So-Cal Fire Thread -- BYOP*

[TigerVols]

*Bring Your Own Phos-Chek (tm)

Amazing live video on local LA TV right now showing Malibu on fire -- hurricane-force winds are blowing and the flames are baring down on Pepperdine. Hard to tell what structures have burned but appears that there are some on fire. Tough fire to fight because the winds are so strong the air attack potential is very limited.

UPDATE:

Malibu Presbyterian Church is completely engulfed; the flames have jumped PCH and are now heading towards Malibu Road and the beach, where homes are stacked like cord-wood-- at $5 million + each.

 

[Hustle]

Re: Malibu burning

Sounds really bad. At least my wife says so. Hoping for the best for all nearby...

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

Santa Anas blowing. Malibu burned in 1993 as well. What a brutal year that was. As was 2003. Virtually no rain for 18 months out there. Sad to see, but as a SoCal native, I've seen it way way too many times.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

Home page of the L.A. Times shows the church engulfed.

http://www.latimes.com/

 

[Angola!]

Re: Malibu burning

Home page of the L.A. Times shows the church engulfed.

http://www.latimes.com/

That picture is amazing. When you say hurricane force winds, how strong exactly are those?

 

[Armchair_QB]

Re: Malibu burning

Home page of the L.A. Times shows the church engulfed.

http://www.latimes.com/

That picture is amazing. When you say hurricane force winds, how strong exactly are those?

I think anything over 75 mph is considered a cat 1 hurricane.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

Yes, 75 mph and more. It's not sustained, but gusts. Classic Santa Anas funneling through all of the canyons. I've seen worse, unfortunately.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

And with humidity in the single digits and 2-4 inches of rain in a year and a half, this could last a while.

Here's the NWS red-flag warning that was put out Saturday:

DURING THE PEAK OF THE NORTHEAST EVENT..THERE IS THE POTENTIAL FOR NORTHEAST WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH WITH DAMAGING WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 80 MPH THROUGH PASSES AND CANYONS....

PEOPLE TRAVELLING THROUGH THE ANTELOPE VALLEY ... INCLUDING HIGHWAYS 14 AND 138 ... SHOULD EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION.

 

[Dan Rydell]

Re: Malibu burning


If you watch the KTLA-5 video link on the LAT home page, best to leave the sound off. Some vapid woman was doing the running commentary from the studio, and she reeks of mediocrity. Talking about how it might be "disconcerting" for Pepperdine students to ditch the dorms and flee from a marching wall of flames.

And just generally blathering on and on and on..........

 

[Angola!]

Re: Malibu burning

I'm watching the video and I don't know what part of the fire it is, because there is no longer sound with the video, but it is starting to get really close to a bunch of buildings.

Will be interesting to see if they can stop it from burning those.

 

[SoCalDude]

Re: Malibu burning

Malibu Presbyterian is just up Malibu Canyon Road above Pepperdine. Church burned down, but firefighters got that area under control. Pepperdine is not threatened anymore.
Back closer to Santa Monica is Carbon Canyon and that is in major trouble right now. The canyons are rugged and large portions of the area are inaccessible.
Warm temperatures + Santa Ana winds = fire. Really sad.

 

[Angola!]

Re: Malibu burning

There is a line of houses on top of a ridge that look like they are in trouble. A complete wall of fire is coming toward them.

 

[poindexter]

Re: Malibu burning

Are Pam Anderson's fake cans threatened?

 

[Angola!]

Re: Malibu burning

Damn, that fire can't be more than 200 yards from a bunch of buildings on the PCH.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

Firefighter killed in San Diego battling a wildfire.
I sure as hell hope this is not 2003 all over again.

 

[Angola!]

Re: Malibu burning

Does anyone know any other TV stations that have streaming video that would be showing this? The one that is linked to the LA Times site hasn't had sound for about 2 hours now and it is annoying.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

KCBS/KCAL reporting Interstate 15 shut down in both directions because of a fire in Devore, near Glen Helen, right at the base of Cajon Pass. Gonna be a long drive home for folks from Las Vegas.

 

[MileHigh]

Re: Malibu burning

L.A. Times:

The fires burning across Southern California today are being fueled by unusual hurricane-force Santa Ana winds that topped 100 mph, and forecasters say the winds and heat will worsen in the coming days.

At Whitaker Peak, elevation 4,100 feet, gusts were clocked at 108 mph. The measurement on the isolated, tumultuous peak spoke to the strength of the winds hammering Southern California.

"The strongest winds have not occurred yet. They're going to peak [on Monday]," said Ken Clark, a Rancho Cucamonga-based expert senior meteorologist for Accuweather.com. "This is not just any strong event. This is one of the strongest events you get during any Santa Ana season."

In the Newhall Pass and in Port Hueneme, winds gusted up to 78 mph Sunday, qualifying as hurricane force gusts. Generally, gusts were measured between 30 mph to 60 mph, including in Malibu and the major wildfire areas.

 

[buckweaver]

Re: Malibu burning

Driving down Kellogg Hill in Pomona right now on I-10 West. I can see a trail ofsmoke on the horizon (next to the L.A. skyline, which is clearly visible.) I'm really not that close. Damn.

 

[Football_Bat]

Re: Malibu burning

I would post my Bullwinkle "Not Again," but it would be insensitive in this case.