Four More Burned Bodies Found in San Diego County: Crews Make Progress As Fierce Winds Ease

Oct 25, 10:37 PM

Current Headlines: By Deb Kollars and Tony Bizjak, The Sacramento Bee, Calif.

Oct. 26--The death toll in the Southern California wildfires may be as high as seven now, with the discovery today of six burned bodies in two different areas.

Two bodies were found burned in a home in Poway early today, and officials said four others were discovered later in a rural area.

San Diego Sheriff's Lt. Phil Brust said the U.S. Border Patrol found the four burned bodies in a camp in the Barrett Lake area of eastern San Diego County. Sheriff's investigators are at the scene now.

Brust said the deaths appear to have been caused by the brush fires in the area, but no official determination has been made yet.

A seventh victim died in the fire on the first day of the blazes in San Diego County.

The bodies found in Poway were discovered inside a burned-out residence along Highland Valley Road. A family member, a county official said, had asked fire investigators to search the residence. The San Diego Medical Examiner's Office said authorities believe the deceased were related.

"We are pursuing dental records for the identification of these victims. We do believe they are related to each other," said a recorded statement issued by the medical examiner.

A third victim died in San Diego County in the initial stages of the outbreak of fires, which began Sunday and spread from Santa Barbara to the Mexican border over the next four days.

By Thursday morning, however, firefighters were making good progress in the battle. President Bush toured the areas of devastation in a helicopter with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger after landing at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miramar aboard Air Force One.

They toured a burned-out neighborhood and Bush arrived for lunch with hundreds of firefighters at Kit Carson Community Park. Schwarzenegger thanked the president for his "tremendous support" and his "immediate help" with federal resources.

"The cooperation that you have seen from the president and from his administration has been absolutely fantastic," the governor said.

Bush thanked firefighters a short time ago and told the governor that he and members of his administration will make certain that "the resources at our disposal are deployed to help you."

To the relief of firefighters and residents, Wednesday brought an easing of the fearsome Santa Ana winds that had fed the fires for three days, and the winds remained calm Thursday, allowing firefighter to continue making progress.

Winds continued weakening Thursday, according to the National Weather Service. In mountainous areas, winds were blowing at 10 to 15 mph and gusting to 20, meteorologist Art Horton said. It was a big change from earlier in the week, when winds reached 70 to 80 miles per hour at times, he said. Temperatures also were beginning to drop, with inland temperatures predicted in the low to mid-90s on Thursday -- three to five degrees lower than the day before, Horton said. By Friday, they were expected to drop into the 80s.

Light sea breezes were blowing in coastal areas, but they weren't strong enough to turn the direction of the fires, which had been a fear on Wednesday.

Rain, however, is nowhere in sight in Southern California.

"We're not looking for rains through the rest of the month, or even the following weekend," Horton said.

The lighter winds were enabling firefighters to do more attacking from the air. There were still 12 active fires burning Thursday in four counties: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego and Orange. The number of firefighters from various agencies grew to 10,693, said Ramiro Rodriguez, public information officer for the state's Office of Emergency Services in Riverside.

The largest fire, the Witch fire in San Diego County, was only 20 percent contained and still threatened 5,000 residences, Rodriguez said. About a quarter of the existing firefighting force is working on that blaze, which has consumed nearly 200,000 acres.

Altogether, the Southern California fires have burned 412,000 acres and destroyed 1,342 residences and 104 commercial buildings.

The acreage burned in this week's fires has exceeded the 273,246 acres scorched in the 2003 Cedar fire in San Diego County. But the Cedar fire brought greater losses to life and property: 15 people died and 4, 847 structures were destroyed, Emergency Services spokeswoman Sharon Avery said..

Cal Fire officials said investigators are on the scene but have not determined the cause of any blazes except the Santiago fire in Orange County, which has burned more than a dozen homes and is an arson. Three deaths and 40 injuries have been attributed to the firestorms so far.

The fires have charred more than 460,000 acres across seven counties, destroying about 1,400 homes and turning an estimated 500,000 residents into instant evacuees.

On Wednesday, many were allowed back into their homes -- or what was left of them.

Devastating news found its way to Mike Bunnell in the Rancho Bernardo area of San Diego County: His family's home of five years had been destroyed.

His calm demeanor belied the turmoil he felt inside.

"I can't even describe it to you. It's stunning," said Bunnell, 55. "It takes your breath away."

But, he said, he felt blessed his family was alive and together.

The news didn't come as a surprise to Bunnell. By the time he and his family fled in the early hours of Monday, the roof of his Trails community home already was ablaze. The family got away with a clothes basket of framed photos, his daughter's violin and a laptop computer.

They left behind baby photos, wedding photos, childhood artwork.

"Family history was lost," Bunnell said.

$1 billion in losses

State Insurance Commissioner Stephen Poizner declared the south state area an insurance emergency, allowing insurance companies to move more quickly by bringing out-of-state adjustors in to work with consumers.

Poizner estimated fire-related property losses could top $1 billion.

For many, Wednesday marked another day of waiting and not knowing.

In Rancho Bernardo, where ominous plumes of smoke marred the horizon, wary residents stood in an Albertsons store parking lot, hoping police would let them back up the hill. The day's calmer winds were a relief to many, but the occasional wails of sirens piercing the air brought a hush over the crowd.

