California burning

The news just keeps getting worserer and worserer:

At least 13 dead, 25 injured as heavy rains trigger flooding, mudflows and freeway closures across Southern California

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...109-story.html

Worserer and worserer. Thirty square miles of Montecito have been deluged with mud and boulders and dozens of homes have been destroyed. The death toll is now 15. Twenty-five people have been injured and 24 others, including a nurse who was swept away in the mudslides, are missing and unaccounted for. Helicopter crews have been rescuing people in areas which are inaccessible because of mud and downed trees. One of the rescues was a 14-year-old girl who had spent several hours trapped in the rubble of a collapsed house. At least the Thomas fire is finally out.

I'll say it again: The news just keeps getting worserer and worserer.

Montecito mudslide dead includes 4 children; search continues for more victims
At least eight people remain unaccounted for following Tuesday’s massive mud flow which killed at least 17 people and obliterated scores of homes.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...111-story.html

The latest numbers on the massive Montecito mudslides: Twenty people dead, four still missing, 65 homes destroyed and 2,500 homes damaged. The section of Highway 101 that goes through Montecito is still flooded and strewn with boulders, downed trees and mangled vehicles. Caltrans crews are working in 12-hour shifts to remove the water and debris but they can not say when the highway might reopen.

I saw on the news that a man who owns a little cafe and wine and cheese shop in Montecito has been giving free food to all the rescue workers and the residents who are stranded. That is a very generous thing to do and it is nice to know there are still some good people in America.

The bears had third-degree burns on the skin of their paws. Veterinarians performed surgery using tilapia skin. Yeah, it sounds strange -- but it worked.

Two bears burned in California wildfires recovering after release into the wild

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2018/...2021519002511/

February fires are very rare in California. February fires are probably rare everywhere, actually -- but we have one now. It is burning northwest of Bishop.

Inyo County fire grows to 2,800 acres; evacuation orders still in place

http://www.latimes.com/lanow/la-me-l...219-story.html

I picture a pompous overbearing government official declaring, "The fire is not out until I say it is out!"

After nearly six months, California's deadly Thomas fire is officially out
The Associated Press, Jun 1 2018 1:55 PM

The largest wildfire in recorded California history is officially out, nearly six months after it began. Los Padres National Forest officials declared the Thomas fire extinguished today after no hotspots were detected within the perimeter for more than two months. The fire broke out December 4 near Thomas Aquinas College northwest of Los Angeles and burned more than 440 square miles. More than half the fire was in the forest. More than 1,000 structures were lost in the fire before it was fully contained on January 12. Two people, including a state firefighter, were killed by the blaze.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...601-story.html

Southern California's "fire season" used to be September and October. Now it's all year long. Here is the latest fire. It's being driven by winds and is at 0% containment.

Laguna Beach fire grows to more than 200 acres, prompting evacuations of hundreds of homes

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...602-story.html

The Laguna Beach-Aliso Viejo fire has burned 150 acres and is now 10% contained. Yeah, 150 acres. Fire officials said the earlier report of 200 acres burned was inaccurate. Last night, 2,100 homes were evacuated. Today, only 600 remain under evacuation. So far there have been no injuries and no structural damage -- and no word on how the fire started.

At 6:11 PM today, authorities lifted the remaining evacuation orders and announced that the Laguna Beach-Aliso Viejo Fire is 40% contained. Here is a list of the biggest and deadliest wildfires in California history and an explanation of why our state has so many fires. (Spoiler alert: Hot dry weather is a major factor. Duh!)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List...rnia_wildfires

Another day, another Southern California wildfire. Many people -- and horses -- have been forced to evacuate.

Three-alarm fire scorches 500 acres of grassland in Agua Dulce

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...604-story.html

The Agua Dulce fire is being called The Stone Fire because it is near the site of a former 460-acre rock quarry. It has now burned 1,500 acres and is only 30% contained but the evacuation orders have been lifted.

I doubt the PG&E executives are worried about possible multi-million-dollar fines. They'll just pass the expense on to their customers by raising their rates.

Downed power lines caused of deadly California wine country wildfires, report says
CBS News, Jun 9 2018 12:34 AM

Downed power lines and arcing overhead conductors owned by San Francisco-based Pacific Gas & Electric Co. are to blame for a dozen wildfires in Northern California's wine country last October, the state's Department of Forestry & Fire Protection said today. The blazes killed 44 people, destroyed 8,800 structures and forced more than 100,000 people to evacuate. About 11,000 firefighters from 17 states and Australia helped battle the blazes. In eight of the 12 fires included in today's report, Cal Fire said there was evidence of violations of state law and that its findings have been forwarded to county prosecutors. Hundreds of homeowners and relatives of those killed have sued PG&E.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/norther...l-fire-report/

A brush fire near the 5 freeway in Pacoima burned five acres today. A few miles north, another fire is burning near the 5 freeway:

Evacuations triggered by fire near Santa Clarita that has burned more than 160 acres

http://ktla.com/2018/06/09/evacuatio...ver-160-acres/

Another day, another Southern California fire. This one started about an hour ago and has already burned ten acres north of Beverly Hills.

Brush fire threatening homes in Benedict Canyon

http://abc7.com/brushfire-threatenin...anyon/3594979/

The Benedict Canyon fire has now burned 40 acres and is 35% contained. It was sparked by a man using a weed wacker to clear brush. Memo to the worker: Use shears, a hoe or a shovel and you won't have to worry about starting a fire. Twenty-five homes have been evacuated. Many celebrities, including Jon Lovitz, Jon Voight, Emmy Rossum, Channing Tatum and Jessica Alba, live in Benedict Canyon.

Another day, another Southern California wildfire. It's going to be a long, hot (in more ways than one) summer.

Firefighters battling 75-acre blaze near Lake Piru in Ventura County

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/l...623-story.html

Yes indeed, it's going to be a long hot summer. Yesterday's fire near Lake Piru burned 100 acres. A huge fire that broke out today in northern California has destroyed 12 structures and is threatening 600 more. Three thousand people have been forced to evacuate.

Officials report 'zero containment' of 1,500-acre Pawnee Fire in Lake County

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pawnee-...ia-2018-06-24/

This latest fire is spreading rapidly -- very rapidly. It's northeast of Clear Lake Oaks, a cute little town with huge oak trees and a lake with lots of ducks and other birds. I vacationed there a few years ago. It's sad that so much of California has been destroyed by fire.

Pawnee Fire 'out of control,' spreads to 7,700 acres

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/pawnee-...ia-2018-06-24/