'Unprecedented' wildfires, fierce winds lead to 'firenadoes' in California, 100% of California in drought.

[hsedin33]

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/16/us/california-wildfires/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

(Link has vid, Firenado at 1:14 in video if you don't want to wait)

'Unprecedented' wildfires, fierce winds lead to 'firenadoes' in California

By Holly Yan, Gary Tuchman and Michael Martinez, CNN

updated 3:35 AM EDT, Fri May 16, 2014

Source: CNN

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Wildfires have scorched at least 10,000 acres in San Diego County
• At least one body has been found burned
• More than 15,000 residents have been evacuated
• "It's a moving target," the San Marcos fire chief says

Have you been affected? Please share your photos and video with CNN iReport if you can do so safely.

San Marcos, California (CNN) -- The good news: Temperatures and winds across scorched areas of southern California are starting to subside.

The bad news: Unruly wildfires keep barreling from one community to another, destroying homes and spawning "firenadoes" -- funnels of flames that look like tornadoes.

With 10,000 acres of land already devoured, thousands of homes are still in jeopardy as eight fires rage in the San Diego County area.

"It's scariest at the moment, with the fire now like 100 yards from the homes," San Marcos resident Kevin Giesey said. "I worry about the embers jumping into the grass next to the homes. It's frightening."

In just a few hours Thursday, the fires in San Marcos went from minor blazes to raging infernos, filling the sky with orange flames and solid black smoke.

Unseasonably fierce winds mixed with the flames to spawn firenadoes. The wildfire in San Marcos leaped hundreds of yards in just a matter of seconds.

"It's a moving target, as far as estimating size," San Marcos Fire Chief Brett Van Wey said late Thursday. "It's only about 5% contained, though."

Now, nearby cities such as Escondido are also at risk.

About 15,000 Escondido residents have been evacuated. The evacuation zone included a 12-story hospital, Palomar Medical Center West, but that facility wasn't evacuated.

"It's just logistically hard to transport that many patients in a short period of time," Escondido Community Relations Manager Joyce Masterson said. "The hospital is along the foothills and about three miles away from the fire."

That hospital announced on Twitter that its emergency room had closed to new patients because of flames.

The fire department was "in place to do everything possible to protect the hospital," Masterson said.

Teens investigated for arson

While the causes of the wildfires remain unclear, arson has been a primary suspicion among residents.

On Thursday night, Escondido police said they have arrested two teenagers in connection with brushfires along Escondido Boulevard and Kit Carson Park.

Witnesses said two people "appeared to be involved in setting small fires," Escondido Police Lt. Neal Griffin said.

Griffin said police do not have any indication that the teens, ages 17 and 19, are involved in the wildfires, but "obviously we will be exploring that possibility."

Remnants of homes

Although many residents have evacuated from their houses, some who have returned came home to just rubble.

"We walked up to this place, and it was like a bomb went off," Anya Bannasch told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" on Thursday. "I can't even explain to you how just horrific it was."

Bannasch lost her house, but the entire family -- including the dog -- survived.

"I pray for all the other families, too, out there that are going through this right now, because I know there's fires everywhere."

Evolution of a disaster

The wave of wildfires started Tuesday with the Bernardo Fire in San Diego County. The next day, a spate of new blazes popped up -- each one separate from one another, each posing its own dangers.

Scorching temperatures, including record daily highs of 97 degrees in San Diego and 104 in both Esconido and El Cajon, certainly didn't help.

Nor did bone dry conditions: 100% of California is experiencing exceptional, extreme or severe drought conditions. The wildfire area is in second most-dangerous category.

"The last three years have (been) the driest in California's recorded history," Gov. Jerry Brown said, citing climate change as "a factor" in the spate of blazes.

Fire season in Southern California typically starts late in the summer and extends into fall. But nowadays, as Jacob points out, "We have year-round fire risk."

Chief Thom Porter from Cal Fire notes that there's been no time to shut down over the past 12 months at least, adding: "We have never gone out of what you would call fire season."

Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott said that the amount of fire activity statewide so far this year has been "unprecedented."

Bone dry + brutal heat + gusty winds = unseasonably early wildfires

What to know about wildfires

Are you there? If you're in a safe place, please share your photos and videos.

[Rounoush]

[Offensive Threat]

Now if only the firenadoes would head offshore and pick up some sharks

[Standing_Tall#37]

Now if only the firenadoes would head offshore and pick up some sharks

Sharknado, what a great theatrical fuckin masterpiece that was....

