It hurts to see many Homes being destroyed in California .
My heart goes out to all those people.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-anaheim-hills-fire-20171009-story.html
Several homes destroyed, at least 1,000evacuated as O.C. fire grows to 5,000 acres
Awind-fed wildfire surged over the Anaheim Hills on Monday, burning severalhomes and forcing thousands to evacuate as fire crews struggled to battle therapidly growing blaze.
The fire broke out around 9:20 a.m. near the 91Freeway and Gypsum Canyon Road, and quickly leaped the California 241 tollroad. It raced up a ridge and hit tract homes at the top of a hill. Severalcaught fire and continued to burn even as firefighters sprayed the structureswith water.
At least six structures had been damaged or lost, andone firefighter had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The Canyon Fire 2 put an added drain on statefirefighting resources as first responders battled more than a dozen blazesthat erupted in Northern California on Sunday night, leaving 10 dead and destroying1,500 structures.
ByTuesday, “we’re gonna be as stretched as we can be,” said Steven Beech, anincident commander with the California Department of Forestry and FireProtection.
Orange County fire officials evacuated at least 1,000homes as the fast-moving fire grew to nearly 5,000 acres, spitting smoke intothe air that was visible over Disneyland and caused officials to issue airquality warnings in parts of Los Angeles County.
Some residents found themselves racing out of theirhomes as the flames licked the edges of their neighborhood. Dio Compolongo, 22,said he operated “on total instinct” when he noticed the blaze wascreeping close to his family’s residence in the Anaheim Hills. He rushed tostir his two younger sisters, both of whom were home sick from school, as hefrantically checked websites to find an evacuation route.
“How do you know what to do in situations likethis?" he asked after escaping to an Anaheim evacuation center around noonMonday
Awind-fed wildfire surged over the Anaheim Hills on Monday, burning severalhomes and forcing thousands to evacuate as fire crews struggled to battle therapidly growing blaze.
The fire broke out around 9:20 a.m. near the 91Freeway and Gypsum Canyon Road, and quickly leaped the California 241 tollroad. It raced up a ridge and hit tract homes at the top of a hill. Severalcaught fire and continued to burn even as firefighters sprayed the structureswith water.
At least six structures had been damaged or lost, andone firefighter had to be treated for smoke inhalation.
The Canyon Fire 2 put an added drain on statefirefighting resources as first responders battled more than a dozen blazesthat erupted in Northern California on Sunday night, leaving 10 dead anddestroying 1,500 structures.
ByTuesday, “we’re gonna be as stretched as we can be,” said Steven Beech, anincident commander with the California Department of Forestry and FireProtection.
Orange County fire officials evacuated at least 1,000homes as the fast-moving fire grew to nearly 5,000 acres, spitting smoke intothe air that was visible over Disneyland and caused officials to issue airquality warnings in parts of Los Angeles County.
Some residents found themselves racing out of theirhomes as the flames licked the edges of their neighborhood. Dio Compolongo, 22,said he operated “on total instinct” when he noticed the blaze wascreeping close to his family’s residence in the Anaheim Hills. He rushed tostir his two younger sisters, both of whom were home sick from school, as hefrantically checked websites to find an evacuation route.
“How do you know what to do in situations likethis?" he asked after escaping to an Anaheim evacuation center around noonMonday.
Fire crews had not been able to contain anyportion of the blaze Monday evening, Wyatt said, and strong winds were makingit difficult to figure out where the flames might jump next.
“With the wind-driven event, this fire can changebehavior very rapidly,” he said during a news briefing.
At least 500 firefighters from multiple fire taskforces are battling the blaze. Beech said he expected that figure to grow tomore than 1,000 by Tuesday morning.
Evacuations were ordered south of the 91 Freeway, westof the 241 toll road, north of Nohl Ranch Road and east of Serrano Avenue. Theeastbound 91 Freeway was closed, with small spot fires reported along theroadway.
Santiago Canyon College in Orange as the fire spreadtoward the Orange Park Acres area, and Tustin police also ordered residencesnorth of Jamboree and Tustin Ranch roads to evacuate. Several elementaryschools in the area were evacuated as well, with students moved to Canyon HighSchool in Anaheim. Several regional parks were also closed as strong windspushed smoke into Orange and Santa Ana.
At a strip mall downhill from the evacuatedneighborhoods, a line snaked out from a nearby gas station. Residents of an assistedliving facility filed into buses, and ambulances could be seen transportingresidents away.
Families cast concerned glances up toward thesmoke-covered hills, over which helicopters were ferrying water from areservoir. Some used the area as a rendezvous point.
By the time Eric Schmidt, 48, had driven home from hisjob at Disney on Monday morning, police wouldn’t let him back into hisneighborhood. Parents frantic to pick up their children at a nearby elementaryschool had taken to abandoning their cars and going to grab their children onfoot.
Schmidt’s wife, Marigold, left their home with only theirthree dogs. His son Ethan walked from his high school and the family reunitedat the strip mall parking lot.
“It came so fast you couldn’t even grabanything,” said Schmidt, who added his family didn’t have a change ofclothes. A neighbor at the end of the cul-de-sac had told him the flames hadreached his back yard. Houses lower on the hill were burning.
John Carmona, a retired welder in his early 70s, hadto race out of his duplex near State College Boulevard and Ball Road as thesmoky odor from the blaze rose.
“This intense wind doesn’t help. It’s only going toget worse," he said. “I have no choice but to walk away.”
Carmona got to safety, but he had to leave behind hiscocker spaniel, Cali, after he was unable to find the dog’s collar and leash.SEEMORE VIDEOS
Officials had set up a refuge for large animals at the Orange CountyFairgrounds, and a specific staging area for horses at Yorba Regional Park inAnaheim. Evacuees needing an overnight shelter were being directed to theDowntown Anaheim Youth Center, the East Anaheim Community Center and El ModenaHigh School in Orange.
Because of the speed of the fire, responders were notattacking the blaze directly, focusing instead on moving people out of itspath, Beech said. Firefighters hoped to take a more direct approach against theblaze, which could allow them to stop its advance, if conditions become morefavorable late Monday or early Tuesday, he said.
Winds were likely to calm down overnight, Wyatt said,but officials feared that low humidity and a return of strong gusts could pickback up and fuel the blaze Tuesday.
“We’re hoping that the weather goes in our favor,” hesaid.
Bob Hill said his trip to the doctor’s office to pickup cold medication was cut short by a text message from city officials warninghim of the fire Monday morning. He immediately contacted his wife.
"Get out. Get the pictures and get out,” he wrotein a frantic text.
Hill, 66, said he had already lost a home inChatsworth during a 2008 wildfire. As he watched the potential path of Monday’sfire on television, he remained calm despite fearing he might lose another. t
“I’ve faced this before,” he said. “What else canI do?”