November 2008 California wildfires

The November 2008 California wildfires were a series of around 2,151 wildfires that began burning across Southern California on November 13, with 4 of them becoming major wildfires. At least 400 houses and 500 mobile homes were destroyed. According to USA Today, these wildfires combined with the October 2007 California wildfires and the Summer 2008 California wildfires were the worst group of wildfires that California had experienced in two decades.^[5]

Wildfires

The most significant fires were:

• Montecito Tea Fire – a wildfire that started on November 13, 2008, in the wealthy community of Montecito, in Santa Barbara County, California, resulting in the destruction of 210 homes.^[6] Many celebrities have homes in the area of the Tea Fire, including Oprah Winfrey, Rob Lowe, and Steven Spielberg. The home of actor Christopher Lloyd was destroyed in the fire.^[7][8]

• Sayre Fire – a wildfire that started on November 13, 2008, in the Sylmar section of Los Angeles, California, resulting in the destruction of at least 630 structures, including 500 mobile homes, nine single-family homes, and eleven commercial buildings.^[9][10] The loss of more than 500 residences is the "worst loss of homes due to fire" ever in the City of Los Angeles, California, exceeding the loss of 484 residences in the 1961 Bel Air fire.^[10]

• Freeway Complex Fire^[11] – The combination of 2 wildfires, one of which was known as the Corona Fire by the news media, or Triangle Complex Fire, that started at approximately 9:00 a.m. PDT on November 15, 2008, and spread across the communities of Corona, Chino Hills, Yorba Linda, Anaheim Hills and Brea in Orange and Riverside County, California, and also spread to Diamond Bar in Los Angeles County.^[12] Later on November 15, the Landfill Fire ignited at 10:45 AM, and early on May 16, both wildfires merged into the Freeway Complex Fire. The Freeway Complex Fire burned about 30,305 acres (12,264 ha),^[11] injured 14 firefighters, and destroyed about 200 structures,^[13] and forced the evacuations of about 7,000 homes.^[14][15][16]

Reaction

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told residents, "If you wait until the fire gets there you have waited too long, this fire can be on you in a moment's notice."^[17] California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange Counties. Governor Schwarzenegger described the conditions contributing to the fires as a "perfect storm," including strong Santa Ana and sundowner winds, with gusts reaching 80 miles per hour (129 km/h), as well as high temperatures, low humidity and dry conditions.^[18]

See also

Wikinews has related news: Los Angeles wildfires are almost contained

Wikimedia Commons has media related to California wildfires of November 2008.

• List of California wildfires
• May 2014 San Diego County wildfires
• 2014 California wildfires
• 2013 California wildfires
• 2010 California wildfires
• 2009 California wildfires
• Summer 2008 California wildfires
• November 2007 California wildfires
• October 2007 California wildfires
• Topanga Fire
• Cedar Fire
• Old Fire (2003)
• FIRESCOPE

References