If it's October it's Santa Ana time!

[RescueKujo 130]

1st major Santa Ana wind event forecasted to start tomorrow into Wednesday. Winds at their greatest Sunday into Monday with gusts in some areas 60+ mph. Cal-Fire, US Forest service and California OES prepositioning equipment into SoCal with staging areas in San Bernardino, Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Additional tanker aircraft have been brought into the Air Attack bases: Ramona AAB in San Diego County, Hemet-Ryan AAB in Riverside, San Bernardino AAB at the old Norton AFB, and Fox AAB in the Palmdale area of Los Angeles County. Local Government departments adding staffing for additional apparatus to be available.

Never say never, but history shows that SoCal hasn't had back to back years of large campaign type fires. We can only hope that some arsonist doesn't get a wild hair and start one.

[NJMedic 96]

As odd as it might sound I always wanted to go out to California during these major operations and watch their management teams work these incidents. We rarely have responses any where near as big or as complex as the fires during the Santa Anna season.

[helicopper 1,050]

As odd as it might sound I always wanted to go out to California during these major operations and watch their management teams work these incidents. We rarely have responses any where near as big or as complex as the fires during the Santa Anna season.

You're not alone. From across the country (including the FDNY), emergency management personnel go to these types of incidents to train and "shadow" Type 1 and Type 2 incident management teams to develop their own personal skills and get credentialed.

Unfortunately, if you're not "sponsored" by an agency or IMT and deployed with the operating team, you probably won't even get close to their ICP.

[RescueKujo 130]

The "Marek" Fire ( see IA Los Angeles, Ca Major Wildland-10-12-08) was at 1500 acres and 20% containment when I went to bed this morning. At approximately 0300 this morning the winds kicked up and gave this fire new life, causing it to roar into a firestorm. Winds speeds are gusting up to 65 mph, fire took out half of a mobile home park (estimates are 38 homes). Fire is spotting in different areas. Estimated acreage is now up to 4000 acres and containment downgraded to maybe 5%.

Duane

[Guest]

Good Luck out there, Hope ya'll can controll this before that big wind hits

[RescueKujo 130]

Dave, the winds hit in the LA area and other counties to the north of me early this morning.

***AFTERNOON UPDATE***

The Marek Fire is now at 7000 acres and still impinging on neighborhoods in the LakeView Terrace area of Los Angeles. There are now 2 reported deaths attributited to this fire, one victim of burns (apparently homeless found in a makeshift shelter this morning) and another from a traffic collision on the freeway. Smoke had banked down on the freeway, the person turned their car around going eastbound in the westbound lanes and collided headon with a tow truck, the car bursting into flames.

A 2nd fire in the area started this morning about 10 a.m. on Oat Mountain, about 3 miles away from the Marek Fire. this is burning in the Santa Sussana pass, starting north of State Hwy 118 which runs between LA and Ventura County. Currently reported to be estimated at 3000 acres, if a handle is not put on this fire could burn southeast from the origin over the Santa Monica Mountains into Malibu. Potential for hundreds of thousands of acres.

3rd fire in the Santa Clarita area (area of 6 Flags Magic Mountain. This fire has been contained. I have not heard an acreage for this one.

A couple of small fire in Riverside County have been handled without major concern.

New fire just being reported by the back gate of Camp Pendleton. This area borders with the City of Ocenaside. Structures are threatened. Just started within the last hour-no real information reported yet.

Just an idea of what it's like here-Winds today have been reported as 35 mph sustained with gusts as high as 60 mph. Currently relative humidity in Oceanside near the Camp pendleton Fire is being reported as 6%.

[RescueKujo 130]

Here's this morning's update: New start this morning in the community of Campo in the rural East County of San Diego County:

Shockey Fire

County: San Diego County

Start Date/Time: October 14, 2008 at 2:46 a.m.

Location: near Shockey Truck Trail and Highway 94

Administrative Unit: CAL FIRE San Diego Unit

Acres Burned: 100 acres

Containment: 50%

Phone Number: (619) 590-3160

Sesnon Fire

County: Los Angeles County

Start Date/Time: October 13, 2008 at 10:49 a.m.

Location: Brows Canyon and Oat Mountain Way, Porter Ranch

Administrative Unit: Los Angeles County Fire Department

Acres Burned: 7,000 acres

Containment: 0% contained

Phone Number: (800) 439-2909

Marek Fire

County: Los Angeles County

Start Date/Time: October 12, 2008 at 2:03 a.m.

Location: West Side Little Tujunga Canyon

Administrative Unit: Los Angeles County Fire / Angeles National Forest

Acres Burned: 4,824 acres

Containment: 70% contained

Phone Number: (626) 821-6700

Juliett Fire

County: San Diego County

Start Date/Time: October 13, 2008 at 10:49 a.m.

Location: Southeast portion of Camp Pendleton Marine Base

Administrative Unit: Camp Pendleton Fire and Oceanside City Fire Department

Acres Burned: 3,000 acres

Containment: 25% contained

Phone Number: (760) 725-9045

and the statewide fire map, from the Cal-Fire website:

Cal-Fire Statewide Fire map