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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 30, 2003)
if'iyk 1 ! ilr’ • ’ (Zostcfait ^a*te OZOIMA \mekA*1 l ancl1 s P ecl8ls WB" / 520 Harvey Road CoHeqe Station 694 - 4618 10A Thursday, October 30, 2003 NATIO 1 THE BATTALIA Firefighter dies in Calif, wildfire By Andrew Bridges THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAKE ARROWHEAD, Calif. — In San Diego County, the state’s largest tire claimed another victim when a tirefight ing crew was overcome by flames, killing one and injuring three. It marked the first firefight er death since the series of blazes began last week and brought the total number of dead to 18. The hot, dry Santa Ana winds from the desert that had been whipping the fires into raging infernos eased, only to give way to stiff breezes off the ocean that pushed the flames up the canyon walls around evacuated resort towns like Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear, east of Los Angeles. By early afternoon, homes were burning in the mountain community of CedarPines Park. “There’s fire on so many fronts, it’s not even manageable at this point,’’ said Chris Cade, a fire prevention technician with the U.S. Forest Service. The fires have burned more than 620,000 acres and destroyed 1,800 homes. More than 12,000 firefighters and support crew were fighting what Gov. Gray Davis said may be the worst and costliest disaster California has ever faced. The fires, which began last week, burned in a broken arc across Southern California, from Ventura County east to Los Angeles County and the San Bernardino Mountains and south to eastern San Diego County. On Southern California’s other major front, about 100 fire engines encircled the historic mining town of Julian in the mountains of eastern San Diego County, hoping to save the pop ular weekend getaway commu nity renowned for its vineyards and apple orchards. However, some two dozen engines and water tenders that were headed to Julian were forced to turn back when flames swept over a highway. And as the winds picked up, floating embers sparked spot fires the town of 3,500, forcingsor; crews to retreat. South of Julian, about DOpr- cent of the homes were destrop in Cuyamaca, a lakeside tow about 160 residents. “Everything’s kind of hi pening all at once. These fn are trying really hard to tie with each other,” said J Bourbeau, a forest safety office “It's tremendous.” San Diego County fire ^ei BC WASH I ieries shut rowning a o be re pa cials feared a 233,000-acre fa h u ow i s , and the 50,000-acre blaze woe!: merge into a huge, single bla that would make it neath impossible to keep it fra reaching Julian. California Forestr Department incident commas:- er John 1 lav. kins toldexhausic! e ^ e firefighters not to give up. “We hear losses,” he sai “But the bottom line iswedoc: hear how many were saved, k. many of you put your naire your body, your heart on the la to save the houses.” “I don't fans of aid Sen. American, ike a rigge Created hampions if the fot antes, lea This ye he latest B lucrative Former )CS systei ide the al hance the oranatior Divisiot to have BYU, v n 1984. is mtside the lational ch In the me school ently in tht irPac-10 p Sen. Or the cu