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California wildfire grows, levels dozens of homes
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 07 - 05 - 2009


Wind-whipped flames that
incinerated dozens of homes and injured 10 firefighters raged through
the central California foothills at the edge of Santa Barbara for a third
day today, forcing thousands of residents to flee threatened
neighborhoods, according to Reuters.
Even as a newly reinforced crew of 1,400 firefighters
battled the blaze, which was being investigated as an arson,
the estimated size of the conflagration had nearly tripled by
daybreak to roughly 1,300 acres (525 hectares), authorities
said.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has spent
recent days promoting wildfire safety throughout the state,
visited the site of the first major fire of the year and said
dozens of homes have been destroyed.
Another 3,500 remained threatened and authorities ordered
13,500 people to evacuate their homes, he said.
A handful of homeowners ignored warnings to flee and stayed
behind in a bid to help save their own houses.
"I didn't want to lose my home. It's that simple,"
homeowner Albert Lindemann told KTLA-TV news, adding that his
house ultimately was saved by firefighters who arrived just in
time.
"I thought we were going to die," he said. "Until I started
seeing those firemen coming in there, I didn't think any human
being could be out there."
Authorities said rugged terrain, thick brush and gale-force
winds made it difficult to gain an upper hand on the blaze.
Winds died down overnight, allowing an aerial assault by
water-dropping helicopters to continue round-the-clock.
But weather forecasters said dry, hot winds were expected
to flare up again on Thursday, with gusts of up to 65 mph (100
kph) expected until Friday morning.
As of Thursday, 10 firefighters have been injured,
including three whose engine was overrun by flames on
Wednesday while they struggled to save a home. They were
reported to be in serious condition but expected to recover.
Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa
Barbara County on Wednesday, a move that frees up additional
funds and equipment. The firefighting force also was beefed up
overnight, growing from more than 900 personnel to about 1,400,
with additional helicopters and airplanes joining the battle.


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