Shock and Awe Southland Fires Take No Prisoners

Southland Fires: ‘Designed’ for rapid dominance

Tell Schwarzenegger major damage from big fires is preventable!

As if designed by the same neocon gang who advised Pentagon on the Iraqi invasion, the ‘shock and awe’ Southland fires left behind a trail of destruction, burning hundreds of structures and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.

Baghdad after the 2003 “Shock and Awe” campaign? No, the destruction path blazed by Tea fire in Montecito November 14, 2008. (Photo: Rick Loomis/Los Angeles Times). Image may be subject to copyright.

The Southland fires were fundamentally intelligent, politically bullying, democratically inclined, technically shape-shifting and above all demanding. They demand lots of “respect” [Syn: Money.]

As if a game of chess played by the world’s top 10 players, they maneuvered through the neighborhoods, wrong footed all concerned, destroyed properties and checkmated thousands of residents. The trail of destruction spanned neighborhoods from Orange County to Santa Barbara.

Some of the fire-related stats:

• More than 30,000 people were ordered to evacuate their homes
• Interstate 5 and the 91 and 71 Freeways, were closed down.
• About 800 mobile homes were destroyed in a a community in Sylmar.
• Some 100 houses and apartments were damaged or destroyed in Riverside and Orange counties.

A fire in Corona, Riverside County, named the Freeway Complex fire damaged or destroyed up to 100 homes in Corona then crept through Ana Canyon into Orange County, destroying or damaging about 50 homes in Yorba Linda. The fire then spread to Anaheim Hills, consuming 70 homes and 60 apartments. The fire blackened about 80 sq km.

Total acreage consumed: 6,000 acres by Saturday night [ was just 5% contained.]

Sayre fire in Sylmar, which started Friday night, swept through the Oakridge Mobile Home Park destroying at least 500 housing units. By Saturday night It had spread over at least 8,000 acres.

Tea fire which destroyed 111 homes and threatened 1,500 others, was about 40% contained by Saturday night.

Schwarzenegger who toured the area devastated by Tea fire said: “When you walk around the area that was destroyed, it looks like hell.”

He declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Orange counties, following similar declaration for Santa Barbara County. Schwarzenegger said: “I feel awful for the people whose homes were destroyed.”

Major damage from all fires are preventable!

Well, Gov. Schwarzenegger instead of feeling so awful, lets do something about it. Let’s get an independent report on how to prevent property damage from most of these fires. Here are some hints on what to look for:

1. The average per acre cost of clearing bushes and shrubs in SoCal’s fire prone areas (the Moderators will tell you if the cost is exaggerated.)
2. Total acreage of the strategic locations that need to be regularly cleared to prevent 99% of the fire damage from occurring.  (Again, the Moderators would scream blue murder, if the numbers are too high, or too low).

Related News Links and Update:

• Firefighters shift focus to north Orange County
• California fires destroy 1,000 homes, winds ease

Related Links:

• Santa Barbara Fires Update
• Santa Barbara Tea Fire Targets Luxury Homes
• SoCal’s Godfather Brush Fire!

• Our Forecast for 2009 California Fires
• Marek and Sesnon Fire Update
• The “F” word is back in SoCal

• Right on Track for 2009 Cost of Calif Fires Forecast
• California Wildfire Scam Continues
• California Fires: Not Hard to Understand!

• The War on Wildfire