California Fires

[HisDaughter]

"Punishment" hasn't really crossed my mind in this instance.  It did with New Orleans of course.  But I would be more likely to think "punishment" if Hollywood and San Francisco were hit.
On the news last night the firemen said that arson was suspect.  Now this could be interesting.  If it was just in one spot, one could suspect children.  If it was in a couple spots, maybe one or two pyros at work.  But in this many separate spots?  Well that makes for interesting speculation doesn't it?

[Soldier4Christ]

On the news last night the firemen said that arson was suspect.  Now this could be interesting.  If it was just in one spot, one could suspect children.  If it was in a couple spots, maybe one or two pyros at work.  But in this many separate spots?  Well that makes for interesting speculation doesn't it?

I hadn't heard about arson being suspected but yes, it does lead to some interesting speculation and I have been having thoughts along those lines already.

[HisDaughter]

Another email from my son....

Hi Mom,
Today is about the same. The fires are still in the same areas. The funny thing is that the fire is moving really close to where we used to live. We just moved out here to Alpine about a month ago. Looks like God was watching out for us there. The t.v. has nothing but coverage of the fires. It's all everyone is talking about. I'll enclose a couple of pictures. But anyway, don't worry about us. We are okay and we'll keep you posted if anything changes. I love you and I'll talk to you soon.

[Soldier4Christ]

That's great news, sister and a great comfort.

Officials have listed only one of the fires as arson so far. Two of them have been blamed on sparks from power lines that were downed by the Santa Anna winds. The rest are still listed as under investigation.

We are not the only ones though that are speculating on this. The following information comes from the forum on the San Diego Union website:

Am I the only person here who feels like this could be an act of terrorism? There were 10+ seperate, un-related fires. What are the odds that this many fires could have started coincidentally this close together? Everyone points fingers at the Santa Ana winds and I have heard one story about a downed powerline. But the bottom line is, that is ONE downed powerline, not 10. And wind doesnt start fires, it fuels it.

Also, I find it odd that nobody has yet mentioned any sort of speculation as to the cause of these fires. Back in 2003, the cause of the fire was revealed rather quickly, but this time, no mention of the source has been revealed. I find it odd, its just too odd... There has to be some group of people behind these fires.

I truly believe the government and media are concerned about the public panicking when a possible "terrorist attack" is mentioned, among the existing chaos, it would be too much.

Does anyone else agree that there is something fishy about this disaster?

The poster was quickly savaged with typical PC logic and accused of being paranoid or worse despite the fact he just mentioned it as a possibility.

So I ran a search over at Jihad Watch and came up with this.

    An Arabic-language jihadi website posted a message purporting to be "al-Qaida’s plan of economic attack" on the U.S. that included setting forest fires, according to the Northeast Intelligence Network.

    The six-point plan appeared Saturday and called for:

    • attacks on the assets of large American companies all over the world;
    • attacks on U.S. oil refineries;
    • attacks on civilian airports with the goal of financially devastating U.S. airlines;
    • deliberate pollution of food system;
    • setting of fires in the forests – "especially those that provide the American market with the raw materials for the wood and paper and byproducts industries";
    • attacks like those on the railway transportation lines in Spain;

Arson is certainly used in terrorism, just ask any Parisian who owns a car.

    Last fall, WorldNetDaily reported on al-Qaida's threats against the forests of the U.S. and its allies – and pointed out the rash of devastating wildfires that rages through Europe, Australia and the U.S.

    Law enforcement officials suspected several of the California wildfires that killed 18, consumed more than 718,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,400 homes in 10 days were deliberately set – increasing speculation there is a terror connection to the blazes.

    Only one man was arrested – Dikran Armouchian, 23, of Pasadena. He pleaded not guilty and has not yet been tried.

    Damage estimates exceeded $2 billion. The fires were among the deadliest and costliest disasters in California.

    Meanwhile, there is evidence terrorism was behind other wildfires in Europe and Australia last summer.

    In the devastating forest fires that swept through the Maures mountains near the French Riviera in late July, investigators found Molotov cocktails, or gasoline bombs, were used to ignite the blazes that killed at least four and destroyed 50 homes.

    Luc Jousse, the mayor of Roque-Sur-Argens, called the fires "a new form of terrorism." President Jacques Chirac threatened those responsible with "sanctions of an extraordinary gravity."

    The fires in France were the worst ever in the region.

    In addition, southern Italy also was hit last summer with devastating wildfires also believed to be the result of arson.

    In August, Australian authorities launched an investigation into reports al-Qaida planned to spark brushfires in a new wave of devastating terror attacks.

    A June 25 FBI memo to United States law enforcement agencies revealed a senior al-Qaida detainee claimed to have developed a plan to start midsummer forest fires in the U.S.