"We're guardedly optimistic," said resident Chuck Zangas, "but until you eyeball it yourself ... "

San Diego City Councilman Brian Maienschein showed up in jeans and a polo shirt, drawing a large crowd as he stood atop a delivery truck's bumper. But he had little news.

"This is hard for me," he said. "This is the community I grew up in."

State defends effort

Nearly 9,000 firefighters have been battling the blazes. State officials said the fire fight was going well, and rebutted complaints that not enough federal and state resources were available to handle the firestorm, including a dearth of National Guard troops because of overseas deployments.

"We have had all the resources we've needed to fight these fires," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's spokesman, Aaron McLear, said.

At times Monday and Tuesday, firefighting aircraft were available but had to be grounded when winds kicked up stronger than 30 mph, Cal Fire's Berlant said.

National Guard officials say they have deployed 1,584 troops to assist in the fire zone, and have another 15,500 troops available for call-up in the state. Some 3,000 California Guard troops are deployed overseas, many in Iraq and Afghanistan, Guard Capt. Jonathan Shiroma said.

"We'll deploy more (to the fires) if the governor makes the call," Shiroma said.

After heavy criticism for its slow response following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the Bush administration attempted to move quickly this week to provide help, declaring a disaster situation Tuesday to pave the way for immediate and long-term federal support.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said it appears the Federal Emergency Management Agency is responding better than it did after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.

"The FEMA response to Katrina was a disaster in itself, but I have to say this time they have been working closely with our state," she said.

Boxer also had initial concerns about whether the National Guard had enough equipment available, but said the Guard assured her it had shipped aircraft and other equipment from other states, should it be needed.

Democratic Lt. Gov. John Garamendi called the president's visit a public relations move and challenged Bush to make good on any promises of help to California.

"Let's not have a repeat of what took place in New Orleans," Garamendi said. "If he is going to help us, terrific, but prove it."

He pointed out that hilly fire zones sit above inhabited areas and will pose mudslide and flood dangers when winter rains come.

"A lot of the fires have taken place on federal land, just uphill from our communities," he said. "Those lands have to be properly treated."

Of more immediate concern, state emergency officials say, is the effort to fight the remaining fires, and take care of evacuees.

At least 500,000 displaced

It remained uncertain Wednesday, amid contradictory reports, just how broad the displacement has been.

The Governor's Office of Emergency Services reported Wednesday that 500,000 people have been evacuated since Sunday.

Some news agencies estimated that as many as 1 million people have left their homes. Emergency Services officials said those estimates may include many who voluntarily evacuated.

Fire crews successfully thwarted the Witch fire's advance on the resort town of Julian, home to wood-plank sidewalks and pie shops. Every restaurant in this town famed for apple pies and cider was shuttered.

"We're still concerned," said Julian Fire Battalion Chief Doug Andrews as he walked along an abandoned Main Street. "But we're looking better."

Although the fire didn't make it into town, electrical outages caused their own damage.

Addie Nissou, owner of the Julian Market, surveyed shelves of blackened lettuce, shriveled avocados and rotten slices of roast beef.

"This is all lost money," Nissou said.

Nearby, at the Leg-Up Ranch, Stephanie and Thayer Brehm worried about losing more than their horse ranch; they worried about losing their mission. Their ranch is a rural retreat for young people suffering from cancer and other diseases. Stephanie Brehm, who recently battled a brain tumor and whose son Dylan fought leukemia for four years, said horses have healing power.

"This is our passion, our dream," Brehm said as she wrangled Abner, one of her 19 horses, onto a trailer headed for safer ground. "I guess it's all in God's hands."

Stadium housing lauded

Some 10,000 evacuees camped out for a third night Wednesday at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, but by Thursday morning the numbers had dwindled into the hundred.

The scene was vastly different from the squalid conditions New Orleans evacuees faced inside the Superdome.

Boxer toured the Qualcomm site Wednesday and said she was pleased with how organized it was.

"When I first heard people were at a stadium I had images of Katrina and was nervous," she said. "They have done an amazing job."

Evacuees were scattered at two dozen sites around the region, listening to radios, watching television, hoping for information about their neighborhoods.

Volunteers tried to fill needs, such as saline nasal spray for volunteers who are getting constant bloody noses because of the dry and smoky air.

On the fire lines, officials were reporting mixed progress Wednesday.

In Los Angeles County, fires were completely or mostly contained by noon, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Sam Padilla.

Los Angeles fire crews were being sent to Orange and San Diego counties to assist with still-raging fires to the south. The county had no fire-related deaths.

The largest fire in Los Angeles County, the 38,000-acre Buckweed, was fully contained as of Wednesday evening. The Canyon fire in Malibu was 85 percent contained by noon, Padilla said. It consumed 4,500 acres. Six homes, one church and one commercial building were totally lost, while nine residences and five businesses were damaged.

In San Diego County, four major fires remained out of control. There, while Rancho Bernardo residents awaited word of their home's fate, Mike Bunnell, whose house was burning as he escaped, pondered all he had lost, most painfully the family photos.

Friends have been calling to offer help. Bunnell tells them to look for whatever photos they may have of his family through the years.

His voice breaks. "That's all I can ask anybody to do."

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