But seriously...raging sharks in fire tornadoes, that's some scary shit

[Green Building]

Brutal. California provides a massive amount of the food consumed in the US.

I swear Sharknado 2 was the first thing I thought of when I read the title.

[theminister]

Waiting for Pistoletov to come in a tell us that droughts are common and there is no situation. California is used to burning and that is a non story. This is just the leftist scientific conspiracy cabal pushing its communist agenda to subdue the population into believing they need to submit to more taxes.

Or something.

But then....MadMonk happens. Rinse and repeat.

[canuck2xtreme]

Waiting for Pistolev to come in a tell us that droughts are common and there is no situation. California is used to burning and that is a non story. This is just the leftist scientific conspiracy cabal pushing its communist agenda to subdue the population into believing they need to submit to more taxes.

Or something.

But then....MadMonk happens. Rinse and repeat.

Just went back to your satellite photo thread and caught up on that. Wow...

[Hobble]

Obviously this is just God punishing us for allowing gay marriage.

[theminister]

Obviously this is just God punishing us for allowing gay marriage.

Yup.

And as a precursor to the Game 7 between Ana-LA.

If Ana wins the cup this year with a rookie American goalie and a black kid from the LBC then the apocalypse is on.

[Ghostsof1915]

People who say there's no causal link between rising C02 levels and extreme weather remind me of the same "scientists" that said smoking doesn't cause cancer in the 1970's.

[theminister]

People who say there's no causal link between rising C02 levels and extreme weather remind me of the same "scientists" that said smoking doesn't cause cancer in the 1970's.

It doesn't. Smoking cures acne that's why teenagers should smoke.

And hysteria in women can be cured by barbiturates and Palmolive.

[RUPERTKBD]

I don't mean to make light of what obviously is a serious situation, but is this really "unprecedented"? It seems to me that Cali has been having problems like this for several years now.

And yes, it undoubtedly has something to do with Climate Change.

[DeNiro]

Brutal. California provides a massive amount of the food consumed in the US.

Monsanto to the rescue!

New waterless, fireproof crops! Don't ask whats in them...

[theminister]

I don't mean to make light of what obviously is a serious situation, but is this really "unprecedented"? It seems to me that Cali has been having problems like this for several years now.

And yes, it undoubtedly has something to do with Climate Change.

I believe they are saying it is an unprecedented level of wildfire activity for the month of May. Still very early on in the fire season. With dry conditions and low reservoirs it could be a perfect storm (firestorm?!?) come August if the conditions don't improve. Doesn't help that arson may also be involved, to add insult to injury.

Also.....

Wildfire!!!

[RUPERTKBD]

I believe they are saying it is an unprecedented level of wildfire activity for the month of May. Still very early on in the fire season. With dry conditions and low reservoirs it could be a perfect storm (firestorm?!?) come August if the conditions don't improve. Doesn't help that arson may also be involved, to add insult to injury.

Also.....

Wildfire!!!

Otherwise known as "pigsh!t".... (I wish there was a "Bronn" emoticon)

[Hobble]

Can't wait for Monsato to bring out their fire-resistant, waterless corn.

[Buddhas Hand]

I believe they are saying it is an unprecedented level of wildfire activity for the month of May. Still very early on in the fire season. With dry conditions and low reservoirs it could be a perfect storm (firestorm?!?) come August if the conditions don't improve. Doesn't help that arson may also be involved, to add insult to injury.

Also.....

Wildfire!!!

Interesting to note that historically-up until the last decade the fire-season starts late summer , after everything had dried out and extended into Autumn.

Now the have fire risk virtually all year, it is very simmiliar here in Aus , i can rember four big fire events in my life time , mum-8 , all but one of them{ the latest} late in summer.

Now we are seeing bushfires as early as late spring , 40c+ degree days before christmas meaning bush areas are fire hazards early in summer.

At the moment we have just equalled the record for consecutive days above 20c in May , nearly every month some heat record is broken.

[Mr. Ambien]

Holy crap, fires in California? Well I never...

Next thing you know, they'll have droughts! Or earthquakes!

It's just so unprecedented.

Glad to see CNN isn't missing a beat from their plane coverage to reel in (gullible) people on exaggerating disasters.

[CanadianLoonie]

HAARP, anybody?