6 Southland Blazes Burn as Fire Season Starts Early

Timefortruth

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Tue May-04-04 09:11 AM
Original message

6 Southland Blazes Burn as Fire Season Starts Early

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2026&u=/latimests/20040504/ts_latimes/6southlandblazesburnasfireseasonstartsearly&printer=1

State and local firefighters awoke to the first day of fire season Monday to face six fast-moving brush fires in Riverside, Los Angeles and San Diego counties, scorching temperatures and the dangerous conditions that fire officials fear could ignite another devastating fire season.

Fire officials said they were beginning the fire season better-prepared to do battle this year, having launched efforts to eliminate vegetation around homes, cleared mountain evacuation routes, removed dead and dying trees damaged by drought and a beetle infestation, and added computerized systems to warn residents in the path of fires.

More helicopters � some from the military � are also at the ready.

No mention of calling in the National Guard to help, as was true in the last round of fires. Where the extra helicopters are certainly welcomed they don't replace people on the ground.

Remember the good old days when we used the Guard to protect us at the homeland? Damn good thing we have a Department of Homeland Security to replace actual homeland security.

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Ruby Romaine

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Tue May-04-04 09:20 AM
Response to Original message

1. i was wondering if the fires last year (in S.D.) spread due to minimal

national guard help?
of course in the conservative areas they'll support him no matter what!

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TX-RAT

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Tue May-04-04 09:37 AM
Response to Original message

2. That area is a accident waiting to happen.

San Diego county is covered in scrub brush about 6 to 8 ft tall and so dense you can't walk through it. Fighting fires in that area is extremely difficult. Steep rocky canyons also make it difficult to position equipment.

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Timefortruth

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Tue May-04-04 09:51 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. Wouldn't the fact that the fire is predictable make planning for

the National Guard's help all the more necessary?

My point is that it was these sort of disasters that we used to employ the Guard's help. Now the states and local governments are just about totally on their own, and also broke. How does this help homeland security.

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JCMach1

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Wed May-05-04 01:46 AM
Response to Original message

4. Florida will have a bad season this year too...

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