12,000 acres in just a few hours
Tuesday, sending smoke pouring over the sprawling metropolitan area
and triggering public health warnings.
The fire, spread across 11 miles of the San Gabriel Mountains,
has destroyed 44 cabins and homes and threatens hundreds of others.
Flames raged unchecked as firefighters worked in rugged canyon
terrain against erratic winds and triple-digit temperatures.
"I can see flame right from my back yard. We got ash in the
back yard, on the sidewalk and the pool," said Los Angeles Dodgers
manager Jim Tracy, who lives in Claremont, 40 miles east of
downtown. "It's not good. I've not seen anything like that."
Some two dozen aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on the
fire, which authorities said had the potential to grow to 20,000
acres.
Fear of new fires led officials to close the 650,000-acre
Angeles National Forest, which includes the mountains, to
recreation.
"We certainly can't afford another fire," said Darren Drake, a
fire spokesman. "This has got our hands full."
Conditions were so hot and dry around the fire 40 miles
northeast of Los Angeles that brittle chaparral and other brush
virtually exploded in flames when hit by sparks.
"It's whompin'," Drake said.
The fire threatened upscale homes in La Verne, San Dimas and
other suburbs.
"It's very stressful. You work all your life and to see it
threatened to this degree," said George Villegas, 37, an insurance
salesman who took a day off work to keep watch on his $600,000
home. His belongings were packed into his three cars and his wife
and two sons were staying with relatives.
Other residents described flames that towered 50 feet in the air
and jumped between ridges.
Voluntary evacuations were called for at least 500 homes and
1,000 people. A mandatory evacuation was ordered for 77
recreational cabins in San Dimas Canyon, and more than 200
youngsters were taken out of two juvenile detention camps.
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire that began
Sunday. Officials said it has spewed a roughly 2,000-foot-thick
layer of smoke over portions of Los Angeles, Riverside and San
Bernardino counties.
An unusually strong inversion layer capped the smoke, and there
was no wind to disperse it.
"If I didn't know it was smoke, I'd think it was a low fog
layer," Lu Rarogiewicz said as he looked over the San Gabriel
Valley from 5,700-foot-high Mount Wilson. The mountain was briefly
enveloped in smoke Tuesday, forcing astronomers to suspend solar
observations with the telescopes that dot the peak.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which monitors
pollutant levels in the region, issued a special smoke advisory
Tuesday, urging the public to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity in
smoky areas.
In Northern California, a 1,600-acre fire 50 miles south of San
Francisco had burned two outbuildings and threatened at least 50
rural homes. Wary residents spent Monday night atop ridges and
huddled in pickup trucks.
----
On the Net: SCAQMD: http://www.aqmd.gov

[NJFFSA16]

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (AP) - Dry brush and hot weather helped
spread a brush fire that had grown to 1,600 acres, destroyed two
outbuildings and was threatening at least 50 rural homes Tuesday on
the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Several structures visibly were ablaze as dozens of residents
voluntarily evacuated their homes Monday and Tuesday.
And Tuesday morning, the thick smoke that could be seen for
miles kept firefighting air tankers grounded, stripping the 1,000
firefighters battling the blaze of a major weapon, said Pamela
Rhoten, a spokeswoman with the California Department of Forestry.
The air tankers returned to the skies in the afternoon.
The fire started Monday around 2:15 p.m. and quickly crackled
through tinder-dry oak, brush and grasses, home to mountain lions,
bobcats, coyotes and gray foxes. The area, characterized by hot,
dry summers has seen little moisture recently.
The fire was 10 percent contained Tuesday but still spreading
quickly.
John Moore owns six acres along the summit and stood atop a
nearby ridge with his dog, Dusty, and three cats Monday night
watching flames and thick smoke blow up the hill toward his
property.
"Everything I own is up here," he said.
April and James Williams also live near the summit and said they
did not plan to sleep.
"We're definitely going to be keeping an eye on it all night,"
April Williams said, adding that her fear grew when the drone of
air tankers ceased overhead around sundown.
Smoke from the fire was visible as far away as Oakland to the
north and Santa Cruz to the west.
The fire burned near Sveadal, a resort owned by the Swedish
American Patriotic League, and near rural Uvas Canyon County Park,
about 50 miles south of San Francisco. The lushly wooded park,
named for the once-abundant wild grapes that grew there, comprises
more than 1,200 acres on the eastern side of the Santa Cruz
Mountains.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

State Office of Emergency Services as activated several OES Engine strike teams
These are engine's given to local fire departments at no cost who agree to staff the rig and send anywhere in california when needed

OES 228 is the assigned Engine to Monrovia and was dispatched along with OES 230 out of Arcadia and OES 281 out of Sierra Madre

A Cousin of mine lives in La Verne, Her home is not threatned by this fire

Verdugo which is the strike team cordinator for area c can provide 2 strike teams if needed, And if necesary at the approval of Glendale Fire Chief Chris Gray a 3rd Strike Team can be sent
Well this afternoon
Burbank Engine 12 Engine 14, Glendale Engine 25, Pasadena Engine's 34 and 36 and Glendale Battalion 2 formed into Strike Team 1202A and responded to this incident
If anyone is intresting in hearing live audio feeds of this incident e-mail me and I can direct you to a several websites with audio

