This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses.

A NASA satellite image of the Esperanza Fire

The Esperanza Fire was a wind driven arson fire that started in a river wash near Cabazon, California. As of Sunday, October 29, 2006, it had burned over 61 square miles and was 85% contained. As of Monday, October 30, 2006, at 6:00PM, the fire was declared fully contained. Image File history File links Current_event_marker. ... Image File history File links Esperanza_fire-nasa1. ... Image File history File links Esperanza_fire-nasa1. ... Santa Ana winds are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in Southern California weather during autumn and early winter. ... Arsonists redirects here. ... A panorama of the Cabazon Dinos Cabazon is a census-designated place located in Riverside County, California. ... October 29 is the 302nd day of the year (303rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Overview

It started at 1:12 am PDT on October 26, 2006 and burned an estimated 40,200 acres before containment. It resulted in the deaths of five firefighters, and also destroyed 34 houses and 20 outbuildings. The damage the fire has caused is estimated at more than $9 million, and it is the worst wildfire/firefighting disaster since 1994. October 26 is the 299th day of the year (300th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 66 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

A firefighter being rushed to an ambulance during the fire

The firefighters who died were overwhelmed by the fire while trying to defend a house in Cabazon. Captain Mark Loutzenhiser, 44, Firefighter Jess McLean, 27, Firefighter Jason McKay, 27, and Firefighter Daniel Hoover-Najera, 23, were killed defending a house and attempted to retreat to their fire engine, where they were trapped. Four of the five made it to the engine, another did not and was killed outside of the engine. Two died inside the engine and the surviving two were transferred to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center where one died later that day. The other, Pablo Cerda, 23, died at 5:08 pm on October 31, 2006 in Arrowhead Regional Medical Center from injuries he had sustained while fighting the fire. Image File history File links 840_riverside-fire3-185. ... Image File history File links 840_riverside-fire3-185. ... Fire Engine in South Bend, Indiana. ...

The fire spread extremely rapidly due to strong Santa Ana winds, charring 24,000 acres in 18 hours. In comparison, the Ventura County Day Fire burned 24,000 acres in two weeks. There were reports that smoke from the fire could be smelled as far away as San Diego. Santa Ana winds are warm, dry winds that characteristically appear in Southern California weather during autumn and early winter. ... Day Fire in the visible light spectrum as seen from space. ... It has been suggested that Downtown San Diego be merged into this article or section. ...

Investigation

A $550,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist(s), who Fire Chief John Hawkins called a murderer. If convicted the arsonist(s) will face murder charges as well as a long list of other charges. Several government as well as private agencies have donated to this reward. The State of California, Riverside County, San Bernadino County, Morongo Band of Mission Indians, Soboba Band of Lueseno Indians, and Tim Blixseth, a Coachella Valley logging industry magnate, have each donated $100,000 respectively. On Monday October 30, 2006 two people were brought in for questioning and then released. State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. ... San Bernardino County is the largest county in the United States by area, containing more land than 9 states. ... Mission Indians, predominantly from present-day California (although members of the Shoshoni also joined), were groups of Native Americans who lived with the Catholic Order of Franciscan Fathers as early as 1769 when the Mission of San Diego was established. ... Coachella Valley The Coachella Valley is an irrigated agricultural and recreational desert valley in southern California east of Los Angeles. ... October 30 is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 62 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Riverside County Sheriff Department arrested Raymond Lee Oyler on Tuesday October 31, 2006 who is alleged to have set two wildfires in the summer of 2006 and to be "a person of interest regarding the Esperanza Fire."^[1] Oyler is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center in Riverside with a $25,000 bail. Oyler's court hearing is expected to be held on Thursday November 2, 2006, in the Riverside Superior Court House.^[2] Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. ... Raymond Lee Oyler is a 36-year-old man from Beaumont, CA, who was arrested by Riverside County Sheriff Department officials on October 31, 2006 for setting two wildfires in the summer of 2006. ... October 31 is the 304th day of the year (305th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On October 27, 2006, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Riverside County and ordered flags at the California Capitol building and all California Department of Forestry stations to be flown at half-staff. October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger[1] (IPA: ) (born on July 30, 1947) is an Austrian-born bodybuilder, actor and Republican politician, currently serving as the 38th Governor of California. ... A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend certain normal functions of government, may work to alert citizens to alter their normal behaviors, or may order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. ... Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Flag Flying Half-Staff over the White House Half-staff or half-mast describes the act of flying a flag approximately halfway up a flagpole (though anywhere from one-third to two-thirds of the way up the flagpole is acceptable). ...

Firefighters from as far away as Alameda County are working to get the blaze under control. Official website: http://www. ...

Effects

• Riverside County is establishing a fund to help the families of the firefighters who were killed fighting the fire. Donations for the families can be sent to Riverside County, with a notation specifying that it's to go to the Firemen's Family Relief Fund, and addressed to: P.O. Box 1645, Riverside, CA, 92502.

• Several high school football games (including Paloma Valley and Hemet High) scheduled Friday in the Riverside County area near the Esperanza fire have been postponed because of poor air quality.

• Sunbelt League games have been rescheduled for Monday, while Southwestern League games might be made up either Saturday or Monday.

• An October 27 concert at the Soboba Casino by country music star Alan Jackson was indefinitely postponed since the venue was such a short distance from the fire line and authorities did not wish to allow more people in the area than necessary. Patrons were issued a full refund since Jackson's schedule did not allow the show to be immediately rescheduled.

• A public memorial is scheduled to be held on Sunday November 5, 2006 at the Hyundai Pavilion in Devore, CA for the five fallen firefighters.^[3]

Riverside County is a county located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of California, stretching from Orange County to the Colorado River, which is the border with Arizona. ... Paloma Valley High school is located in Menifee California. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... October 27 is the 300th day of the year (301st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 65 days remaining. ... Alan Eugene Jackson (born October 17, 1958) is an American country music singer and songwriter, who became one of the best-selling country musicians of the 1990s. ... November 5 is the 309th day of the year (310th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 56 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hyundai Pavilion (formerly Blockbuster Glen Helen Pavilion) is a 65,000-seat amphitheater located at Glen Helen Regional Park in Devore, California, near San Bernardino. ... Devore is a small rural town located where I-15 meets I-215 in San Bernardino County, California. ...

See also

• List of forest fires

This is a list of famous forest fires: // North America In Australia Forest fires in early-1993 in eastern Australia The November 1997 fire in the Sydney area 2001 - 2002 forest fires in Australia? primarily affected the Sydney area and caused damages to some properties. ...

External links

• http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,225863,00.html
• http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=161
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15428042/
• http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15450676/site/newsweek/
• http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2006/10/31/national/a194630S24.DTL

References

1. ^ http://www.sbsun.com/news/ci_4583550
2. ^ http://edition.cnn.com/2006/US/11/01/wildfire.arrest/
3. ^ http://www.mymotherlode.com/News/article/kvml/1162398211