LOS ANGELES — A wildfire fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds raged along the fringes of Southern California communities Thursday, forcing the evacuation of homes and a university while setting recreational vehicles ablaze....
‘‘We’re at Mother Nature's mercy right now,’’ county fire spokesman Tom Kruschke told a television station....
The blazes could signal a difficult fire season ahead.
--more--"
UPDATE:
"The fire reinforced predictions that California is in for a bad summer fire season because dry winter and spring weather has left brush tinder-dry. In addition, the California Department of Water Resources found the water content in the snowpack was just 17 percent of normal. The snowmelt is a vital water source for the state. Cooler, calmer ocean air was beginning to move ashore on Friday and could send the humidity soaring — the beginning of change that could even bring a chance of rain in the fire area by Sunday night or Monday morning."
And the ‘‘worst-case weather scenario’’?
Another signal:
"Forest Service may let more fires burn" by Jason Dearen | Associated Press, March 09, 2013
SAN FRANCISCO — After coming in $400 million over budget following last year’s busy fire season, the Forest Service is altering its approach and may let more fires burn instead of attacking every one.
Now you know why it will be difficult season. And I can already here the mouthpiece media blaming global warming.
The move, quietly made in a letter late last month by Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell, brings the agency more in line with the National Parks Service and back to what it had done until last year. It also answers critics who said the agency wasted money and endangered firefighters by battling fires in remote areas that posed little or no danger to property or critical habitat.
Tidwell played down the change, saying it’s simply an ‘‘evolution of the science and the expertise’’ that has led to more emphasis on pre-fire planning and managed burns, which involve purposely setting fires to eliminate dead trees and other fuels that could help a wildfire quickly spread.
The more aggressive approach instituted last year was prompted by fears that fires left unchecked would devour large swaths of the drought-stricken West, Tidwell said.
Won't have to worry about that with all the snow.
--more--"
Also see:
Stamping Out a Forest Fire Post
Sunday Globe Special: U.S. Firefighting Funds All Burned Up
Only the Globe Can Prevent Forest Fires
Always need a scapegoat:
"Arsonist gets death for Calif. wildfire" Associated Press, January 29, 2013
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — An arsonist was sentenced to death on Monday for killing five men who died of heart attacks during a wildfire that ripped through the hills east of Los Angeles a decade ago.
Superior Court Judge Michael Smith had the option of sentencing Rickie Lee Fowler, 31, to the harshest penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
‘‘Today, after nearly 10 years, justice has now been secured for the victims and their families, and those whose lives were affected by the actions of Rickie Lee Fowler,’’ said District Attorney Michael Ramos.
Fowler was convicted in August of five counts of first-degree murder and two counts of arson. A jury recommended a death sentence for Fowler.
Prosecutors said Fowler lit the fire in 2003 in a rage after he was thrown out of a house where his family was staying.
The Old Fire scorched 91,000 acres in October 2003 and burned for nine days in the foothills above San Bernardino. The men died after their homes burned or as they tried to evacuate.
Fowler became a suspect after witnesses reported seeing a passenger in a white van tossing burning objects into dry brush. Defense attorneys said Fowler never acknowledged starting the fire.
He'll be exonerated in about 40 years.
--more--"
Maybe he set this one:
"Woman set on fire in LA" by Greg Risling | Associated Press, December 28, 2012
LOS ANGELES — For more than 10 years, the homeless woman slept on the same plastic bus stop bench at a busy intersection in the San Fernando Valley, no matter how cold or rainy it was.
The 67-year-old woman, described by one church volunteer who saw her regularly as the “sweetest lady on the street,’’ was nestled in her regular spot early Thursday when a man came out of a nearby drug store, doused her with a flammable liquid, and set her ablaze.
She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was listed in critical condition....
The attack shocked residents, and later Thursday about a dozen people held vigil around the charred bench, urging motorists to honk their horns in support of homeless rights....
Homelessness is an AmeriKan scandal of epic proportions, especially in this time of obscene wealth.
Homelessness is an AmeriKan scandal of epic proportions, especially in this time of obscene wealth.
Tej Deol, 31, who resides at a nearby sober living house, said the woman made the bench her home....
Thursday’s incident was at least the third in Los Angeles County since October in which people were set on fire.
Los Angeles police are investigating whether Dennis Petillo, 24, might be tied to any other similar crimes, but at this point detectives don’t believe he is, Commander Andrew Smith said.
As the number of flowers and candles around the bench grew Thursday, people who knew the victim tried to comprehend why a woman who seemed so benign could be so viciously attacked.
Robert Wyneken, 75, who volunteers at a nearby church that serves meals for the needy called Violet the ‘‘sweetest lady on the street.’’ He said she was quiet and resourceful.
‘‘I just think she had something in her life where she wanted to be alone,’’ he said. ‘‘She didn’t want to be a burden to anybody.’’