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Smoke roiling off a wildfire burning over
thousands of acres in the Angeles National Forest filled much of
the metropolitan region Tuesday, sending pollution levels soaring
and triggering public health warnings.
Weather and geography conspired to extend the effects of the
Williams Fire beyond the suburban foothill cities directly
endangered by the flames on the south face of the San Gabriel
Mountains, one of the ranges that hem the Los Angeles Basin.
An unusually strong inversion layer capped the smoke, confining
it to a roughly 2,000-foot-thick layer over portions of Los
Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties, officials said.
Lack of wind further kept smoke from dispersing, shrouding the
region in gray.
"If I didn't know it was smoke, I'd think it was a low fog
layer," said weather observer Lu Rarogiewicz as he overlooked the
San Gabriel Valley from atop 5,700-foot high Mount Wilson. The
mountain was briefly enveloped in smoke earlier Tuesday, forcing
astronomers there to suspend solar observations with the telescopes
that dot the peak.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District, which monitors
pollutant levels in the region, issued a special smoke advisory
Tuesday, urging the public to avoid unnecessary outdoor activity in
areas where the smoke was present.
The smoke contains high levels of fine particles that can lodge
deep in the lungs, damaging them.
The Los Angeles County Department of Health issued an "extreme
caution advisory" for a wide area, chiefly valleys north and east
of Los Angeles were smoke was trapped.
The smoke also contains pollutants that had settled out of the
atmosphere in the last rain-free months, only to be pumped back
into the air when the soot-coated brush burned, said Joe Cassmassi,
a senior meteorologist with the air quality agency. That adds to
the stew of pollutants contained in the smoke, he added.
"It's like a double-whammy in that regard," Cassmassi said.
An onshore flow was expected to pick up later in the week and
help disperse the smoke.
----
On the Net: SCAQMD: http://www.aqmd.gov

[NJFFSA16]

Angeles National Forest closed because of wildfire

(Irwindale-AP) -- The entire Angeles National Forest was closed
to the public at noon because of the danger of new fires.
The U-S Forest Service made the announcement and said some day
passes will be issued to people with special needs.
The 650-thousand-acre forest is a major recreation area for the
Los Angeles Basin and residents of desert cities on the north side
of San Gabriel Mountains. It is also crossed by several highways
including a heavily used commuter route between the desert and
basin.
An eight-thousand-acre wildfire has destroyed more than 40
cabins.

[NJFFSA16]

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) - A wildfire that has destroyed
dozens of cabins and forced the closure of 650,000-acres in Angeles
National Forest prompted mandatory evacuations as smoke spread
across communities northeast of Los Angeles.
The fire had scorched about 22,000 acres of the national forest
by Wednesday morning, equal to about 11 square miles.
The fire was the larger of two big blazes in California. The
other raced over 1,600 acres in a park south of San Jose,
destroying 15 structures and threatening 50 homes.
The blaze northeast of Los Angeles more than doubled in size
Tuesday. Some 2,000 firefighters were hampered by rugged terrain
and temperatures that soared into the high 90s.
A fine layer of ash fell on cars and yards in several San
Gabriel Valley communities on the eastern edge of Los Angeles,
prompting air quality authorities to issue a warning.
Forty cabins and four federal research buildings were destroyed,
and residents reported seeing 30-foot flames in some areas. The
cost of battling the blaze has reached $1.5 million.
The cause of the wildfire was under investigation, although
officials ruled out barbecues or campfires as a possibility.
On the northern edge of Claremont, residents of 40 homes in
Palmer Canyon were ordered to leave because the fire was fast
approaching.
"I can see flame right from my back yard. We got ash in the
back yard, on the sidewalk and the pool," said Los Angeles Dodgers
manager Jim Tracy, who lives in Claremont, 40 miles east of
downtown Los Angeles.
The fire, which began Sunday evening near privately owned Camp
Williams and Camp Fellows, had destroyed 40 of 77 cabins and four
federal buildings in the San Dimas Canyon area. It burned just
three miles southeast of an area scorched earlier this month by a
16,000-acre fire.
California's other major wildfire roared toward 250 threatened
homes along the lushly forested Santa Cruz Mountains, destroying at
least 15 structures. More than 1,000 firefighters were deployed.
Dozens of residents voluntarily evacuated their homes and
officials warned those lingering to pack their cars so they could
leave at a moment's notice. Officials believe the blaze was sparked
Monday by a fire within a mobile home along the eastern side of the
mountains.
The fire's thick smoke has hampered firefighting efforts. Air
tankers were grounded for much of Tuesday until the smoke cleared a
bit in the afternoon. The smoke was visible from downtown San Jose,
20 miles to the north.
---
On the Net:
Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[CoastieFF]

I can see the header from this new fire from the backyard oy my house, Pretty good header

Eww... my dad's departments sent a strike team down there and they've got another team on stand by... looks like they'll be going by the end of the week.

It's gonna be a dry winter too. The whole southwest is just a giant cinder box waiting to burst.

I wish I could be down there kicking this thing too!

