2007-10-23 15:00:16 · 11 answers · asked by kitsmarquez05 1 in Travel ➔ United States ➔ San Diego
Little fires start all the time. A transformer blew up, a house caught fire, a spark from a motorcycle...none of them would have amounted to anything except there was a huge Santa Ana wind blowing, up to 70 mph. gusts, and it was hot, like 90 degrees, but most of all it was very dry--no humidity was any higher than 10 % in all of SD County, some readings were zero. Dew point, minus one degree Farenheit. It only rained 2 inches in the whole previous year, the lowest rainfall ever recorded in SD. Maybe related to global warming, but the jury would be out on that question.
Once a fire gets going on dry fuel with no humidity and a hot, dry wind blowing it, nothing is going to stop it. The Santa Ana is moving east, the sea breeze is coming back bringing moisture and cooler temps. There may be fog and drizzle soon, that would help a lot. Of course from time to time some unbalanced people actually go out into the forest to set fires for some kind of pleasure or excitement it brings them, and that is real bad. Billions of dollars have been lost. Maybe a thousand homes or more gone. People dead and injured. If anybody did start any fires on purpose the law must deal very sternly with them.
2007-10-23 15:09:00 · answer #1 · answered by jxt299 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The super dry air conditions, along with extreme heat and drought (they have had only 1/3-1/5 the normal rainfall this year) and the Santa Ana winds (very high winds from the NE) which fanned the flames and made them spread.
these all contributed to the fires.
then what started them were all different things, but they didn't fizzle out once started.
(maybe cigarettes thrown out the window? or camp fire? or grilling? numerous things)
2007-10-23 15:11:20 · answer #2 · answered by Buzz B 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
High erractic winds-some at over 50-100 mph. The canyons too-the fires race through them-esp with extremely dry brush as we have hardly gotten any rain. Same as in Santa Clarita area and dry trees and brush in San Bernardino mountains. Plus the drop planes couldn't fly to get in to help. One of them was started by arson too-nice huh?! Stupid people!
2007-10-23 15:17:22 · answer #3 · answered by ARTmom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lighting stared it and as the fire grew embers caught by the Santa Ann winds,blew them to other parts of the valleys.
Thousands of people left there homes to burn.
lot.s of MOVIE AND TV stars lost there homes also.
Fire fighters from as far as KANSAS And OKLAHOMA drove to help fight the fire.
This the is the worse fire in any state.
2007-10-23 15:20:47 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dry weather, no rainfall/moist, heat, Santa Ana Winds, high temperature, and dry crops/plants (forgot the actual name of the plant)
2007-10-23 15:04:19 · answer #5 · answered by John Becker 5 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The high winds, and the dry heat.
2007-10-23 15:03:14 · answer #6 · answered by jemark 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
The air is like desert, no humidity.
2007-10-23 15:03:19 · answer #7 · answered by KATIE 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Probably, someone summon Ifrit from the infernal ground.
2007-10-23 15:05:14 · answer #8 · answered by El Esplendido 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
I hate to say it but I have a sneeky feeling it was ARSON.
2007-10-23 15:04:14 · answer #9 · answered by Don M 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
volcanoes.
2007-10-23 15:02:52 · answer #10 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