A combination of years of drought, strong autumn winds, wily arsonists, careless hunters, bark beetles and man’s desire to tame nature have led to much of southern California being engulfed in flames. Tens of thousands of people have been evacuated, hundreds of homes destroyed and 15 deaths reported in the wake of a series of the worst blazes since 1991.
Yesterday more than 800 square kilometres was on fire as ten separate wildfires jumped major roads and burned homes. Two of the main fires merged, creating fresh problems for the 7 000 firefighters battling the blazes. The Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley, where one of the worst fires burned, was assigned special protection.
The fires have been the worst in the state since 1991 when 25 people died and 3 000 homes were destroyed in Oakland, northern California.
The outgoing governor, Gray Davis, declared states of emergency in all the counties affected and ordered the National Guard to help firefighting efforts. The worst fires were in San Diego county, Simi Valley and outside San Bernardino and Rancho Cucamonga.
Arsonists are believed to have started some fires. Two men seen throwing an object that started a blaze on Saturday near San Bernardino are being sought for arson and possibly murder.
One of the worst blazes, the Cedar fire near San Diego, was thought to have been caused by a distress flare fired in a wooded area by a lost hunter.
The fire’s passage has been made easier by a serious drought in southern California for the past few years; a major infestation by bark beetles which killed millions of trees and made them highly flammable; warm winds, called Santa Anas, blowing from the desert at up to 96kph; sprawling development into wilderness areas which means fires are no longer allowed to burn themselves out.
The Bush administration has suggested the fires are partly the fault of environmentalists for placing too many restrictions on loggers, leading to an increase in flammable undergrowth. Environmentalists have denied this.
It is estimated the fires will not be brought under full control before the end of the week.
Around 30 000 homes are still seen as under threat. – Guardian Unlimited Â