    The terrorist hoped to mimic the destruction that devastated Canberra last summer, killing four people and destroying more than 500 homes, as well as in other parts of Australia.

    The memo, obtained by the Arizona Republic newspaper, said the unidentified detainee revealed he hoped to create several large, catastrophic wildfires at once.

    "The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies," the memo said.

    The detainee told investigators his plan called for three or four operatives to travel to the U.S. and set timed explosive devices in forests and grasslands.

    "Australian security authorities are aware of reports that al-Qaida has considered starting brushfires in the U.S. as a form of terrorist attack," said a spokeswoman Australian Attorney General Daryl Williams. "Arson attacks are just one of a wide range of scenarios which have been considered as part of our investigations into al-Qaida's ability to conduct attacks in Australia."

    In fact, Arab terrorists in Israel have started dozens of major forest fires over the years.

    As far back as 1988, Israeli police caught more than a dozen Palestinian adults in the act of setting fires, while other Arabs confessed to arson after arrest. Some fires followed specific calls by underground Arab terrorists. A leaflet issued by the Palestinian uprising's underground leadership called for "the destruction and burning of the enemy's properties, industry and agriculture."

    Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir said at the time: "The need to set fires, which also leads to murders, is in my eyes worse than fundamentalism."

    Israeli nature reserve authorities said 408 fires in May and June of 1988 destroyed 400,000 acres of land, nearly seven times the acreage burned from 1974 to 1986.

    Last year, Gilad "Gidi" Mastai, chief ranger in the Galilee region of Israel, told the Jerusalem Post: "It's extremely hard to find arsonists, just like it's hard to close off the Green Line to terrorists. The forests here are on the front line."

    But, he said, the vast majority of deliberate fires are started by Arabs with political motives.

There have also been many cases of fires started by illegal aliens and the homeless that may be "camping out". With the drought in southern Calif and the dry, strong Santa Anna (Devil winds) almost anything could be possible.

[HisDaughter]

There have also been many cases of fires started by illegal aliens and the homeless that may be "camping out". With the drought in southern Calif and the dry, strong Santa Anna (Devil winds) almost anything could be possible.

Of course, you're right, anything is possible and I certainly don't want to jump to conclusions, but I have to agree with the bit about "Why haven't we heard more on what the cause is yet" 
And also that's a pretty wide range and to coincidental for me, for that many homeless fires.
I feel bad about that one guy getting jumped on for stating the obvious, that it could be terrorists when we all know that someone left the back door open and they are living among us.

[Soldier4Christ]

That is unfortunate but it is expected. After all many of the liberals say "there is no terrorist threat". I agree that it seems to be too many fires to say they all were caused by "natural" causes. There have been 4 of the fires that are 100% contained but there are also a total of 18 fires now.

[Shammu]

Yes, we should be praying for the souls of the lost but not just in Calif but all over the world.

AMEN!!!!

[nChrist]

I just got home from work and found that the fires had traveled south, and then I read your post.  Please pray for my son and his wife who are stationed in San Diego.  My son is in the Navy.  Pray for their safety please.  And then for strength and courage as I'm sure they are busy helping out.  My son is a strong Christan.

Hello Grammyluv,

My son was also stationed at San Diego for several years when he was in the Navy. They did have fires one year, but nothing in comparison to this year. YES - your son and many others in California are in my prayers.

Love In Christ,
Tom

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

We might not ever know about the cause of all of these fires. They've already listed arson as being suspected on several of the fires. I did think about the possibility of terrorists. We have many areas of vulnerability that would be this bad or worse. I won't mention the ones I think could be nightmares. I'll simply say that some of our enemies don't have a conscience at all, so being diabolical to the extreme wouldn't bother them at all.

Some of these fires could also be completely natural. 50 to 80 mph dry winds mixed with the modern services of mankind are many times not a safe mix. Electrical power supplies would only be one example. I did also think about the possibility of this being another SIGN of the end days of this Age of Grace. Only GOD knows. Regardless, Christians should be praying.

Love In Christ,
Tom

KEEP LOOKING UP!!

[HisDaughter]

Regardless, Christians should be praying.

Amen.

[Soldier4Christ]

'We can't stop it'
'Officials all but concede defeat to wildfires as estimated 1 million evacuate'

Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a frenzy across Southern California, firefighters conceded defeat on many fronts Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has chased an estimated 1 million people away.

Unless the shrieking Santa Ana winds subside, and that’s not expected for at least another day, fire crews say they can do little more than try to wait it out and react — tamping out spot fires and chasing ribbons of airborne embers to keep new fires from flaring.

“If it’s this big and blowing with as much wind as it’s got, it’ll go all the way to the ocean before it stops,” said San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries. “We can save some stuff but we can’t stop it.”
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Tentacles of unpredictable, shifting flame have burned across nearly 600 square miles — an area larger than New York City — killing one person, destroying more than 1,300 homes and prompting the biggest evacuation in California history, from north of Los Angeles through San Diego to the Mexican border.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the flames were threatening 68,000 more homes.