--more--""
Related:
"Police have released no motive for the crime that shocked the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys, where the woman had made her home on the streets for years. Locals said she was known as Violet and eked out a living by recycling cans. They described her as sweet-natured and never wanting to bother anyone. She had turned down offers of help and efforts to get her into a shelter."
We have women like that around here.
They need some water:
"The latest storm system — the third to hit the area in less than a week — moved across the region Saturday and Sunday, dropping as much as an inch of rain per hour in some areas, toppling trees, and knocking out electrical service to tens of thousands of people, officials said. And with colder temperatures than expected in the mountains, more snow and less rain was falling."
Time for a drink:
"Body found in water tank of LA hotel" by TAMI ABDOLLAH | Associated Press, February 21, 2013
LOS ANGELES — British tourist Michael Baugh and his wife said water had only dribbled out of the taps at the downtown Cecil Hotel for days.
On Tuesday, after showering, brushing their teeth, and drinking some of the tap water, they headed down to the lobby and found out why.
The body of a Canadian woman had been discovered at the bottom of one of four cisterns on the roof of the historic hotel near Skid Row. The tanks provide water for the hotel taps and would have been used by guests for washing and drinking.
‘‘The moment we found out, we felt a bit sick to the stomach, quite literally, especially having drank the water, we’re not well mentally,’’ Michael Baugh, 27, said.
Los Angeles police Sergeant Rudy Lopez said the Department of Public Health had tested the water and deemed it safe.
Then maybe you wouldn't mind a glass. In fact, we want to see you chug it.
The remains of Elisa Lam, 21, were found by a maintenance worker at the 600-room hotel that charges $65 a night after guests complained about the low water pressure.
Police detectives were working to determine whether her death was the result of foul play or an accident.
--more--"
"Cause of water tank death unclear" Associated Press, February 23, 2013
LOS ANGELES — An autopsy on a Canadian tourist’s body failed to determine whether she was killed or died accidentally in a giant water cistern on a downtown Los Angeles hotel roof.
The results were inconclusive, so coroner’s officials said Thursday that they will have to wait for toxicological tests to determine a cause of death for Elisa Lam, 21, of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Lam’s body was found Tuesday in one of several water cisterns on top of the 600-room hotel near Skid Row.
The hotel will sanitize the water lines and retest them before they are put back into operation, a county official said.
Lam traveled alone to Los Angeles on Jan. 26 and was last seen five days later by hotel workers. She intended to travel to Santa Cruz.
--more--"
Related:
"Police have released no motive for the crime that shocked the San Fernando Valley community of Van Nuys, where the woman had made her home on the streets for years. Locals said she was known as Violet and eked out a living by recycling cans. They described her as sweet-natured and never wanting to bother anyone. She had turned down offers of help and efforts to get her into a shelter."
We have women like that around here.
They need some water:
"The latest storm system — the third to hit the area in less than a week — moved across the region Saturday and Sunday, dropping as much as an inch of rain per hour in some areas, toppling trees, and knocking out electrical service to tens of thousands of people, officials said. And with colder temperatures than expected in the mountains, more snow and less rain was falling."
Time for a drink:
"Body found in water tank of LA hotel" by TAMI ABDOLLAH | Associated Press, February 21, 2013
LOS ANGELES — British tourist Michael Baugh and his wife said water had only dribbled out of the taps at the downtown Cecil Hotel for days.
On Tuesday, after showering, brushing their teeth, and drinking some of the tap water, they headed down to the lobby and found out why.
The body of a Canadian woman had been discovered at the bottom of one of four cisterns on the roof of the historic hotel near Skid Row. The tanks provide water for the hotel taps and would have been used by guests for washing and drinking.
‘‘The moment we found out, we felt a bit sick to the stomach, quite literally, especially having drank the water, we’re not well mentally,’’ Michael Baugh, 27, said.
Los Angeles police Sergeant Rudy Lopez said the Department of Public Health had tested the water and deemed it safe.
Then maybe you wouldn't mind a glass. In fact, we want to see you chug it.
The remains of Elisa Lam, 21, were found by a maintenance worker at the 600-room hotel that charges $65 a night after guests complained about the low water pressure.
Police detectives were working to determine whether her death was the result of foul play or an accident.
--more--"
"Cause of water tank death unclear" Associated Press, February 23, 2013
LOS ANGELES — An autopsy on a Canadian tourist’s body failed to determine whether she was killed or died accidentally in a giant water cistern on a downtown Los Angeles hotel roof.
The results were inconclusive, so coroner’s officials said Thursday that they will have to wait for toxicological tests to determine a cause of death for Elisa Lam, 21, of Vancouver, British Columbia.
Lam’s body was found Tuesday in one of several water cisterns on top of the 600-room hotel near Skid Row.
The hotel will sanitize the water lines and retest them before they are put back into operation, a county official said.
Lam traveled alone to Los Angeles on Jan. 26 and was last seen five days later by hotel workers. She intended to travel to Santa Cruz.
--more--"
