Southern California Fires Threaten Homes

As fires rage across Southern California, UC Berkeley students from San Diego and northern Los Angeles are attempting to cope with the evacuations of their families and the threat to their homes from hundreds of miles away.

According to an Associated Press report last night, 14 fires were burning in Southern California from Malibu to San Diego and more than 250,000 people had been forced to evacuate. At least 600 homes had been burned as of nightfall yesterday. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in seven counties.

Many students said they are struggling to stay updated on the situation as they watch media reports showing the fires spread near their homes.

Sophomore Caitlin Johnson, who is from Rancho Bernardo­­—a city in San Diego county hit by fire—said her mother woke up yesterday and looked out the window to find all the trees in her backyard ablaze.

Her parents had only enough time to get dressed, grab their dogs and evacuate to Johnson’s aunt’s house in downtown San Diego, she said.

Johnson said she and her parents are scared because the only information they are receiving about their neighborhood is from the news.

“I’ve been texting and calling my friends all day because that’s where I grew up,” she said.

It is unclear how many UC Berkeley students have lost their homes to the fires. As of Monday evening, The Daily Californian was aware of only one student, an employee, who has lost his home.

The office of Campus Life and Leadership will be offering academic and psychological support starting today for students who are from areas affected by the fires. The office is prepared to help students secure emergency loans to pay for flights to Southern California, said Dean of Students Jonathan Poullard.

Junior Ori Dula, also from Rancho Bernardo, said his parents were forced to evacuate the area yesterday after seeing smoke near their house.

“When I was watching it on the news I could see streets where I knew my friends lived and where I worked,” he said. “That kind of shook me up a little bit because you never think its going to happen right next to you.”

Leana Nguyen, a senior from Scripps Ranch, also said she knew her parents had evacuated yesterday but did not know where they had gone. She said she was on the phone with her mother earlier when the police arrived to force evacuations.

Nguyen said her family’s home escaped the last major fire in the area, in Oct. 2003, but that 17 houses on her street burned down.

The fires are fueled by Santa Ana winds, hot, dry, desert-like gusts from 40 to 50 mph that enable the fires to spread quickly, said assistant professor of fire science Scott Stephens.

Berkeley Fire Department officials said the department has contributed two companies to a group of 25 companies from Alameda County cities that are going south to help fight the blaze. One company left for Santa Clarita yesterday morning, but the destination of the second company had yet to be determined.

The UC San Diego campus was closed Monday and today.

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