Wildfires Hit Again in California
The cities of Montecito and Santa Barbara have once again been devastated by wildfires that broke out on Thursday evening. By morning, hundreds of homes and parts of a college campus in Montecito have been destroyed. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency for Santa Barbara County today.
The biggest obstacle in this firefight is the wind. “Sundowner” winds that blow from land to sea gusted up to 70 mph last night, which fed and spread the new flames. Santa Ana winds are expected to pick up today, which has fire fighters concerned. Santa Barbara City Fire Chief, Ron Prince, reported to Thomas Watkins of the Associated Press: “We’re going to have a very, very tough day today for firefighting and when the winds kick up this afternoon, we’re going to have an incredibly challenging situation…Control of this fire is not even in sight.” Over 500 firefighters are working to calm the wildfire today.
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Learn about preparing for wildfire damage and how to protect your home from wildfires.
Here is an iReport video from Merideth Medland.
Medland talked about how she wishes she had a “Disaster Go Bag” made and was more prepared. Check out these suggestions so you can make your own emergency kit.
Medland’s Twitter Feed.
Tags: california wildfires, wildfire preparation, wildfire protection, wildfires