[Engine101]

The Willams fire is in the verge of crossing into another county
30,000 acres have burned
2,668 Firefighters on scene
4.1 Million to fight this fire
Winds blowing from the west the fire has crossed the east fork and is burning in several areas that are unburned
The fire has also begun to burn north towards where the curve fire burned
5 Minor Injuries
71 Strutures have burned
Fire is also threatning homes in the baldy village area

www.r5.fs.fed.us\angeles

http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/angeles/incident/williams/maps/924_0600.jpg

[NJFFSA16]

CLAREMONT, Calif. (AP) - A fire raging in wilderness above Los
Angeles' eastern foothills ballooned to 30,000 acres and threatened
hundreds of homes Wednesday as it marched across the San Gabriel
Mountains.
The blaze was about two miles from Mount Baldy Village, a small
community 4,000 feet up its namesake mountain, and several miles
from 700 suburban foothill homes, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P.
Michael Freeman said.
The fire has incinerated 71 cabins and other buildings within
Angeles National Forest since Sunday, but lack of strong wind was
helping firefighters keep it out of the suburban sprawl abutting
wildlands 30 to 45 miles east of Los Angeles.
"I was nervous the first few days but it doesn't seem like it's
going to come off the mountains," said Morgan Sokolow, 21, a
college student who lives in a foothill home in Claremont.
Containment was estimated at just 10 percent as flames moved
both east and west along a 15-mile-long line. About 2,700
firefighters worked the lines as 35 helicopters and airplanes
attacked the flames from the air. Five minor injuries were
reported.
Highs were in the 90s Wednesday but cooler temperatures and
higher humidity were expected in the next few days.
Hot, dry Santa Anwinds often blow between September and
February. In past years they have swept fire into neighborhoods. In
late 1993, the winds fanned fires that destroyed 1,000 buildings in
Malibu, Altadena and Laguna Beach.
Hundreds of people were ordered to leave Mount Baldy Village
Tuesday night, but about 50 chose to remain. The lodge, built in
1914, stayed open to serve as a gathering place for residents, and
plans to fight the blaze with fire hoses and water from its
44,000-gallon swimming pool, owner Missy Ellingson said.
"Most people sent their families down. The men are still
here," Ellingson said. "They've been here for years and years and
years. They're not trying to be heroes or anything but they don't
want to leave their homes."
Waiter Tom Staub noted some firefighters sipping coffee and
said, "When they go, we'll go.
"I'm nervous, absolutely. It's nerve-wracking. But I live
here," Staub said.
Fire inspectors said they had found the point of origin buried
under rocks and debris that rolled off a burned-over hillside by a
road. The cause was still under investigation, but officials ruled
out barbecues or campfires as a possibility.
The huge amount of smoke from the fire continued to reduce air
quality in some parts of the Los Angeles metropolitan region to
unhealthful levels. Two soccer matches at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
Colleges were postponed because of the pollution.
The entire 650,000-acre Angeles National Forest was closed to
recreation, although its mountain highways were open to commuter
traffic.
The fire was the larger of two serious wildland blazes in
California. The other, a 2,529-acre fire in Santa Clara County west
of Morgan Hill, was 25 percent contained after destroying 30
structures, including at least 11 homes since Monday. Six people
suffered minor injuries in that blaze.
---
Associated Press Writer Eugene Tong contributed to this report.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov/

[NJFFSA16]

MORGAN HILL, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters raced to defend scores
of homes as one of the area's largest wildfires in decades lurched
toward remote neighborhoods nestled along the lushly forested Santa
Cruz Mountains
The 2,529-acre blaze sent towering walls of flame through
tinder-dry brush and trees. At least 11 homes were confirmed
destroyed and four were damaged according to Steve Gasaway, a
California Department of Forestry spokesman.
CDF had surveyed 30 percent of the area damaged by the 3-day-old
fire. About 35 homes were checked by Wednesday evening, he said.
There was no estimate on how many outbuildings had been affected.
Six minor injuries were reported.
Dozens of firefighters and helicopters worked to halt the
advance of flames late Wednesday afternoon along the Santa
Clara-Santa Cruz County line, midway between Corralitos and Morgan
Hill. The intense flames shot 30 feet into the air and ashes snowed
down on Summit Road, along the county border.
Santa Clara County officials on Wednesday declared a state of
emergency, which allowed them to bring in additional resources from
outside and get disaster relief for residents, according to Pete
Kutras, assistant county executive.
"We know some homes have been lost and as the fire is moving, a
great number of additional homes are being threatened," Kutras
said.
The fire line was within a half mile of Kim Son Meditation
Center, a Buddhist temple on Mt. Madonna, close to Loma Prieta
peak.
On Monday, more than 150 people were at the center for a
retreat, but by Wednesday, just a handful remained. They hoped to
stay, but were staying in touch with authorities.
"If it becomes dangerous, then we'll have to leave," a nervous
Thich Quang Chieu said.
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officials
believe the fire was sparked Monday by a fire within a trailer home
along the eastern side of the mountains.
The rural area is known to law enforcement officials as a
frequent dumping ground for the remains of methamphetamine labs.
"You find a lot of dirt up there," said Santa Clara County
sheriff's deputy Terrance Helm. "We find a lot of meth equipment.
They just dump the stuff up there."
A full investigation was delayed as more than 1,500 firefighters
from around the state battled the flames, which caused propane
tanks to explode as the fire closed in on homes. Residents in an
area known as Redwood Retreat were ordered to evacuate their homes.
Winds started picking up Wednesday afternoon, boosting fears
among residents and fire officials that it would fan the wildfires.
"It's so rugged. We're in a little valley and we're just
surrounded by rough, rough terrain on all sides. It's just
impossible to try to fight," said Julie Erikson-Bowman, who lives
part-time in Sveadal, a resort owned by the Swedish American
Patriotic League.
Residents said there had not been such a big wildfire in their
area since the 1920s, though a July 1985 arson fire in the Santa
Cruz Mountains, near the Lexington Reservoir, burned 13,800 acres,
destroyed 42 homes and forced the evacuation of 4,500 people.
The fire remained 25 percent contained Wednesday, and CDF
spokesman John Amos said full containment might be possible by
Saturday. Firefighters were trying to block two active fronts that
were creeping to the southeast and north.
"It will be totally dependent on the success of operations here
tonight," Gasaway said.
Dozens of residents voluntarily evacuated their homes, and
officials warned those lingering to pack their cars so they could
leave at a moment's notice. Thick smoke was visible from downtown
San Jose, 20 miles to the north. A Red Cross shelter was opened at
a Morgan Hill high school.
Melanie Albaugh sat at the intersection of Uvas and Croy roads
with about two dozen neighbors Wednesday. She left her rental cabin
in a hurry Monday afternoon.
"I left a lot of possessions up there. We took the garbage out,
but I thought we were going to be able to come back, so I left a
lot of things up there," she said.
The area, characterized by hot, dry summers, has seen little
moisture recently. It is home to mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes
and gray foxes, as well as horses kept by many of the residents.
The fire, which Britten said has cost $1.5 million so far to
fight, was burning near the 110-acre Sveadal resort and near rural
Uvas Canyon County Park, about 50 miles south of San Francisco.
The lushly wooded park, named for the once-abundant wild grapes
that grew there, comprises more than 1,200 acres on the eastern
side of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