“We have had an unfortunate situation that we’ve had three things come together: very dry areas, very hot weather and then a lot of wind,” Schwarzenegger said. “And so this makes the perfect storm for a fire.”

In Rancho Santa Fe, a suburb north of San Diego, houses burned just yards from where fire crews fought to contain flames engulfing other properties. In the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, cabins and vacation homes went up in flames with no fire crews in sight.

“These winds are so strong, we’re not trying to fight this fire,” said firefighter Jim Gelrud, an engineer from Vista, Calif. “We’re just trying to save the buildings.”

16 firefighters injured
More than a dozen wildfires blowing across Southern California since Sunday have also injured more than 40 people, including 16 firefighters. The U.S. Forest Service earlier reported a fire death in Los Angeles County’s Santa Clarita area, but officials said Tuesday that information was erroneous.

Jose Alvarez, a San Diego County public information officer, told NBC News that five people had died from the fires in San Diego County, but only one person died trying to save a home. The other four died during or after being evacuated, he said.

The fires also forced the evacuation of more than 350,000 houses, most of them in San Diego County. With the area’s average household size of 2.6 people, that means the evacuation could encompass nearly 910,000 people.

“It’s basically a mass migration here in San Diego County. The numbers we’re seeing are staggering,” said Luis Monteagudo, a spokesman for the county’s emergency effort.

President Bush, who plans to visit the region Thursday, declared a federal emergency for seven counties, a move that will speed disaster-relief efforts, White House press secretary Dana Perino said.

"The president wants to travel to California to witness firsthand what the people there are going through with these wildfires," Perino said. "He wants to ensure that the state and local governments are getting what they need from the federal government, and he wants to make sure to deliver a message in person to the victims that he has them in his thoughts and prayers."

State insurance official estimates damage
The state's insurance commissioner estimated that the fires have likely caused several hundred million dollars worth of damage to home and business properties.

"In South Lake Tahoe, where we just finished working with the victims there over the last several months, you had 254 homes destroyed at a total cost of $150 million," California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner said. "Here the damage is much more widespread, more than a thousand homes destroyed so far, plus, you know, scores of businesses."

"This is just a terrible disaster; it's going to be one of the worst ever," he said, adding the total destruction would easily be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

The sweeping devastation was reminiscent of blazes that tore through Southern California four years ago, killing 22 and destroying 3,640 homes.

The ferocity of the Santa Ana winds in 2003 forced crews to discard their traditional strategy and focus on keeping up with the fire and putting out spot blazes that threatened homes.

Gusts surpass 100 mph
Fire crews were especially concerned about dense eucalyptus groves in Del Mar and Rancho Santa Fe, fearing the highly flammable trees could turn neighborhoods prized for their secluded serenity into tinderboxes.

The usual tactic is to surround a fire on two sides and try to choke it off. But with fires whipped by gusts that have surpassed 100 mph, that strategy doesn’t work because embers can be swept miles ahead of the fire’s front line. In those cases, crews must keep 10 to 30 feet back from the flames or risk their own lives, Los Angeles County firefighter Daryl Parish said.

Added Rocklin Fire Department Capt. Martin Holm: “We do what we can. A life’s a lot more important than a house.”

[HisDaughter]

Thanks for the update Pastor Roger!

[nChrist]

Brothers and Sisters,

I've seen small firestorms with just 30 to 40 mph winds that were awesome and very difficult to stop. It would be hard to imagine a firestorm in winds of 70 to 100 mph. I've never been a firefighter, but I know many who are. Those who are honest will tell you that a firestorm of this magnitude would scare any professional, even with all of the right equipment. The wind and the available fuel are two really bad and dangerous components. One can get within a block of a firestorm like this and begin to cook if they don't have the proper equipment.

Brothers and Sisters, please just let us all make this a matter of continued prayer.

Love In Christ,
Tom

1 Peter 1:3-5 NASB
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

[Soldier4Christ]

Fires spark suspicion of terror again 
Previous FBI memo warned of al-Qaida plot to torch areas in West

California authorities have confirmed some of the wildfires that have triggered the evacuation of about a million people and burned 1,600 structures with damages at more than $1 billion were set deliberately, and a terror watch organization says the circumstances match terror plans the FBI alerted law enforcement to several years ago.

"In 2003 an FBI memo alerted law enforcement agencies that an al-Qaida terrorist being held in detention had talked of masterminding a plot to set a series of devastating forest fires around the western United States," the National Terror Alert Response Center warned today.

