October 26, 2007, 8:35 PM PDT by KTLA NEWS
Firefighters tonight were battling to keep the Poomacha
fire, which originated in San Diego County, from moving into Riverside
County, keeping it about two miles south of the border.
The fire has burned 42,000 acres in San Diego County and cost $1.7
million to fight, said Fred Daskoski, with the California Department of
Forestry, or Cal Fire.
Full Coverage on the SoCal Fires
The Poomacha blaze, which started Wednesday in northeast San Diego
County, was 35 percent contained, moved north from the La Jolla Indian
Reservation, jumped to Palomar Mountain and made a beeline northwest to just
south of the Riverside County line, according to Cal Fire.
It has injured 12 firefighters and destroyed 60 homes and 19
outbuildings and is threatening 2,000 more structures in the northernmost areas
of San Diego County, such as Rincon, Valley Center and De Luz, Daskoski said.
Today in Riverside County, Cal Fire officials sent up a DC-10 -- a jumbo
jet that can hold 300 people -- with a 12,000-gallon load of retardant,
according to Ed Gonzalez of the Cal Fire operations information center.
Each drop covers one mile, said Cal Fire tanker base Capt. John Romero.
However, pilots could only make four trips because the thick smoke
coming from the fire affected visibility.
Roxanne Provaznik, with Cal Fire in San Diego, said firefighters were
setting back fires in an attempt to stop the Poomacha's progress by burning off
the fuel feeding the blaze.
The flames have stayed at the bottom of the Santa Margarita Creek bed
and firefighters hope to stop it in its tracks before it climbs up the other
side and into Riverside, Doskoski said.
Afternoon winds, called "diurnal winds" by National Weather Service
Meteorologist Noel Isla, picked up today and were blowing steadily at about 15
mph. Humidity levels were steadily rising, helping the firefighting effort, he
added.
Cal Fire officials said the agency was prepared for any contingency and
was optimistic the blaze can be kept at bay because of favorable weather
conditions.
"We have everything we need available," Hagemann said.
Double-digit humidity and moist, lighter winds from the west have
contributed to halting the spread of the fires, officials said.
The temperature in Temecula at noon was 75 degrees, with humidity at 25
percent. In Murrieta, the temperature was 80 degrees, with humidity at 23
percent, according to the NWS.
By 2 p.m., humidity had risen into the 30 percent bracket, Isla said.
Meanwhile, the Rice fire -- which was caused by arcing power lines --
has held at about 9,000 acres and was 60 percent contained, though it is moving
east, fire officials said.
Anyone traveling between northern San Diego County and southwest
Riverside County was forced to contend with a blanket of smoke and ash, which
could pose a health hazard, according to the county Public Health Department.
Schools were closed because of poor air quality, and residents,
especially those with chronic respiratory problems, were advised to limit their
time outdoors.
The Rice fire, which started south of Rainbow Valley about 4:15 a.m.
Monday and jumped Interstate 15 to Fallbrook, has destroyed about 200 homes and
prompted about 35,000 evacuations.
Three firefighters have been injured fighting the blaze.
Another fire being watched in Riverside County was the Santiago fire in
Orange County, which tonight was less than one mile from the Riverside County
border, burning up the Cleveland National Forest, officials said.
Meanwhile, an arsonist was being sought for setting the Rosa fire, which
started Monday night near Via Santa Rosa and Rancho California Road in the
Temecula area and burned 411 acres before being contained Wednesday evening.
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