cannabisnews.com: S. Calif. Fire Forces Evacuations





S. Calif. Fire Forces Evacuations
Posted by CN Staff on August 06, 2002 at 21:16:11 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press
Julian, Calif .- A mountain wildfire jumped past a fire line and was burning with renewed vigor Tuesday, forcing further evacuations of communities east of San Diego. The rural town of Warner Springs, population 1,200, was partly evacuated, while 70 people were told to leave the Los Coyotes Indian Reservation. In Borrego Springs, elderly residents who might suffer from smoky air were also urged to leave.
The fire was 48 percent contained Tuesday, with full containment still expected by Sunday evening, officials said. The blaze had been about 80 percent contained before it leapt the fire line. "It made its big run last night," forestry department spokeswoman Lynette Lydick said Tuesday. "If the wind keeps up, it will continue to move pretty quickly." The blaze started July 29 when a National Guard helicopter clipped a power line while looking for marijuana plants in the rugged, isolated area. The fire has burned across more than 47,000 acres and destroyed 19 homes. Elsewhere, drier weather and shifting wind heightened concern that two wildfires could push closer to 220 homes scattered along the Rogue River in southwestern Oregon. Firefighters and Curry County sheriff's deputies went door-to-door advising people to be ready to leave. The fires have burned across 284,000 acres combined in southwestern Oregon and northeastern California. To the east, the threat had diminished enough that evacuation warnings were eased for 17,000 residents of the Illinois Valley. On the Net: National Interagency Fire Center: http://www.nifc.gov Source: Associated Press Published: August 6, 2002Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Related Articles: 27,000 Pot Plants Seized as Raids Begin http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13632.shtmlPot Sites Pose a Growing Danger http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13461.shtmlHow Green is The Crop?http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11568.shtmlPatton of Pot - 60 Minutes IIhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8656.shtml 
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #14 posted by freedom fighter on August 07, 2002 at 19:07:01 PT
ARREST THEM!
For starting the fire...Just like that lady who worked for National Forest in Colorado or that dude in Arizona.They flew too way low to hit the power line. This does not absolve them for what they were doing. Looking forward to more Federal workers bungling up the enviroment!ff
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #13 posted by Zero_G on August 07, 2002 at 10:57:32 PT
25 residences now destroyed
Just heard an AM radio report from San Diego saying that 25 homes have been destroyed, the cause of the blaze being the helicopter, and NO MENTION about the mission of the 'copter.Figures.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #12 posted by FoM on August 07, 2002 at 10:32:58 PT
VitaminT 
I'm sorry I missed that one. Thanks that had to be really good. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #11 posted by VitaminT on August 07, 2002 at 09:28:37 PT
Another Marijuana related wildfire!
This reminds me of the early SNL episode where John and Gilda light up a joint after a long night of studying. A few minutes later two ex-police (kicked of the force 2 weeks ago) bust through the door and beat Belushi half to death then throw him out the window and call it "Another Marijuana related death!"
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #10 posted by kanabys on August 07, 2002 at 09:13:52 PT
maybe
they are just seeing the futility of repelling down and whacking the weeds, so they will just burn all the land to try and eradicate it; houses, animals, forests and people be damned!
Friggin' idiots :(
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #9 posted by BGreen on August 07, 2002 at 09:05:53 PT
Helicopter crash in Springfield, MO
At 10:25 this morning a MO State Highway Patrol helicopter crashed along Highway 65, injuring the pilot and another trooper. They were just beginning a marijuana eradication flight.I just don't feel any sympathy.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #8 posted by Naaps on August 07, 2002 at 09:00:20 PT
Money to Burn
This massive blaze has its start due to the helicopter searching for marijuana contacting a power line? Trained professionals with clean urine, following all proper aircraft rules - how low were they flying? If it were my home burned, I would be very outspoken about the real consequences of this dubious program. No doubt, California has money to burn. A couple weeks ago, two police officers on the American East Coast were killed in an aircraft crash while searching for pot.Clearly, there is a high price to pay for interdicting a harmless plant growing on the ground. The taxpayer is burdened not only by the wages of the CAMP people, but by the costs of their aircraft and the costs of damage produced by their activities.
  
Last week, the Siskiyou National Forest and the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in Oregon were burning, and news articles trumped the fact that marijuana plantations were burning also. It almost made me facetiously post a comment that the future will bring massive forest fires as a means of destroying the clandestine crop.CAMP is nothing more than an unsavory government make-work-project. It should be cancelled to give the tax-sucking parasites an opportunity to do something positive for society.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #7 posted by dddd on August 07, 2002 at 08:08:27 PT
..............
..If only Marijuana was a good pesticide,,approved by the EPA... .......then we could go down to our local garden center store,,and buy a 50 pound bag of buds for $4.99..
