BUDGET CRISIS FORCES CALIFORNIA TO BURN THOUSANDS OF ACRES

August 31 2009

Los Angeles, CA – The people of California have long been afflicted with the devastation associated with wildfires. The arid summer conditions and the massive amount of foliage throughout the state, particularly the southern section, are a toxic
blend that has caused an untold amount of destruction to the countryside, the lives of residents, and the budget of local emergency personnel. As the budget crisis that is gripping the largest nation in the union continues to worsen the pressure placed on those emergency services as well as state and city legislators has but their backs to the wall.

With a new wildfire blazing across Los Angeles county, threatening ten thousand homes and the well being of the people inside, county officials are once again in tough, or so it would seem. As emergency services combat the blaze and evacuate the people inside the threatened
homes the most prosperous region of the state was being faced with potential devastation. In response officials have downgraded their active response to the threat, limiting fire personnel in the hope that the blaze will eventually just burn itself out. Now though early indications point to the state not just limiting their response to the blaze but possibly playing a part in its ignition as a way to help stem the flow of cash.

“Essentially the fire burned at will; it went where it wanted to when it wanted to. I have ever seen a fire grow so quickly without powerful Santa Ana winds to push it. At
least three homes deep in the Angeles National Forest were destroyed, and we are searching for others,” said Captain Mike Dietrich of the LAFD. “This is a massive area which we have to combat and that means that in order to fight the flames we have to have a huge number of personnel. The huge area that we are looking at also means there is a lot of fuel to push the flames further and further which is making the battle all that more complicated and challenging.”

Reports of one to two firefighters being dispatched to areas under threat are apparently untrue. Fire officials stated that in situations where they are unable to man an area fully they simply ignore the blaze.

“From what fire officials have told me they believe there is little chance of containing this fire before it causes significantly more damage. That is bad news for a lot of residents but ultimately great news for the budget people. The flames are causing all kinds of damage but ultimately from those ashes a lot of good will rise,” said Scrape TV U.S. Field correspondent Michael Canning. “I’ve been through this area of the county many times and I can tell you that there are a lot of winding roads and a lot of wasted space. Houses are so far apart that people barely know their neighbours. It is exactly that kind of sprawl that has caused the ongoing budget crisis across the state and something Los Angeles County officials are finally doing something about.”

Regular police surveillance, road maintenance, and other costly procedures are cited as the principle reasons for the need to shrink the territory in which people are living. It’s not clear yet if the blaze is part of the official record.

“By burning these houses the county will incur a short term loss but that will be more than made up for in the long run. The cost savings will be enormous in the long term and really no one will be ill affected by the forcible relocation of these people, aside from the people themselves. Most people will stay in the county so tax collection and other fees won’t be affected, but they will not have to deal with pesky costs overruns associated with such a wide territory,” continued Canning. “I think we will see the real cause of this blaze in the next few days and as other counties across the state start to see the cost savings associated with it they will also follow suit. This could be just the economic boost the state has so desperately needed.”

Other counties across Southern California have set test fires in the past but had little success and ultimately shifted the blame to arsonists.

Mike Michaels, American Correspondent

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