Humboldt Fire Info, Friday the 13th, 2008

CALFIRE info at end

The Humboldt fire, which has exploded and ebbed since
Wednesday, expanded again about 4 p.m. Thursday and bore down
on the southern neighborhoods of the city of 26,000 residents,
authorities said.

By 10 p.m. Thursday, the blaze had burned up to 40 structures –
including 10 houses – and another 5,000 were considered
threatened, according to fire officials.

More than 1,350 firefighters were struggling to get an upper
hand on a blaze that has charred more than 20,500 acres east of
Chico. The fire was just 10 percent contained. Four minor
injuries were reported.

Jack South, 80, and his wife, Dorothy, received a call about
3:30 p.m. Thursday to evacuate their home on Valley View Drive
in Paradise, near the Skyway, a ridgetop road that connects the
forested mountain enclave to Chico.
"It took forever to get down here," said Jack South.
The couple got away with insurance papers and a few other
valuables. Jack South said he did not have time to pack dozens
of prized, framed family portraits.
The Souths hope to return to their home today.
"I hope our house doesn't burn," before then, Jack South said.

The Humboldt fire blanketed a massive piece of land. By late
Thursday, flames were licking at the borders of Butte College –
six miles from the Paradise city limits – where firefighters
had set up a command post.
Despite the threat, fire officials said they had no plans to
relocate.
"The fire is still aggressively burning and we are fighting
aggressively in return," said Kevin Colburn, a spokesman for
the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "We're
doing our best to catch it, but the winds are pushing the fire
along."

The fire broke out just after noon Wednesday near where Highway
32 and Humboldt Road run parallel, and high winds pushed flames
south-southeast into Stilson Canyon, according to Cal Fire.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in
Butte County on Wednesday to free up resources to fight the
fire and another blaze outside Palermo. The fire near Palermo
reached 1,600 acres and was contained by Thursday morning, but
only after it consumed 21 homes.

A second shelter was opened at Pleasant Valley High School to
handle the influx of evacuees, which Cal Fire estimated at 750
to 1,000.

Bob and Ellen Cook of Paradise were bused to the shelter.
"This is an awful shock to us," said the 91-year-old Ellen
Cook. "I had to leave my kitties, and I don't know if they are
going to live or die. It sure worries me."

As the fire moved on toward Paradise, some residents along
Honey Run Road on the outskirts of Chico were allowed to return
home.

The reprieve allowed Bob Wisehart to return home to pick up a
few items. One of those was his beloved 1940 Ford, which he has
had for 40 years since he was 15.
"I'm making a shotgun run to get my vehicle out of here," he
said.

Some, like Margarete Taylor, ignored the evacuation orders and
hunkered down through an intense night.
"We have a house we want to protect," Taylor said.
Taylor said her husband was on the roof dousing the house and
the lawn. She watched the fire sear trees on the hill across
the street behind a neighbor's house. At one point Wednesday
evening, the fire jumped from across the street, narrowly
missing her home and engulfing the hill behind the two-story
beige stucco house.

"It was a like a firestorm," Taylor said. "The sound, all the
crackling, it sounded scary."
By Thursday morning, the first floor of the house was blanketed
in 3 feet of smoke, even though all the doors and windows were
shut. Later in the day, the hill behind her home was still
smoldering as a helicopter dumped loads of water from above.

Kimberly Jackson, 43, and her daughter Germaine, 14, were among
several evacuees who spent the night at a shelter in Chico.
They pushed two sofas together to form a makeshift bed and kept
warm under blankets they managed to grab before fleeing their
home.
"I was so scared," Germaine said. "We just packed all our
stuff, threw it in the car and came here."

CALFIRE UPDATE:

Humboldt Fire

Humboldt Fire Incident Information:
Last Updated:	June 13, 2008 6:45 am
Date/Time Started:	June 11, 2008 12:13 pm
Administrative Unit:	CAL FIRE/Butte County Fire
County:	Butte County
Location:	Hwy 32 & Humboldt Rd on Stillson Canyon
Acres Burned:	20,484 acres
Containment	15% contained - 20,484 acres
Structures Destroyed:	40 residences have been destroyed.
Threatened:	More than 4,600 structures are still threatened.
Evacuations:	Evacuations of the southern most portion of Paradise, and the communities of Butte Valley and Butte Creek Canyon.
Injuries:	5
Cause:	Under Investigation
Cooperating Agencies:	Butte County, Butte County Sherrifs Office, California Highway Patrol, US Forest Service, California Conservation Corp, California Deparment of Corrections and Rehabilitation, El Medio Fire, Oroville Fire, and Chico Fire
Total Fire Personnel:	1,354 (748 CAL FIRE)
Fire crews:	31 CAL FIRE
Engines:	78 (29 CAL FIRE)
Airtankers:	4
Helicopters:	4
Dozers:	14 (12 CAL FIRE)
Water tenders:	14
Conditions:	Strong winds are making it very difficult to get crews ahead of the fire. The fire continues to spot in multiple directions. Honey Run Road, Skyway and Neal road are closed. An evacuation center has been established at the Neighborhood Church at 2801 Notre Dame Blvd. in Chico. Small animals can be taken to the Search & Rescue building on the Morrow Ln. Large animals to Chico State Farm 311 Nicholes C Schouten Ln cross of Hagen Ln. (public # until 5 is 898-6343, after 518-9497).
Phone Numbers	(530) 538-7826 (Humboldt Fire Information Number)

Sources: Sacramento Bee News, CALFIRE Info