wildfires in california

Today is the third day that over a dozen buckweed wildfires continued to rage unstopped in southern California. The fires forced an estimated 300,000 people to evacuate their homes. Winds made the flames almost impossivle for firefighters to handle. So far, the wildfires have blackened over four-hundred square miles of brushland and suburbs. The governor's Office of Emergency Services ordered mandatory evacuationgs of San Diego Count were houses were destroyed and more were still in danger. This is the largest San Diego evacuation ever where entire towns of people had to leave; 250, 000 were told to leave, overall. Residents outside this area were asked to stay home if they could.





Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said that eight-hundred National Guard troops would taken from their job to assist with evacuation and ground control in the county.The fires burned some 267,000 acres from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border. Firefighters from as far as Nevada and Arizona were called to help with the fires. So far there was only one death, in a fire in southeastern San Diego County. State emergency officials fear that these fires could surpass the destruction of 2003, when California experienced its worst fire season ever recorded. President Bush had called the governor to offer assistance with the fires that still could last for days. Qualcomm Stadium and the Del Mar Fairgrounds opened as emergency shelters with national guard troops there to help. Many people tried to save their homes with their hoses. Dozens of people in Canyon Country tried to fight off flames approachng their homes because firefighters didn't arrive in time. The San Diego Wild Animal Park was closed and the animals were transfered for their safety. Firefighting airplanes are even being used to dump water over the fires. Some of the fires appeared to have been started by downed power lines, but a few were thought to have been caused by arson. The only reported good news is that firefighters made progress in surrounding a fire in Orange County without a losing a single home. *The worst fire in state history burned nearly 750,000 acres in 2003, destroyed 3,600 homes and other buildings, and killed 24 people across Southern California, with much of the damage and more than a dozen of the deaths in San Diego County.

It's important for people to know about news like this because it is a big deal. It might not be happening on the east coast but it's a big problem in California. One good thing that can come from this is that after every fire, the land is always fertile and hopefully will regrow even better than it was. I just feel horrible for the people who had to deal with fires in their homes. Fires can happen for no reason, but are devestating and I feel deeply for anyone who has been affected by the past few days.