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #6 posted by Zero_G on August 07, 2002 at 08:00:01 PT
dddd
Since you posted the rebuttal, I thought I'd post the accusation. From the National Resources Defence CouncilTheir Homepage:http://www.nrdc.orgEPA signs off on safety of all but two of 30 pesticides
June 10, 2002: The Environmental Protection Agency released its findings on the safety of pesticides, just hours after a federal appeals court in Washington rebuffed the pesticide industry's third attempt to block release of the information. In a study of the cumulative health risks of 30 organophosphates, the EPA found that two pose an unacceptable threat to human health when combined.Over the past several years, EPA has reviewed all but 5 of 49 organophosparus pesticides. Fourteen have been or will be taken off the market. It is the first time federal regulators have studied how an entire class of chemicals might react with each other and be hazardous in the human body.NRDC, whose lawsuit prompted the scientific review, was pleased that the administration defended the 1999 settlement agreement and proceed with the studies. However, NRDC said the EPA had ignored some of the biggest health risks from the chemicals and failed to adequately consider all of the threats to children."EPA's underestimated the health risks to America's kids from poisonous pesticides, and is simply not doing enough to reduce the problems from these toxic chemicals," said NRDC senior attorney Erik Olsen. "Organophosphates continue to drift into the air we breathe, contaminate our food and tap water, soak into the ground, and dust our lawns."from: http://www.nrdc.org/bushrecord/health_pesticides.asp#277
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #5 posted by qqqq on August 07, 2002 at 07:49:10 PT
...ramblin'...
...thanx Z_G...
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #4 posted by Zero_G on August 07, 2002 at 07:40:59 PT
C.A.M.P.
That's the campaign to eradicate marijuana planting.Slash and Burn from:http://www.svcn.com/archives/lgwt/06.06.01/cover-0123.htmlSaratogan leads commando-type operation to stamp out marijuana growersBy Mary Ann CookIs it a bird? Is a plane? No, it's Sonya Barna, sometimes nicknamed The Patton of Pot, being dropped down from a helicopter, as part of her team--and her mission--to wipe out as much marijuana in California, as possible. Barna is operations commander of the Campaign Against Marijuana Planting, or CAMP. She works for the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, under the office of the state attorney general, Bill Lockyer. The campaign targets large-scale commercial operations. Counties throughout the state survey their own domain and when they spot a suspicious outcropping, they alert CAMP. Then, CAMP springs into action, usually enlisting about 15 men for each project. Barna, 38, is the only female operative at the moment and she's the only commander, overseeing the entire CAMP operation statewide, from training those under her command to whacking the field herself with a machete. "I don't ask them to do anything I don't do," says the 5-foot-4-inch commando leader, who has been in law enforcement her entire career. That's why, though other commanders might be at the command post, on the ground, some miles away, Barna dons the garb and goes in to do this hot and dirty work as often as necessary. "I actually like getting dirty," she says, with a grin. Statewide there are three teams ,15-23 members to a team. If the area they are assigned to demolish is hard to reach by hiking, CAMP crews are obliged to helicopter in. They are harnessed at the command post, usually two people facing each other. Before taking off they check each other's equipment--harness, buckles, boots, leg straps to make sure nothing is loose. Then they are swung through the air on a 150-foot line for a distance that may be as much as two miles, before being deposited at the spot they'll be working. The helicopter pilots who transport them are so skilled in vertical flying that they can land their charges accurately in a circle about 18 feet in diameter. One man lies on his belly throughout the flight to act as liaison between the dangling passengers and the pilot. He's called the STABO master (Short-Term Airborne Operation), the one who helps avert trouble, who cuts the human cargo off, if necessary. [...]"I wanted to be a special agent, but a family friend said I needed street experience first." That's when she landed the job with the San Jose Police Department. Today, she's commanding an operation with a staggering number of agencies--it's a task force in the United States, and includes the Bureau of Land Management, the California National Guard, the California Highway Patrol, the U.S. Forestry Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration, as well as the county agencies that have signed on. Somehow the egos and energies of all these agencies and personalities are addressed and melded by one compact woman into a Vietnam-type commando team. And as the helicopter blades begin to whir, the vehicle to rise, another raid on the largest agricultural cash crop in California begins. Well, that's the short, abridged, version - you really have to follow the link and read the whole article, pictures included. It's sickening, actually.http://www.chp.ca.gov/html/task_forces_and_campaigns.html will link you to the CHP desciption of the program, and http://caag.state.ca.us/newsalerts/2000/00-131.htm takes you to the state attorney general's statement.Keep on ramblin', qqqq.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #3 posted by dddd on August 07, 2002 at 07:18:27 PT
..look at this...
..It didnt take long for the EPA to test,and approve all these pesticides,,,hmmm..I wonder what the difference is between these "tests",,and the tests needed to prove that Marijuana is "safe",,or "approved".???....d.d.d.d.
