| Show Fires burn out of control in Southern California f C. C K Sean Patrick Contributing Writer riter Over people have been evacuated from their homes as wildfires continue to burn out of control in southern California Firefighters have been working around the clock as they fight against the numerous fires that are spreading due to high winds and dry conditions According to CNN 17 fires have burned square miles in southern California Governor has declared a state of emergency for southern California and said in a news conference that the fires are a tragedy for the state of California President Bush has also declared a federal state of emergency for seven counties in California Those being evacuated were met with other problems as well Heavy smoke road closures and heavy traffic slowed travelers down Winds of up to 70 mph were also tipping over trucks with trailers causing more problems on already congested roadways They had 15 1 closed down and we must have been one of the last few cars allowed out that way said Jaime White a Utah resident headed home from vacation in San Diego The southbound side of the road was wason wason wason on fire We were literally 20 feet away from the flames According to CNN two civilians have died andover andover and and- over 1300 homes have been destroyed while thousands more are threatened due to nearby fires Of the homes destroyed over 1000 are in San Diego County alone Many southern California residents are wondering when they will be able to go and see if they will have a house to go home to c We talked to a lady at a coffee coffe coffee a sh shop p that had been evacuated evacuate i isaid isaid said White She saw her town tow on a news report that showed J houses burned to the ground She didn't know if her home home- awas j a was still standing or not i t I Ii i Over evacuees ar arr sj t. t temporarily calling j stadium home as they await new new j of their homes Restaurants hav hax j Fires I x t Continued on California Fires rage Continued from Al donated food to evacuees and the stadium staff is trying to make sure that everyone has enough water and is in good spirits despite the circumstances In addition to mandatory evacuations many school districts have closed because of poor air quality State officials have urged those who have not been evacuated to stay indoors without running an air conditioner or heater due to the heavy smoke V We haven't been evacuated yet but it has been really smoky and hazy here said Marilyn Guichard a resident of Huntington Beach Hopefully they can get the fires under control soon Those looking for information on how to help heIp may contact the Red RedCross RedCross RedCross Cross at and other disaster relief organizations |
