Fight against fires in 2000 at the same time! Big Sur, CA (July 8, 2008) - With dry winds and low humidity in the store, the day does not seem to be promising for fire fighters working on the central coast of California. Basin Complex in the Los Padres National Forest currently has destroying 74,985 hectares and is only 11 percent contained. The complex is consumed in one of the most beautiful destinations in the nation, Big Sur. Highway 1 remains closed and the towns of Big Sur and Caramel are threatened and evacuations are in place.
Not far south in the Los Padres fire and took Gap 9924 acres and although it is 30 percent contained today heat and low humidity could reverse progress. The Gap Fire is located six miles northwest of Santa Barbara and threatens communities, cultural and historical resources, as the J. Paul Getty. Evacuations are in order, too.
The U.S. Forest Service believes that both the pelvis and Gap fires were intentionally and asked the public for its help in investigating the blazes.
"Public education provides could be crucial to our investigation into who is responsible," said Special Agent Heather Campbell Forest Service.
The large-scale fires at each end of Los Padres National Forest - Monterey and Santa Barbara counties - were among the 330 fires burning out of control state. So far, about 1,800 fires have burned more than 600,000 hectares of forests and woodlands and there is no improvement in sight. Fires continue to burn across the state in what many predict will be the season of forest fires in California are the most damaging in recent decades.
level of the nation on Sunday, fire preparedness remains at Level 5, indicating the response resources are at their best idea strained.The the fight against so many fires at once is amazing, especially if one considers that Statistics of national, state and local governments are distributed separately. So, how many firefighters and helicopter engines work?
At the state level, CalFire (CDF) reports 20,000 firefighters and operating on 1420 engines and 420 teams of hand. The state also has 300 bulldozers, 400 water tanks and about 100 helicopters operating on the frontline.
National Interagency Fire Command, which coordinates the resources of federal government intervention, from its headquarters in Boise, Idaho, reports the 10,000 firefighters working federal, California, with over 400 engines, 50 helicopters and National Guard C-130 Sacramento, Charlotte, Cheyenne, and Colorado Springs.
There are so many fires move quickly, they often travel through the local fire districts in one day - sometimes for hours. Factor in the crews and aircraft of the city and county departments that protect areas along the coast, including Caramel, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara city and county, and dozens of volunteer organizations, and the total number of firefighters can easily reach 50,000.
It's been some time since the nation has reached Level 5 Protection against fire and fire fighters and resources from as far away as Delaware and Puerto Rico are on duty on the frontline.
A watchdog group claims firefighter safety that the control system against the Federal Fire is insufficient. At the beginning of the season, only 2/3s of the 275 USFS engines were staffed.
"The shooting system Federal implosion in California. They cross their fingers and hoping they spend the season without a disaster," said Casey Judd, who represents the government firefighters from five agencies through the Department Forest Fire Association.
In an interview with the Monterey County Herald, Judd notes that the U.S. Forest Service firefighters is 500 short of its allocation of 5,000 members for the central region of California ..
Posted on June 4, 2010.
