Catalina Island on Fire
 

Yesterday Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles went up in flames. As of this morning 4000 acres are burnt. The marines are using camp pendelton to load hovercrafts with fire trucks to take to the island. The last time there was a major fire there in 1915 the whole town of Avalon went down. Lets hope they keep the fire from speading.

Wow. :(
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20070511/D8P2638G0.html

It's very dry around here!!!! Hope they get that thing out TODAY!

Nort, hows your area doing? I know there is no fire but after last year you have to be nervous

Saw in the news this morning that 400 people were evacuated by ferry.... That has to be scary.

Sounds like they've backed it off of Avalon and it's up in the hills now. I went up on my roof last night but it was too foggy to see anything. Most clear days I can see the island like it's at the end of my street!

It's funny (not "ha-ha" funny)... We were in Two Harbors last weekend commenting on how dry everything looked.

I heard on the news that the run from Pendleton to Avalon in a hovercraft only took an hour. Either it's typical news BS or those hovercraft really haul the mail!

Thank God for the Marines, I have alot of friends out there. Where is the air force and the chem-planes???

they will do over 40 knots with a full load.

Ah so, typical news BS!

I haven't heard anything about the planes either. Just helicopters. And supposedly they don't have jet fuel at the Catalina airport (sounds like more BS) so the helicopters have to dump and then fly back to Long Beach.

Well no, not necessarily BS...What's Pendleton like 40 miles from Avalon?

I used to fly into the airport there and load sometimes with Jet a so maybe they changed. If you never have been to the airport it looks smaller than it really is. The first time I used to bring people there they were afraid I could not stop the plane. the runway is 3200ft with a 1600ft drop at both ends

Hmm, seems farther than 40 miles from HB to Pendelton by car. I would have guess something more like 60 miles. Which Is in the ball park I guess. You just get very used to the news being full of crap (for example the "Battle For Avalon" graphic on channel 5 this morning)! :chimp:

I've never been to the Airport in the Sky... Paul Moyer said that there was no Jet A up there.

http://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/avalon/webcam2.php

You and me, both. I don't put much faith in journalism (if you can call it that anymore) anymore.

:)

Not much better on this coast, either. :(
We have fires raging throughout FL and Georgia, tens of thousands of acres have burned here as well.

Today was supposed to be a bright, sunny day without a cloud in the sky - and there isn't a cloud anywhere, yet visibility is only about 1/4 mile right now. The smell is terrible, everything stinks - my house, truck, everything. It makes it tough seeing and breathing. Burns the hell out of your nose and eyes.

What can you do though?

:(

This is my drive home.

I feel for you bud! I have to wash a layer of ash off of my house and everything I leave out side about once every two months. There is so much pollution and fall out from all the fires we have out here that you can't keep anything clean. And the ash and pollution is corrosive!

Sorry to see that its no better out there. I was just complaining to my wife the other day that we should move to Florida!

Sucks man. Luckily I haven't seen ash yet. I know how bad that can be.

Good luck to you guys. Be safe.

:)

Looks like the fire is getting under control, but KFWB says that only residents are welcome back this weekend. Dang, I was getting the boat ready to go. Well, maybe we'll just go next weekend.

Our band of Burbankers take the entire Inn at Mt Ada for a few days each June and we're really looking forward to our trip in the next few weeks. I think we'll have to cancel our "outback" tour however. Guess we'll stick to golf cart racing, dining and drinking...

Last night on the news Catalina looked like it was gonna burn clean down to the waterlines. . . . could not see it from my deck because of marine layer. . . . today - much better, at least Avalon is safe.

No worry here...seems like it rains every other day.:(

to bad it did not take CA with it .