 EPA: Setting the Record Straight on Pesticide Tolerance 
Evaluations 
To: National Desk, Environment and Agriculture reporters 
Contact: Joe Martyak of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency, 202-564-7864 WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- On Friday, Aug. 2, the 
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it had 
met a significant milestone for food safety by reassessing more 
than 6,400 allowable pesticide residues on food (called tolerances) 
to ensure that they satisfy the tougher food safety standard 
contained in the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. Reaching this 
goal was accomplished through an exhaustive scientific and 
regulatory effort involving key stakeholders throughout the 
process. Unfortunately, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), who 
has worked closely with EPA on this issue, has recently 
disseminated misinformation rather than facts. EPA would like to 
set the record straight. 1. NRDC is alleging that the Agency has falsely claimed to have 
met the statutory deadline for pesticide tolerance reassessment. 
EPA has indeed met the Congressionally mandated deadlines in the 
Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 to reassess two-thirds of the 
existing pesticide tolerances on food to ensure they meet the 
tougher health standards required by law. This has been 
accomplished through a multi-year process that has included 
numerous rounds of scientific and public review. 2. In an especially inappropriate and inaccurate charge, NRDC 
characterized EPA's approach to tolerance reassessment as involving 
"Enron like accounting." This kind of blatantly charged language is wholly without merit 
and profoundly unfair to the dedicated EPA staff and the many 
stakeholders who have invested valuable time and energy into making 
tolerance reassessment a success. EPA stands by the integrity of 
this program. The methods used to determine when a tolerance has 
completed the reassessment process are accurate, time-tested and 
open for full scrutiny throughout. 3. NRDC claims that the Agency has failed to review the high 
priority pesticides. Since 1996, the Agency has worked under a systematic approach 
that prioritizes for reassessment and risk mitigation specific 
pesticides that may pose the greatest risks to public health. In a 
consent agreement signed in 2001, NRDC agreed with EPA to an 
aggressive schedule to reassess certain pesticides of particular 
concern. To date, EPA has successfully met all the deadlines for 
expeditious review of the priority pesticides in that agreement, 
and the Agency is on track to meet the remaining deadlines for the 
additional pesticides. In addition, EPA prioritized the evaluation 
of pesticide uses that involve children's food, and has completed 
the reassessment for approximately two-thirds of those tolerances. 
These actions reflect the true record -- focusing on the 
potentially riskiest pesticides first. This represents a major 
accomplishment for food safety, and one for which the public should 
be assured that the US continues to have among the safest food 
supplies in the world. Another major advance in pesticide regulation was met in 
December 2001 when EPA released a preliminary cumulative risk 
assessment for the organophosphates -- a monumental scientific and 
regulatory accomplishment. After additional public and scientific 
review, the Agency issued a revised cumulative risk assessment in 
June, ahead of schedule. The issuance of these documents meets our 
legal obligations under the NRDC consent decree for issuing a 
preliminary and revised cumulative risk assessment for the 
organophosphate pesticides. EPA will continue to expeditiously 
evaluate the remaining organophophates and other high priority 
pesticides. The Agency will continue the important work to ensure 
all pesticides meet the tough scientific and regulatory standards 
in the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. 4. NRDC even goes so far as to assert that by releasing the 
press statement on Friday afternoon, the Agency is somehow avoiding 
public scrutiny. Quite the contrary, the Agency had been working diligently to 
meet the statutory deadline of Aug. 3. Our announcement reflected 
the completion of three years of work and was released on Friday 
because the deadline fell on a Saturday. EPA is very proud of the 
concerted efforts to accomplish this task. In conclusion, EPA, along with the public, industry, growers, 
consumer groups, states, the public health community and others, 
have all worked diligently to implement FQPA using a transparent, 
open process, with sound scientific principles, while meeting 
statutory deadlines with integrity. As always, EPA's primary focus 
and unwavering commitment continues to be the protection of public 
health and the environment for the American people. http://www.usnewswire.com 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by qqqq on August 07, 2002 at 02:43:04 PT
..The National Guard!...(?)
...In years past,,I have vacationed ,camped and explored the Julian area...It is,[was],a nice place.....I want to know,what the fuck the National Guard is doing playing around with helicopters,looking for Marijuana plants!..
 I guess it shouldn't suprize me,,but I was not aware that the National Guard had been enlisted by the DEA,or who ever(?),to fly around looking for pot plants...???
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by Hopeful Freeman on August 06, 2002 at 23:40:14 PT
Searching for green
"The blaze started July 29 when a National Guard helicopter clipped a power line while looking for marijuana plants in the rugged, isolated area. The fire has burned across more than 47,000 acres and destroyed 19 homes." -----The Dangers of Prohibition in America
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment