Nine killed, 35 missing in California wildfire; Malibu threatened

By Stephen Lam

 

The Woosley Fire burns in Malibu, California, U.S. November 9, 2018. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

 

PARADISE, Calif. (Reuters) - Wildfires burned out of control on Friday across California, killing at least nine people in a mountain town and forcing residents to flee the upscale beach community of Malibu in the face of a monster fire storm.

 

All nine victims were found in and around the Northern California town of Paradise, where more than 6,700 homes and businesses were burned down by the Camp Fire, making it one of the most destructive in state history, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire protection data.

 

"This event was the worst-case scenario. It was the event we have feared for a long time," Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea said at a Friday evening press conference. "Regrettably, not everybody made it out."

 

The remains of five of the victims were discovered in or near burned out cars, three outside residences and one inside a home, Honea said.

 

Another 35 people had been reported missing and three firefighters had been injured.

 

The flames descended on Paradise so quickly that many people were forced to abandon their cars and run for their lives down the sole road through the mountain town.

 

A school bus was among several abandoned vehicles left blackened by flames on one road.

 

The Camp Fire, which broke out on Thursday at the edge of the Plumas National Forest northeast of Sacramento, has since blackened more than 90,000 acres and was only 5 percent contained as of nightfall on Friday.

 

A total of 6,453 homes had been destroyed in Paradise and elsewhere, Honea said, along with 260 commercial buildings. The Tubbs Fire, which destroyed 5,636 structures in Napa and Sonoma counties in October 2017, is listed by Cal Fire as the most destructive in state history.

 

FIRE BURNS TOWARD MALIBU

 

In Malibu, some 500 miles (800 km) to the south, flames driven by hot Santa Ana winds gusting up to 50 miles per hour (80 kph) raced down hillsides and through canyons toward multi-million dollar homes.

 

Thousands of residents packed the Pacific Coast Highway to head south or took refuge on beaches, along with their horses and other pets.

 

Among those force to flee the Woolsey Fire, which had charred some 35,000 acres (14,164 hectares) as of Friday afternoon, were celebrities, including Lady Gaga and Kim Kardashian, who said on Twitter flames had damaged the home she shares in nearby Calabasas with Kanye West.

 

"Fire is now burning out of control and heading into populated areas of Malibu," the city said in a statement online. "All residents must evacuate immediately."

 

Malibu and Calabasas, west of Los Angeles, are home to hundreds of celebrities and entertainment executives attracted by ocean views, rolling hills and large, secluded estates.

 

The blaze, which spewed massive plumes of thick black smoke, also threatened parts of the nearby town of Thousand Oaks, where a gunman killed 12 people earlier this week in a shooting rampage at a college bar, stunning the bucolic Southern California community with a reputation for safety.

 

The Woolsey Fire broke out on Thursday and quickly jumped the 101 Freeway in several places. On Friday, it climbed over the Santa Monica Mountains toward Malibu.

 

Authorities were forced to shut down the 101, a major north-south artery, as well as the Pacific Coast Highway. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said a "significant number" of homes had been destroyed by the flames but that an accurate count could not yet be made.

 

Elsewhere, the Hill Fire in Ventura County's Santa Rosa Valley had charred about 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) as of Friday evening, according to Cal Fire.

 

In Los Angeles, another, smaller fire in Griffith Park forced the Los Angeles Zoo to evacuate a number of show birds and some small primates on Friday as flames came within less than 2 miles (3 km) of the facility, zoo officials said in a statement.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-11-10

It’s definitely Smokey here kinda like fog I’m afaraid the death toll will rise 

The U.S. "president," apparently suddenly an expert in forestry (who knew?), being helpful and compassionate as usual. Read the comments!

Try to imagine being burned out of your house, perhaps your entire town totally destroyed, perhaps mourning a family member killed in the fires, and hearing this from the top leader of your country.

 

 

 

????

Edited November 10, 20187 yr by Jingthing

Keep up the compassion big Donald, as I hope there are intelligent Americans who see through you and vote your ugly body out of the White house in the next election.   Sorry to all the people who have lost their homes.  Not a good November for them at all.

Geezer

3 minutes ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Keep up the compassion big Donald, as I hope there are intelligent Americans who see

through you and vote your ugly body out of the Whitehouse in the next election.  Sorry to

all the people who have lost their homes.  Not a good November for them at all.