"It was reported that the detainee, who was not identified, said the plan involved three or four people setting wildfires using timed devices in Colorado, Montana, Utah and Wyoming that would detonate in forests and grasslands after the operatives had left the country," the advisory continued. "The detainee believed that significant damage to the U.S. economy would result and once it was realized that the fires were terrorist acts, U.S. citizens would put pressure on the U.S. government to change its policies."

WND reported at the time that an Arabic-language jihadi website also posted a message purporting to be "al-Qaida's plan of economic attack" on the U.S. that including proposals to turn the nation's forests into raging infernos.

Other components of the plan, according to the Northeast Intelligence Network, were proposals to attack assets of large American companies, target oil refineries and airports, deliberately pollute food supplies and attack transportation facilities.

Fire officials in Orange County said today the Santiago Canyon Fire is an arson and offered a $50,000 reward to find the arsonist.

Officials said the massive fire, which has caused an estimated $10 million in damage, had three separate points of origin. Two were on one side of the road and the third was on the other.

"Whoever did this knew what they were doing," said Kris Concepcion, a fire authority battalion chief, who noted the blazes traveled three miles in just the first 20 minutes on Sunday.

Authorities are reporting five deaths in the blazes so far.

The National Terror Alert Response Center report said, "We are NOT implying that the California fires are an act of terrorism; however, the threat of pyro-terrorist attacks pose a significant risk to the U.S. and the fires in California and Greece earlier this year should be a wake-up call."

Less than two months ago, between four and five dozen people were killed and scores more hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of wildfires in portions of Greece. Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis expressed his suspicions.

"So many fires sparked simultaneously is so many places is no coincidence," he said when the blazes erupted.

And Terror Watch notes a top prosecutor in Greece now has begun investigating whether the arsons were, in fact, terrorism.

Dimitris Papangelopoulos said the investigation will determine "whether the crimes of arsonists and of arson attacks on forests" should be prosecuted under the nation's anti-terrorism law.

In the current California firestorm, authorities say they also have detained one suspect, but he wasn't identified immediately. San Bernardino County Sheriff's spokeswoman Cindy Beavers reported he was detained for allegedly attempting to light a fire at a campground.

A woman driving past the campground saw a subject crouched to the ground, and then saw flames, according to Beavers. The witness called police, and the suspect was arrested at a nearby market, authorities said.

Winds weakened somewhat today, giving the 8,000 firefighters on duty hope they could made some progress against the flames that have scorched about 650 square miles from Santa Barbara to San Diego. But flames clearly remained out of control.

President Bush tried to reassure Californians, saying, "I want the people of Southern California to know that Americans all across this land care deeply about them. They can rest assured that the federal government will do everything we can to help put out these fires."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced the opening of five local assistance centers to provide help to those who are displayed by the fires.

"The devastation and loss of life from these wildfires has been horrific, but the people of California are going to rebuild and we must do all we can to help these communities recover," said Schwarzenegger.

"I extend my sincere gratitude and appreciation to the firefighters who courageously continue to battle these wildfires and put their lives on the line every day. You are true heroes," he said.

The local assistance centers will serve as efficient one-stop sources for disaster relief services, including information on how to replace records lost in the fires, file insurance claims and apply for assistance and housing.

Jay Alan, a spokesman for California's emergency response office, said the cause of the fires is being investigated.

WND's earlier reports documented al-Qaida threats against the forests of the U.S. and its allies – and the rash of wildfires that raged through Europe, Australia and the U.S. at the time.

Law enforcement officials also suspected several of the California wildfires in 2002 that killed 18, scorched more than 718,000 acres and destroyed more than 2,400 homes in 10 days were deliberately set – increasing speculation there is a terror connection to the blazes.

Damage estimates exceeded $2 billion then.

In blazes across Europe that year, there was evidence terrorists may have contributed. Authorities said after fires swept through the Moures mountains near the French Riviera, investigators found Molotov cocktails – gasoline bombs – at the ignition point for fires that killed at least four and destroyed 50 homes.

Australian also at that time investigated whether al-Qaida planned to spark brushfires in a new wave of terrorism.

"Australian security authorities are aware of reports that al-Qaida has considered starting brushfires in the U.S. as a form of terrorist attack," said a spokeswoman for Australian Attorney General Daryl Williams during the investigation about the same time as the warning for western U.S. states. "Arson attacks are just one of a wide range of scenarios which have been considered as part of our investigations into al-Qaida's ability to conduct attacks in Australia."

In fact, Arab terrorists in Israel have started dozens of major forest fires over the years.

As far back as 1988, Israeli police caught more than a dozen Palestinian adults in the act of setting fires, while other Arabs confessed to arson after arrest. Some fires followed specific calls by underground Arab terrorists. A leaflet issued by the Palestinian uprising's underground leadership called for "the destruction and burning of the enemy's properties, industry and agriculture."

[HisDaughter]

ummmmm.