Here is the latest
The cost of fighting this fire is $6.6 Million
31,500 acres charred and the fire is 25% contained

[NJFFSA16]

Time to call the Kiwis for an assist!! :)

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, California (AP) - Firefighters laid
thousands of feet of fire hose and prepared strike teams to defend
homes and businesses as a 32,000-acre (12,800-hectare) wildfire
burned its way up the mountain.
The most dangerous flank of the blaze above Los Angeles' eastern
foothill suburbs on Thursday moved within 2 miles (3 kilometers) of
this community more than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) up Mount Baldy.
"We are at the top of the chimney," said Capt. Jim Wilkins, a
spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service in the village where
firefighters were doubling 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) of fire hose
already laid.
Only about 80 of the village's 900 full-time residents remained.
Air tankers rumbled overhead on sorties to bomb distant flames with
retardant and water.
The fire has burned 71 cabins and other buildings within Angeles
National Forest since it began Sunday.
Lack of wind slowed the fire's momentum and it was not projected
to reach the village before Saturday, said Capt. Mark Reinhold, an
Orange County Fire Authority spokesman.
The village is a stopping point for skiers, hikers, families on
outings and motorcycle touring groups. Its businesses and homes are
arrayed along a two-lane road that ends at the base of a ski area.
California's other major blaze, covering 3,142 acres (1,257
hectares) in Santa Cruz County near Morgan Hill was 40 percent
contained after destroying 11 homes and damaging four. It was
burning toward remote neighborhoods along the forested Santa Cruz
Mountains.
---
On the Net:
National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov

[Engine101]

The cost of this fire continues to go up
The cost of fighting this fire is now at $8.1 Million
The cause is still undetermined at this time

The road leading up to Baldy village is also very narrow

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - If the beach is this city's front yard, then
the Angeles National Forest, with its tall, rugged San Gabriel
Mountains, serves as its sprawling backyard.
Since its designation 110 years ago, it has become one of the
most visited of the 155 national forests while standing as an
alpine backdrop to crowded metropolitan Los Angeles.
But a raging wildfire that has already incinerated more than
31,000 acres of brush, has forced officials to close the forest for
the first time in a generation.
"The forest closure means I cannot walk more than 20 feet from
my back door," said Nancy Steele, whose home in suburban Altadena
abuts the forest. "That's our park. They've closed our park."
The closure could last for months - even a year - to guard
against more fires and to protect the foothill communities built up
along its fringes.
"We just simply cannot allow another ignition to create an
inferno like we've had here that continues to threaten communities
all along the Angeles area," said Ron Raley, the U.S. Forest
Service incident commander.
That's bad news to the hordes of people who use the 650,000-acre
forest much like residents of New York City use Central Park.
More than 20 million people live within an hour's drive of the
forest; 10 million visit in a typical year. On holiday weekends, as
many as 30,000 people have been known to crowd into the area now
scorched by the so-called Williams Fire.
"We have beaches, of course, but we have mountains, too. We
have the best of both worlds," said Don Bremner, head of the
Sierra Club's Pasadena chapter.
Crowning the forest are the San Gabriel Mountains, with peaks
that clear 10,000 feet.
Naturalist John Muir once wrote that in the San Gabriels,
"Mother Nature is most ruggedly, thornily savage. Not even in the
Sierra have I ever made the acquaintance of mountains more rigidly
inaccessible."
But the steepness that lures hikers and climbers also makes
fighting fires a difficult task and sparks fears that winter rains
will cause devastating floods as water cascades down steep canyons
stripped of vegetation.
The forest divides the Los Angeles Basin from the Mojave Desert,
and remains in parts a very wild place. Bears, mountain lions, deer
and bighorn sheep all roam its slopes. But it's also an urban
forest. On weekdays, its roads are traveled by harried commuters
taking a shortcut from the desert to Los Angeles.
On any given day, the forest also attracts leather-clad
motorcycle racers, tenders of illegal marijuana plantations,
practitioners of Santeria, poachers, thieves looking to dump stolen
cars, astronomers en route to the observatories atop Mount Wilson,
and hikers drawn by its many trails.
"Virtually a small city appears, and with use like that,
there's abuse," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Skip
Pullee.
When visitors are allowed to return, they will find a much
different place, since the fire has blackened some of the forest's
most heavily visited areas.
"I dread thinking of going up there and seeing what's
happened," the Sierra Club's Bremner said. "There are going to be
thousands of people who are disappointed."
---
On the Net: http://www.r5.fs.fed.us/angeles/

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press.

