California's worst series of fires ever

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that Southern California has been on fire now since Sunday. And I'm sure I'm not the only person who has family affected by this fire. I had my sister evacuated from Encinitas as well as my cousins in Santa Clarita, not to mention a dozen other friends in the San Diego area. And living in Riverside county, just north of the San Diego county line, I've been watching their fires very closely, but as of now, they haven't come within 10 miles of me. Of course it would be nice if the television news casts actually relayed actual news. One problem we face here in south Riverside county is that we're lumped into what's generally considered part of the greater LA area, so we get LA news channels. The problem with that is the fires approaching our area are from San Diego county. So watching the LA news more useless than normal since they aren't covering the SD fires. And even if they were all we would get still follows the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality. Just more proof that the MSM is totally useless. Before going to bed last night I watched 90 minutes of news and got absolutely no useful information, and certainly nothing pertaining to the fires nearest to my area. You get the stories of the people in the evac centers, will this be better than Katrina type stories. Something tells me there will be plenty of time later to sort that kind of thing out. Let's stick to reporting the news for now. I think it was 20/20 last night that asked Michael Chertoff three questions all of which were about how the affects of Katrina are still being felt. You're interviewing the head of Homeland Security and all you can ask is about the effects of a hurricane 2 years ago? Please... Then there are the clips that follow people back to their homes and watch them sift through the rubble and say this was the garage, this was the livingroom... I don't want to seem heartless, because their loss is staggering and tragic, but it does nothing to inform the population as to what the latest fire info is. Then there are the secondary effects of fire type stories. If you watch you get to learn the breathing smoky air is probably bad for you. I needed you to interview a doctor to tell me that? And what about displaced animals? One report cut to a stable at the LA community college used to house horses from burn areas, and all the reporter there could say was that the stable was full. And the pet interviews were fun, but again, totally useless. You also get the great helicopter shots of massive flames in some random canyon, with the pilot saying yeah Bob, I'm over Dumb River Canyon and wow it's going up in flames. Now, I've lived in SoCal my entire life in LA, San Diego, and now Riverside counties and I'd like to think I know SoCal pretty well. But I've got no idea where this random canyon is or that tiny creek is or what that hill over there is called. It could be 2 miles away and I wouldn't have a clue because most people don't refer to anything around here by topographic features. Try giving real world references like major streets, freeways, and landmarks. And when the reporters do start talking streets they find the smallest dead end street possible to reference. Start small and then give a larger picture of where that is please. Then you have the anchors talking about total area burned, total number of houses destroyed, total number of people displaced simply to shock the audience. I like the statistics and hard data info, but knowing the total area burned by each fire, the number of homes destroyed by that fire, etc. doesn't help. Again maps of what the current burn area is would be nice. What area is the fire burning toward, what areas are threatened. And again show major streets and freeways please; I don't know where Rattlesnake creek is. But my favorite story from yesterday's TV news was the reporter in the Lake Arrowhead area who had just finished filming a clip in front of a house that had a couple embers starting to burn in the backyard. He said this house is about to go up in flames and that fire units were nowhere to be found. Then 2 minutes later, two firemen show up but don't have a truck, hoses, or any water. So the reporter gets to be a "hero" when he goes to the house next door and grabs a garden hose so the firefighter can put out a two foot square patch of fire. I'm sure he'll get a Pulitzer or something for that stunning report. So who's been the best source of info for me? Local city and county websites and all the phone numbers for fire agencies with the up to date info, and webcasts from the local access channels. Several of the San Diego newspapers have fire info blogs, bulletin boards, and chat rooms up where the public can get info from each other directly.

Man started Esperanza fire for his dog

It's disgusting. 40,000 acres were burned, he destroyed 10 structures, and killed five firefighters and he did it to free his dog from a local pound. RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Raymond Lee Oyler, who stands accused of setting the wildfire that killed five firefighters in October, is alleged by a relative to have said he wanted to set a mountain on fire as a diversion to break his family's pit bull out of a nearby pound, it was reported Thursday. Investigative reports show that the claim was made by Oyler's cousin, Jill Frame, when she spoke to investigators probing the Esperanza fire, which burned 40,000 acres west of Palm Springs, the Los Angeles Times reported. The dog impounded by animal control officers was one of two Oyler family pit bulls that attacked a woman and her dog in early October, The Times reported. Oh and he's accused of starting 10 other fires in the area in the three months before the Esperanza fire. I hope they consider the death penalty.

Man arrested for murder and arson in the Esperanza fire

I think we should slow roast him over an open fire... Raymond Lee Oyler, a 36-year-old car mechanic, was accused today of starting the Esperanza wildfire and faces arson and murder charges in connection with the nation's deadliest blaze for firefighters in more than a decade. Oyler, who was already in custody and accused of setting two smaller fires in the same area of Riverside County, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was held without bail and is to return to court Dec. 15. According to the complaint, Oyler faces five counts of murder, 11 counts of arson and 10 counts of using an incendiary device. He is accused of setting fires from June 7 to Oct. 26, the date of Esperanza fire. The complaint also alleges two special circumstances, murder during an arson and multiple murders. All these charges could make the bastard elligible for the death penalty, but the DA is going to ask the friends and family of the firefighters who died if that's something they'd want. Like I said... slow roast him...

