[phisigduchesscv]

Stan,

I totally agree with you - the Los Angeles news stations show just a few minutes of San Diego to recount the number of acres burned, number dead etc. They did a bit more coverage today after it was announced that some of the fire fighters have been pulled from the lines in order to force them to get some rest. They were showing people from the area protesting it and while I understand where they're coming from I understand why the fire fighters need some rest. Most of these guys have been on the line for 4 days straight with maybe one or two hours of sleep a day. If they keep fighting the fires without any rest the death tool will rise with fire fighters in the numbers.

My brother lives in Washington State between Tacoma and Olympia. He called and said he saw a convoy of Canadian and Northern Washington Fire Trucks heading South down the interstate. He isn't sure if they're coming to Cali or if they are going to Oregon to cover the Oregon crews that are moving down to help. We've got crews being sent from Nevada to help out now.

To put the fire in perspective for everyone, with the 10 fires in California (and now a couple in Mexico including one in Tijuana near the border) more then 522,000 acres have burned. That is 815 square miles or 3/4 the size of the state of Rhode Island.

Watching the news there is no end in sight at this point. There is even talk that it won't be stopped until it hits the coast in Malibu which is just inconceivable to me.

One of the local NBC affiliates here in Los Angeles lost their live camera truck after they had problems getting it started and getting their antenna down. Chuck Henry, the reporter, says he and the camera man are only alive because of the fireman who came to their rescue. The fire moved so fast that even the firetrucks have been slightly scorched before they could get them moved.

Editing the post to add the news I just heard. I'm not sure the exact size of the town but it was just announced that the entire city of Cuyamaca was wiped out by the fires in San Diego. Maybe one of our San Diego GCrs know more about it. It's inconceivable that a whole city can be gone.

Carolyn