[Engine101]

35,000 acres 35% contained
7 Injuries all minor
44 homea and 28 outbuildings destroyed
Current cost of fighting this fire $10.1 Million
Strike Team 1204A has returned and been disbanded

[Engine101]

Offical website www.theWillamsFire.com
Willams Photo Album 1
http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/williamsgallery.html

Willams Photo Album 2
http://www.wrightwoodcalif.com/williamsgallery2.html

[NJFFSA16]

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, California (AP) - A wildfire burning near
this mountain hamlet was nearly surrounded, though high humidity
and rain made it difficult for firefighters to ignite necessary
backfires.
"The weather is controlling the fire right now," said Jon
Kohn, a Bureau of Land Management spokesman. The blaze was 80
percent contained Sunday night; full containment was expected by
Tuesday evening.
The 36,200-acre (14,480-hectare) fire still was less than 2
miles (3 kilometers) from Mount Baldy Village, but it was moving
slowly and no flames were visible from town.
The fire had burned 72 cabins and other buildings in the Angeles
National Forest and forced hundreds of residents to evacuate.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Drought-parched California, which has lost
dozens of homes and nearly a half-million acres of wilderness so
far this fire season, could soon emerge from the ashes.
If recent cooler weather lingers, it could end the season next
month. But hot, gusting Santa Ana winds are more likely to prolong
it and increase danger - particularly in Southern California.
"If history repeats itself, we still are facing the worst,"
said Karen Terrill, a spokeswoman for the California Department of
Forestry.
"We're looking for at least another six weeks of fire season,"
predicted Rick Ochoa, fire weather program coordinator for the
National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.
Experts say Californians should get used to the idea that
wildfires will be more frequent and dangerous in the future as
suburbs push ever farther into the foothills.
"There was a time 50 years ago when 100,000 acres could burn in
California and not lose a house," Terrill said. "Now it's hard to
see a 100-acre fire that doesn't threaten - if not take out - a
couple of homes."
The latest inferno, a 36,130-acre blaze that destroyed more than
70 cabins and other buildings in the Angeles National Forest,
continued to burn Sunday on the edge of suburban Los Angeles. The
Williams Fire was 80 percent contained.
The entire 650,000-acre forest northeast of Los Angeles, one of
the most heavily used national parks in the country, has been
closed indefinitely to avoid more fires.
In Northern California, a 3,127-acre blaze roaring through rural
neighborhoods along the Santa Cruz Mountains since Monday had
destroyed 31 homes. The fire was fully contained by 8 p.m.
Saturday, but would not be fully controlled for another two weeks,
CDF spokesman Bob Davis said Sunday.
Most wildfires are caused by humans, whether accidentally or on
purpose, Terrill said. In the 1940s, the state averaged 2,000
wildfires a year but over the past five years that number has
reached nearly 7,000 annually.
These days, wildland firefighters often run from house to house,
warning people as they knock down fences and navigate narrow,
winding roads.
Linda DeSalvio's home in San Dimas was threatened by the
Williams Fire until crews set backfires that raised 30-foot flames
to stop the main fire from creeping down the hillside into
backyards.
The mother of three children said the fire hasn't changed her
mind about living in the foothills, and she is confident that it's
safe, thanks to skilled firefighters, tile roofs and big back yards
to stop flames.
"I think it's a wonderful place to live," she said. "It's
very peaceful. We have the beautiful surroundings ... It's removed
enough that you don't have all the congestion of being in town but
it's close enough that you're accessible to everything."
She has only one complaint: "They want to build homes above
us."
So far this year, there have been more than 480,000 acres of
land lost in about 6,700 California wildfires, according to the
interagency fire center.
Earlier this year, the 62,000-acre Pines fire in San Diego
County destroyed 37 homes. Another 121,200 acres burned in the
Sequoia National Forest.
A 20,857-acre fire that began Sept. 1 in the Angeles National
Forest destroyed 73 structures, including 50 recreational cabins,
and injured 14 firefighters.
However, the number of fires on state and federal land has been
about normal compared to past years.
"The difference is that the fire conditions are a lot more
extreme and dangerous," said Kim Zagaris, fire and rescue chief
for the state Office of Emergency Services.
A drought has left brush tinder-dry. Much of Southern California
has seen a 150-year low for seasonal rainfall, according to the
center.
"You can go to a lumber yard and find wood that has more
moisture than some of the timber and brush that you have in
Southern California right now," Ochoa said.
Along with the drought, a devastating outbreak of sudden oak
death and a bark beetle infestation have turned tens of thousands
of trees into dead wood.
But this is not nearly the worst season on record, either in
acreage or homes lost. There were nearly 3,000 homes destroyed in
1991, most of them in the Oakland firestorm.
A record 13,476 wildfires destroyed 873,000 acres of brush and
timberland in 1987.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

