Firestorms of So Cal

Mt. Palomar Fire as seen from my balcony

It is tucked behind the mountain. Tuckers school has been set up as an evacuation center along with our church where he attends early morning seminary. This fire along with the one in Fallbrook and De Luz are the farthest north of the San Diego fires. The Santiago fire is to the northwest of us on the other side of the Cleveland National Forrest and has destroyed precious trails and many homes. We are safe from these fires and so long as the Santa Rosa Plateau stays calm, all will be good here. I live along the plateau which boarders the Cleveland National Forrest. it is right out my front door.

Fire update: Death toll, winds, Mt. Palomar, nuclear plant

Here are some of the latest highlights out of Southern California:

• Nearly 1 million people have been uprooted by the fires, AP says.
• The death toll from the fires was lowered to one. An earlier U.S. Forest Service report of a death in Santa Clarita was erroneous.
• Four San Diego County residents have died as a result of evacuations in the last two days, a county medical examiner official told the Los Angeles Times. They included two people who were being moved from medical facilities.
• 1,300 homes have been destroyed. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said 68,000 more are threatened.
• Winds are still stiff, but the National Weather Service now says the 60 to 100 mph gusts of the past few days would mostly subside tonight.
• The famed Mt. Palomar Observatory, which houses one of the world's largest telescopes, may be in jeopardy. Fire officials in Riverside said the fire in the area north of San Diego has exploded to 20,000 acres, the L.A. Times says on its blog.
• Two fires have broken out in Camp Pendleton. One — the Ammo Fire, currently about 350 acres — is at the base of San Onofre Peak and is headed up toward telecommunications equipment at the summit. On the other side: the San Onofre nuclear power plant. The Times says the governor asked that air tankers water down the unburned area to keep the fire from cresting the ridge and heading toward the power plant.
• Several people have been arrested for looting in San Diego County.
• President Bush will visit the area Thursday.
• The Slide Fire may have been started by a downed power line, a state fire official told the San Bernardino Sun.
• The state's fire Web site has been overwhelmed by the volume of traffic and "is not functioning." A temporary page lists the latest available information.

(AP photo of a Running Springs home destroyed by the Slide Fire by Irfan Khan, Los Angeles Times)