Geezer

Also note when such disasters happen in red states, he's still can't function as a presidential consoler as it's just not who he is, but at least he doesn't go as totally disgusting as that tweet.

My granddaughter attendees Butte College which is located 7 miles south of Paradise. The campus was evacuated. The college is in the fire zone. She is safe.  http://www.butte.edu No further update.

 

Message from the President, November 9, 2018 at 9:45am (click here)

 

***

 

CAMP FIRE UPDATE (AS OF NOVEMBER 9, 10:00 P.M.)

 

The Butte College main campus, Chico Center, Cosmetology Center, and Glenn Center will remain closed next week. Online classes will not meet. For safety precautions, we ask that no one come to any Butte College sites unless asked to do so at this time due to the power outage and closed facilities.

The Skyway Center in Chico will be open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday, November 13 through Friday, November 16. Those who are due a paycheck will be able to pick up their paychecks at the Skyway Center. Other limited services to be determined will be offered as well. Faculty and Staff have all been affected by this terrible disaster. The college will work with all those affected regarding missed classes and difficulties faced due to loss and trauma.

Just heard that most of the forests in California are under the Federal governments control, so President Trump, your tweet shows your ignorance, very plainly. Duh...

Geezer

Death toll in Camp Fire climbs to 23 with dose reported missing.  https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/death-toll-in-camp-fire-climbs-to-23-with-dozens-reported-missing/1587303485

The area that Paradise Ca is located is not in a national forest. All that land is privately, county or state owned. The reported source of ignition is about 5 miles away and that location is on the Feather River in a small section of Plumas National Forest.

Edited November 11, 20187 yr by khwaibah

3 hours ago, Stargrazer9889 said:

Just heard that most of the forests in California are under the Federal governments control,

so President Trump, your tweet shows your ignorance, very plainly. Duh...

Geezer

Just did some quick research.  You seem to have made a good point.

 

According to a Ph.D. from UCLA,  "National Forests cover one fifth [of] the land in California."  Not sure if that's a majority, but it is certainly a lot of land.  California is a big state in size and population.  

 

http://www.icogitate.com/~tree/national.forests.cal.ac29.htm

 

From how Trump's text is phrased, it does sound like the president did not do his homework before tweeting (must not have been covered on Fox & Friends or Hannity's show).  Thus, I think the president should have directed his tweet to also federal agencies like maybe the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service, etc. or maybe just the Secretary of Interior.  

 

Who's in charge of all of those federal agencies and who does the Sec. of Interior report to?  

Edited November 11, 20187 yr by helpisgood
added a word

California Professional Firefighters President Brian K. Rice issued the following response to the president’s threat.

“The president’s message attacking California and threatening to withhold aid to the victims of the cataclysmic fires is Ill-informed, ill-timed and demeaning to those who are suffering as well as the men and women on the front lines.

 

“At a time when our every effort should be focused on vanquishing the destructive fires and helping the victims, the president has chosen instead to issue an uninformed political threat aimed squarely at the innocent victims of these cataclysmic fires.

 

“At this moment, thousands of our brother and sister firefighters are putting their lives on the line to protect the lives and property of thousands. Some of them are doing so even as their own homes lay in ruins. In my view, this shameful attack on California is an attack on all our courageous men and women on the front lines.

 

“The president’s assertion that California’s forest management policies are to blame for catastrophic wildfire is dangerously wrong. Wildfires are sparked and spread not only in forested areas but in populated areas and open fields fueled by parched vegetation, high winds, low humidity and geography. Moreover, nearly 60 percent of California forests are under federal management, and another two-thirds under private control. It is the federal government that has chosen to divert resources away from forest management, not California.

 

“Natural disasters are not “red” or “blue” – they destroy regardless of party. Right now, families are in mourning, thousands have lost homes, and a quarter-million Americans have been forced to flee. At this desperate time, we would encourage the president to offer support in word and deed, instead of recrimination and blame.”

10 minutes ago, helpisgood said:

and who does the Sec. of Interior report to?  

 

The Lobbyists.

My friend Carl lost his house in Paradise. Sad. Nice guy. 

1 hour ago, Goldbear said:

My friend Carl lost his house in Paradise. Sad. Nice guy. 

Very sorry to hear about your friend.   The scale of this tragedy is going to affect a lot of people, not just directly, but indirectly.