That little bit of rain we got helped crews on the Willams fire alot,They are expecting full containment by 10-10-02 by 6PM If the weather holds up maybe even sooner

[NJFFSA16]

That is GREAT news...let's hope they accomplish that, and also hope the weather prevents additional ignitions! Those Santa Ana winds are lurking.....;)

[NJFFSA16]

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) - With a 9-day-old wildfire
nearly under control, residents evacuated from this mountain
village began returning home Monday evening.
The Williams Canyon fire, which has scorched 36,530 acres and
destroyed 76 houses, cabins and other buildings, was 90 percent
contained Monday night, with full containment expected by 6 p.m.
Tuesday.
At one point the blaze extended some 15 miles through the
Angeles National Forest, threatening several foothill communities
30 to 45 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
The evacuation order for Mount Baldy Village, a rustic mountain
hamlet of 900 people, was lifted at 7 p.m., said U.S. Forest
Service information manager Gary Chase.
"We've had people tell us they loved us a lot today, and we're
not used to that," Chase said.
Firefighters said light rain, cooler temperatures and low winds
in recent days helped them surround the blaze, which so far has
cost $14.9 million to fight. Its cause remains under investigation.
About 1,300 firefighters remained on the lines. At the peak of
the fire last week, 3,500 firefighters worked to bring it under
control.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press

[Engine101]

It was another overcast day here and it was a bit cold tonight
Containment is now expected by tommarow evening

[Engine101]

100 % Contained
Size: 37,240 acres
Number of Incident Personnel: 598
Cause undetermined

[NJFFSA16]

MOUNT BALDY VILLAGE, Calif. (AP) - The largest wildfire in
Southern California this year, which charred more than 38,000 acres
and destroyed 76 houses, cabins and other buildings, has been fully
contained, officials said.
The Williams fire was 100 percent contained Tuesday night as the
number of firefighters had dwindled to 600 from a peak of 3,000,
said Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Kathy Peterson.
The blaze threatened several foothill communities 30 to 45 miles
northeast of Los Angeles. About 800 residents of Mount Baldy
Village who were evacuated last week were allowed to return to
their homes Monday night.
Lower temperatures, higher humidity and light rain helped
firefighters gain control of the fire before it could come within a
mile of the rustic hamlet.
Fire officials estimate suppression costs at $15 million, an
amount that will be shared by the federal government, state and Los
Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
The blaze began Sept. 22 and quickly spread to the Angeles
National Forest. Rugged terrain and triple-digit temperatures
worked against firefighters for more than a week. Officials also
closed the entire 650,000-acre forest to guests.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The Los Angeles County assessor's office said that owners of
homes with damage of $10,000 or more might be eligible for some
property tax relief. County Assessor Rick Auerbach said that most
of the damaged homes appear to be on land leased from the federal
government, so such relief would not apply.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Transient arrested for setting blaze ruled out in other fires
smgpvsew1
GLENDORA, Calif. (AP) - A transient arrested on suspicion of
starting a 5-acre brush fire has been ruled out as a suspect in
other fires he claimed he set, authorities said Sunday.
Danny Mendez, 46, was booked for investigation of arson Saturday
in connection with a fire in the south hills of Glendora, about 30
miles east of Los Angeles, said Glendora Police Sgt. Al Wadham.
Shortly after the fire was extinguished around 10:45 a.m.,
Mendez emerged from the brush and admitted setting the blaze and
others too, including last month's "Curve Fire" that scorched
18,700 acres and destroyed 72 buildings in the Angeles National
Forest outside Azusa, authorities said.
But after questioning by investigators, Mendez, who was jailed
in lieu of $50,000 bail, was ruled out as a suspect in the other
recent fires.
"We believe he is responsible for our fire yesterday," Wadham
said. "We have not established any connection between Mr. Mendez
and any fire other than our own."
Ed Gililland, a spokesman for the U.S. Forest Service, said
investigators do not believe Mendez set the Curve Fire.
"Our law enforcement folks did question that man in Glendora
and it appears there is no connection between him and our
wildfires," Gililland said.
Firefighters, aided by helicopters and ground crews, quickly
extinguished the 5-acre brush fire in Glendora, Wadham said. No
injuries or property damage was reported.
Mendez is expected to be charged with arson Monday, Wadham said.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

SAN DIEGO (AP) - Facing the driest conditions in its recorded
history, the Cleveland National Forest will shut down indefinitely
Friday because of extreme fire danger.
"Fires this summer have burned with such intensity that they
are almost impossible to control," U.S. Forest Service supervisor
Anne Fege said Wednesday. "We must do everything possible to
prevent additional large fires in our forest."
Recreational use will be restricted to developed areas where
roads will give easy access during fire suppression. No campfires
will be allowed in any part of the forest. Remote camping also is
prohibited throughout the forest.
"We want to remind people to smoke only inside enclosed
vehicles, to be sure that all mechanical equipment has approved
spark arresters and to be careful when doing back yard barbecues,"
Fege said in a news release.
Hunting will be allowed in the Agua Tibia Wilderness and Indian
Flats.
The closure doesn't apply to private land within the forest,
which is north of the Mexican border and east of San Diego, or to
camps operating within the closure area.
Highways and roads will remain open for through traffic only.
Cleveland is the third major Southern California forest to be
closed in recent weeks because of fire danger.
The San Bernardino National Forest was closed last week because
of what officials called extreme fire conditions there. The vast
majority of the 671,686-acre forest east of Los Angeles was
expected to remain off-limits to the public for at least a month,
although the public may still visit towns within the forest.
The entire 650,000-acre Angeles National Forest just northeast
of Los Angeles was closed last month after a fire broke out there,
burning more than 38,000 acres and destroying more than 70
buildings.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[Engine101]

Firefighters get break
By Marshall Allen, Staff Writer


MONROVIA

A fire burned five acres in Monrovia Canyon Park Thursday morning, but it could have been much worse, Monrovia fire officials said.

