In the United States,  many violent fires have continued to rage for a week through Southern California. On Monday, the 27th of October 2003, governor Gray Davis (who will be replaced by Arnold Swartzeneger) declared a state of emergency in San Bernardino, Ventura, San Diego and Los Angeles counties. He also asked President Bush to declare a federal disaster area in California.

Eleven fires were declared in California, a wilderness, and are particularly murderous. The last toll is twenty deaths. Some people who died because of those fires ignored evacuation orders and were caught by flames because they waited until the last minute to flee. It’s probably to save their possessions. It’s true that it is very difficult to leave a house where "we have lived for many years", as a victim said.

 But, to avoid dying, being burnt or inhaling smoke, 40,000 persons chose to be evacuated. Unfortunately, for a long time, people built their home in forests and bushland although it was likely they could eventually be destroyed by fire. That’s why, in the most affected area, around San Diego, a city of 1.2 million inhabitants, 585 houses have burnt. .

More than 500,000 acres have been consumed, stretching from the Mexican border to suburbs Northeast of Los Angeles. The disaster is estimated to cost billions of dollars. "This will be the most expensive fire in California history, both in loss of property and the cost of fighting it," warned Dallas Jones, the director of California’s Office of Emergency Services.

The causes of those different fires haven't been found. However, authorities were seeking for two men who were seen throwing flaming objects from a van along Highway 18.

The weather isn’t good these days in California. In fact, fires are poked by hot and whirling winds called Santa Ana which  can reach 80 kph. Therefore, despite the many means given to the firemen, the fight against fires looks too difficult.

The new governor of California, Arnold Swartzeneger, announced that everybody must face this disaster to be stronger than fires.

If you wish to react to this article, write to the editor.

This article about the murderous fires in California is interesting because in California they have a lot of forests and the fire spreads very rapidly. You speak about people but you don't speak about animals. They are also important.