SoCal on fire... again

It's in Cabazon, the Desert area about 20 miles from Palm Springs. CABAZON, Calif. - A wildfire driven by hot Santa Ana winds killed three firefighters trapped in their engine, critically injured two others and drove hundreds of people from homes Thursday as it swept through the desert hills northwest of Palm Springs. The firefighters were trying to protect a house from the 4,000-acre wildfire when the flames engulfed the engine, said Pat Boss, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman. Looking at the map to the left, Cabazon is in between Banning and Palm Springs right there near the Interstate 10. Here in Temecula it basically looks like the apocalypse is here. The sky is brown with all the smoke. Coworkers who live out towards Palm Springs say wind gusts were up to 75 mph out by the fire. A Red Flag Warning has been issued for all of Riverside County due to high winds and low humidity. I've also heard reports of fires further south in the Anza Borrego Desert (large green area cut off at the bottom of the image) and the Perris/Sun City area. I'll try to confirm those and get some pictures of the smoke in the area on my lunch. UPDATE @ 1:42pm: Yahoo story linked above also mentions 400 people trapped in a RV park off highway 243. All were quickly rushed to safety as the fire surrounded the park. **revised** All are still trapped at the RV park, but do have firefighters with them and are in contact with authorities outside the burn area. UPDATE @ 1:50pm: Here's some pictures of the smoky conditions from my home in Temecula, about 50 miles away from Cabazon. You'll notice the sky's about the same color as the road. You'd think it was dusk or sunset not shortly before 1pm in the afternoon. The first one is from my driveway looking in the opposite direction (west to the coast). We're seeing the ash falling here too... UPDATE @ 2:02pm: Local TV news reports put the fire at just over 13 hours old, 4,500 acres burned, and firefighters have no containment on it as of yet. UPDATE @ 2:06pm: LATimes says a fourth firefighter has died. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told reporters that three firefighters were killed fighting the blaze. The U.S. Forest Service confirmed the deaths, adding that two firefighters were critically injured. One of the injured died later at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff/Coroner's Office. The firefighters were trapped in their fire engine when high winds suddenly pushed the flames over them, U.S. Forest Service spokesman Pat Boss told the Associated Press. 700 area residents have been evacuated, 700 firefighters are currently battling the blaze. Estimates say the fire could end up consuming 25,000 acres before it's all said and done. UPDATE @ 2:19pm: Evacuation centers have been set up at the Banning Community Center (789 N. San Gorgonio Ave.) and Hemet High School (41701 Stetson Ave.) UPDATE @ 2:21pm: Another map of the fire area... UPDATE @ 3:01pm: The ABC "Video on Demand" on the right hand side of this link is a news conference that makes a strong case for arson on this fire. It is LIVE NEWS CONFERENCE, so tune in... They're pissed about this arson, and make no apologies for it. UPDATE @ 3:13pm: ABC7 Live News Conference finished at above link finished. UPDATE @ 3:45pm: Anyone with arson tips is instructed to call 951-922-7116. UPDATE @ 4:00pm: Authorities are offering a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of the arsonist. UPDATE @ 10/27 9:00am: A smokey sunset... UPDATE @ 10/27 10:33am: Latest fire stats... burned 24,000 acres (about 38 square miles), fire officials expected to have 3,000 firefighters on the scene by midnight last night, parts of Banning had to be evacuated last night, crews are concerned about the Santa Ana winds shifting which could push the fire east to Palm Springs or south to Hemet, and the fire is reported to be only 5% contained. There is still a $100,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the arsonist. If you have information please call 951-922-7116. The firefighters who died when trying to save a home when the fire shifted and overtook them and their truck are engine Capt. Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, of Idyllwild; engine operator Jess McLean, 27, of Beaumont; assistant engine operator Jason McKay, 27, of Phelan; and firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera, 20, of San Jacinto. A fifth firefighter, Pablo Cerda, 23, of Fountain Valley, is in critical condition with burns over 95% of his body. Please keep all the firefighters, their friends, and families in your prayers. UPDATE @ 10/27 2:56pm: Reward is upped to $300,000. Total acreage burned is at 24,000 and at least 10 structures have been destroyed. Two young men were seen leaving the area where the fire broke out about 1 a.m. Thursday. Also, investigators said they were looking into whether the wildfire was related to other blazes in recent months, including a canyon fire last weekend. UPDATE @ 10/27 4:41pm: Reward's been increased to $400,000. UPDATE @ 10/28 11:35am: The fire has currently burned nearly 40,000 acres (almost 62 square miles, but thanks to cooler temperatures and less winds the fire is currently 40% contained. The reward for information leading to the arsonist's arrest has increased again to $500,000.