The two-alarm fire started about 1:30 a.m. and 130 firefighters from several departments responded.

"Fires don't just develop in the middle of the night, especially with the moisture content we had in the area," Monrovia Fire Chief Sam DiGiovanna said. "It looks like someone set it."

The weather favored the firefighters, but the fire fed on dry fuel and made a run on the steep terrain, DiGiovanna said. "Had this been a couple days ago, when temperatures were up, or during the Santa Ana winds, we'd be looking at a whole different ball game," DiGiovanna said.

A controlled burn seven years ago, and the fact that the departments have regular training exercises in the park, were also factors in controlling the fire, DiGiovanna said.

[Engine101]

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA
200 PM PDT MON NOV 18 2002


...RED FLAG WARNING FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY DUE TO FOR STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND LOW HUMIDITIES ACROSS COASTAL...VALLEY AND MOUNTAIN
AREAS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA COUNTIES...ZONES 040...044...045
...046...047...088...053...AND 054.

DISCUSSION: HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER NEVADA WILL CAUSE WARM
AND GUSTY NORTHEAST WINDS ACROSS VENTURA AND LOS ANGELES COUNTIES.
WINDS WILL BE NORTHEASTERLY 25 TO 35 MPH WITH LOCALLY STRONGER GUSTS
THROUGH PASSES AND CANYONS. HUMIDITIES WILL HOVER AROUND 10 TO 15
PERCENT ESPECIALLY IN THE PASSES AND CANYONS


This means Fire department's will most likely have increased staffing as well as increase patrol's in high fire area's

The Angeles National Forest has been reopended thanks to a good amount of rain that drenched California two weeks back

[NJFFSA16]

Santa Ana winds increase fire danger

(Riverside-AP) -- This week's warm temperatures and Santa Ana
winds have prompted Southern California fire officials to beef up
staffing and issue strong warnings about fire danger.
California forestry spokesman Bill Peters says the rains earlier
this month helped only for the short term, and now "we're
basically back to where we started."
Yesterday, C-D-F moved into a "special staffing pattern,"
bringing in three strike teams from central California.
A "Red Flag Warning" also was issued yesterday for both San
Bernardino County and western Riverside County. Fire officials say
that warning is based on wind, low humidity and low fuel moisture.
Winds in the Inland Empire are forecast to be 25 to 35 miles an
hour today, with gusts to 60 miles an hour below the passes and
canyons.
(The Press-Enterprise)

[NJFFSA16]

YORBA LINDA, Calif. (AP) - Firefighters gained Thursday on a
suspicious 476-acre blaze in brushy hills along the Orange-San
Bernardino county line.
The fire, which broke out Wednesday evening, was 80 percent
contained, with no structures damaged or lost. One firefighter was
treated overnight for heat exhaustion.
Santa Ana winds that had gusted up to 35 mph at times began to
fall off, helping 150 firefighters who were on the lines about 30
miles east of Los Angeles, said Garry Layman, a spokesman with the
Orange County Fire Authority.
The fire burned a quarter-mile from the closest homes, Layman
said. Several oil wells and houses under construction were also
close but a firebreak protected them.
The fire charred 408 acres of land in the Chino Hills State
Park, which was closed to visitors, park Superintendent Ron Krueper
said.
The fire was considered "incendiary or suspicious" but
investigators had not determined the specific cause, Layman said.
The blaze was spotted at the end of Wednesday's record-setting
heat in Southern California that had put fire agencies on alert.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Fierce Santa Ana winds raked Southern
California on Monday, toppling power lines, big-rigs and trees,
stirring up huge dust clouds and raising fire danger across the
region.
More than 40,000 Southern California Edison customers were
blacked out at times during the day, and some 8,400 were still
without power by night, the utility said. Three-hundred personnel
were working to restore service.
The winds flowing out of the interior and offshore were
unleashed by upper-level low pressure over southeast California in
combination with a strong high-pressure building over the Great
Basin, the National Weather Service said.
Powerful gusts were expected to remain a problem through Tuesday
night.
"Red Flag" warnings were issued because of the strong drying
effect that dramatically increased fire danger levels. Humidity
levels plunged to the teens and single digits by afternoon, the NWS
said.
State forestry and fire officials ordered special staffing in
the Riverside region east of Los Angeles.
The winds pushed well out to sea and forecasters warned that the
east-facing harbors and landings of the Channel Islands could be
affected by a significant wind-driven swell.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

Gusting winds spread fires in Sierra Nevada foothills

(Sonora-AP) -- Wind-driven wildfires are taxing firefighting
crews up and down the northern Sierra Nevada today - weeks after
the end of northern California's official fire season.
Problems in the Tahoe and Eldorado national forests and in
Calaveras County all began when high winds spread fires set by
Sierra Pacific Industries. The timber giant ignited the fires more
than two weeks ago to burn large piles of logging debris.
A thousand-acre fire is burning south of Highway 50, two miles
south of Riverton.
About 250 acres are burning mostly on Sierra Pacific land
northeast of Nevada City.
The largest of six Calaveras County fires is 30 acres near
Highway 4 near Dorrington.
No structures are reported threatened by any of the fires.

