Famous S. Calif. (Federal) Landscape 83% Burned by Wildfire
Movies, TV made Santa Monica mountains famous
By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff
Posted Nov 14, 2018 6:00 AM CST
Updated Nov 14, 2018 6:54 AM CST
newser.com
(NEWSER) – The Woolsey Fire burning in southern California has devastated a landscape millions of Americans know from movies and TV.Authorities say a shocking 83% of federal parkland in the Santa Monica Mountains was burned in the fire, including the set of M*A*S*H and the Reagan Ranch, reports the Los Angeles Times, which describes the area as a "cherished open space" for southern Californians. The fire is now around 40% contained and people have started to return to some communities, including parts of Malibu, that had been under evacuation orders, the AP reports. After more than a week, the fire has destroyed at least 435 structures, burned 152 square miles, and caused the deaths of at least two people.
In northern California, meanwhile, the death toll from the Camp Fire—already the deadliest single wildfire in California history—has risen to 48, authorities said late Tuesday. The fire is now 35% contained. More than 8,000 structures have been destroyed and more than 50,000 people have been unable to return home. Among the tales of survival that have emerged is that of a group that fled into the chilly waters of the Concow Reservoir as fire surrounded their homes, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Scott, who asked to be identified only by his first name, says the group included his 90-year-old neighbor Bruno, who was treated for hypothermia after surviving the ordeal. "Bruno was saying, 'Just leave me. I can’t do this,'" Scott recalled. "I said, ‘Bruno, we're not going to leave you. And I'm not going to burn, so you better hurry.'" (Neil Young, who lost his Malibu home, does not agree with President Trump on the cause of the wildfires.) |
