Plan B Forum

San Diego Blaze Sparks New Fears As Los Angeles Still Battles Spate Of Wildfires

As the Los Angeles area battles massive wildfires that have scorched more than 140,000 acres and forced nearly 200,000 people to evacuate, a rapidly advancing blaze in nearby San Diego County is sparking new concerns.

Firefighters from across California, some 5,700 in total, traveled to Ventura and Los Angeles counties on Thursday to help halt the massive wildfires that have destroyed more than 500 structures.

The Los Angeles Unified School District, the country’s second largest with more than 640,000 students, said it closed more than a quarter of its nearly 1,100 schools for the second day in a row on Friday. The University of California Santa Barbara canceled Friday classes as well.

In San Diego County, firefighters worked to stop a rapidly intensifying blaze that prompted officials to clarify burn estimates from about 500 to some 4,000 acres in less than three hours. Authorities continued to release evacuation warnings throughout the night as the fire spread with zero percent containment.

The blazes are fueled by strong winds, which have made it increasingly difficult to get them under control. The Santa Ana winds, which blow in hot and dry from the California desert, could potentially reach hurricane-force speeds of 75 mph on Thursday, creating an “extreme fire danger,” according to an alert sent by the countywide emergency system in Los Angeles.

The National Weather Service has warned that winds are expected to increase from Thursday morning through Friday, with the strongest gusts hitting 80 mph, likely seen in the mountains. Damaging gusts up to 60 mph will also be possible in the valleys and parts of western Los Angeles and eastern Ventura Counties.

“At the end of the day, we need everyone in the public to listen and pay attention. This is not ‘watch the news and go about your day.’ This is pay attention minute-by-minute … keep your head on a swivel,” Ken Pimlott, director of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, said.

Such warnings were shared with some 12 million people in seven counties around Southern California on Wednesday after the state’s Office of Emergency Services sent an unprecedented text alert about the fire dangers. It was the broadest alert ever sent by the office, deputy director Kelly Huston told the Associated Press.

“I would rather be criticized for potentially annoying someone, than for not delivering a critical alert under these dangerous fire conditions,” Huston said.

rubato wrote:... Because he has a swimming pool i've thought about installing a semi-automated high flow rate sprinkler system using a fire pump (150-300 GPM, 2in or 3in pipe diameter). A simple system should not cost more than $2,000. It would not be perfect protection but it would help.
yrs,
rubato

rubato wrote:The pumps run on gas...
yrs,
rubato

Joe Guy wrote:It’s always good to have a flammable resource when there is a large fire spreading all around you.

RayThom wrote:

rubato wrote:The pumps run on gas...
yrs,
rubato

Sorry. I guess that's why they call it a 'fire' pump.

rubato wrote:I guess neither of you geniuses have figured out why fire trucks run on motor fuel?