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

CDF preparing for worst as winds head for San Diego County

(San Diego-AP) -- The California Department of Forestry is
putting resources in place in preparation for Santa Ana winds
expected to begin in San Diego County tonight (Sunday).
The C-D-F is bringing 15 people and five engines back on duty
tonight. Two dozers and four handcrews are also getting ready in
case things get out of hand.
Fire danger is expected to be very to extremely high with the
coming Santa Ana winds. Recent rains have helped dampen the ground,
but the water hasn't made its way into the heavier brush.
There's currently a ban on burning brush or incinerators in the
county.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - A 1,200-acre wildfire stoked by fierce
Santa Ana winds threatened hundreds of homes Monday in the hills
overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
An estimated 250 homes were at risk, said Los Angeles County
Fire Department spokeswoman Maria Grycan. Two homes were damaged,
along with a car.
"Right now the wind is the most dangerous aspect of this,"
Grycan said as flames danced around homes, some protected by green
lawns, others by fire engines.
The cause was under investigation, but it is believed a downed
power line sparked the blaze, Inspector Mike Brown said.
It broke out at midmorning in the Trancas Canyon area near the
west end of 27-mile-long Malibu and quickly moved northwest at a
speed of more than 3 miles per hour, said Los Angeles County Fire
Capt. Brian Jordan. It was less than 10 percent contained by 7 p.m.
as it continued to jump from ridge to ridge, burning its way up the
coast.
A mandatory evacuation was ordered for Encinal Canyon and a
voluntary evacuation was urged for Decker Canyon, said sheriff's
Lt. Phil Abner.
About 100 people left their homes. They were directed to Malibu
High School, where the Red Cross had set up a shelter, and
evacuation points at two state beaches.
About 600 firefighters were at the scene, some rushing from as
far away as Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo
counties.
Tom Sprafke, 40, owner of one of the two Malibu homes damaged by
the blaze, said after rushing home from work he began clearing
brush surrounding his home with a chain saw.
He thanked firefighters for defending his home, then noticed
smoke poring through vents. Embers apparently flew in through a
dryer exhaust vent and sparked a blaze that burned the second and
third floors of the 3,200 square-foot house.
"Material things can be replaced, that's part of living in
Malibu," Sprafke said. "You have 365 beautiful days a year, this
is just one bad one."
Also burning Monday was a 150-acre fire in a rural area near
Norco, 45 miles east of Los Angeles. An estimated five homes were
damaged, said Joanne Evans, a Riverside County fire spokeswoman.
Jane Adams, 60, walked with her daughter along Pacific Coast
Highway on Monday night to retrieve her car from her Malibu home.
Adams said she and previous owners of her Malibu house rebuilt it
after fires in 1942, 1956 and in the 1970s.
"Malibu people are stupid, they rebuild," said Adams, who has
lived in Malibu for 27 years. "We do. We stick it out."
Adams said she and her daughter were walking back to protect the
house overnight from embers that could ignite a wooden deck.
"I think we're lucky this time, now the brush will be all
burned up. We'll have another 20 years," she said.
Maren Scaccia, 33, said she rushed home as soon as she heard
about the fire to check on her 90-year-old grandmother who was
visiting from Chicago. She was relieved to find her grandmother
safe and the house spared.
"They do a good job, these firemen," Scaccia said.
The dangerous Santa Anas typically blow between September and
February. In October and November 1993, the winds fanned fires that
charred thousands of acres, killed three and destroyed 1,000
buildings in Malibu, Altadena and Laguna Beach.
The blaze in the Trancas Canyon area was the third since the
northeasterly winds hit Southern California late Sunday. A 5-acre
blaze in Latigo Canyon and a 10-acre blaze in Corral Canyon, both
to the east of Trancas, were contained early Monday.
The two earlier fires caused no damage or injuries. The cause of
those fires remained under investigation.
The seasonal winds are formed by dry air rushing from the
western interior toward the coast, gaining speed and warmth as they
descend from the high desert. They are known as Santa Anas below
the mountains and passes of Southern California.
The National Weather Service warned they would last through
Tuesday morning, with sustained speeds from 25 mph to 45 mph and
gusts to 70 mph.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

[NJFFSA16]

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Santa Ana winds returned to parts of Southern
California on Wednesday, warming the region and raising fire
danger.
The temperature topped out at 80 degrees in downtown Los
Angeles, 12 degrees above normal and just 4 degrees below the
date's record. San Diego was 5 degrees above normal at 71.
Several days of fierce Santa Anas 1½ weeks ago extensively
damaged power poles, causing blackouts that affected nearly 1
million utility customers, and whipped brush fires among homes in
Malibu and in Norco, damaging several.
The winds were being produced by strong surface high pressure
building over the Great Basin, the National Weather Service said.
The offshore flow was expected to be moderate to strong.
A so-called Red Flag warning was issued for the Santa Ana
Mountains and foothills, and areas below passes and canyons in the
Riverside-San Bernardino area.
Winds reached speeds between 25 mph and 40 mph in the mountains
of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Wednesday afternoon,
accompanied by locally higher gusts.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)