NC4 INCIDENT MONITORING CENTER FEATURED INCIDENT
California Wildfires

October 20, 2007

Beginning October 20, 2007, a series of 23 wildfires ignited across southern California destroying 1,500 homes, burning over 500,000 acres and killing at least seven people. Although the rapid spread of these wildfires was accelerated by drought conditions and strong Santa Ana winds, officials have attributed arson to at least one of the fires. The investigation into the exact cause of the fires is ongoing.

As the fires grew, numerous heavily populated areas, such as Del Mar, were placed under mandatory evacuation orders and Qualcomm Stadium became a temporary shelter to 12,000 displaced residents. The significant damage caused by the fires within its first few days prompted Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and President George W. Bush to declare a state of emergency in the counties of Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Riverside, and San Diego. In total, over 900,000 people were believed to have been evacuated due to the fires – the largest in the state’s history.

 

Selected Updates

NC4 Incident Monitoring Center issued the following alerts:

• The Malibu Canyon Fire forced the closure of SR-1 from Topanga Canyon Rd to Kanan Rd.  10/22/07 13:36 PDT
  

• Witch Fire merges with second fire; San Pasqual Valley & Lakeside threatened by 145,000 acre wildfire.  10/22/07 10:49 PDT
  

• More than 500,000 people have been ordered to evacuate homes in San Diego County.  10/23/07 06:51 PDT
  
  

• Officials are reporting a transmission emergency; several power grids at risk of failing.   10/23/07 15:47 PDT
  

• Hwy-18 and Hwy-138 closed in both directions due to Arrowhead Fire. 
  10/24/07 14:58 PDT
  
  
• Santiago Fire is now 50-percent contained and has burned 27,900 acres. 
  10/28/07 07:06 PDT
  
  

 

Additional Resources
NC4 provides ongoing updates to members as the incident unfolds through the NC4 Incident Monitoring Center (NIMC). NIMC analysts follow the incident using official government sources as well as national and local media sources. To better serve our clients, a special event was created that contained wildfire maps, evacuation zones, location of assistance centers, and progress reports. The special event was actively updated to contain the most up-to-date information available.

One-page printable summary with graphics

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