World Report: November 1, 1996 Vol.2 No.7
- This Issue:
- Table of Contents
- Cover Story
- Cover Story - Spanish Version
- Mini-Lesson
- Comprehension Quiz
- Teacher's Guide and Worksheets
Fires Rage Through California
An unattended campfire may have sparked one of several wildfires that swept through Southern California last week. Dry winds raced down mountainsides to feed the flames, which became giant walls of fire. Separate fires blazed from as far north as Malibu to San Diego, near Mexico's border. By last Friday morning, the windblown fires had destroyed 41,000 acres of land and at least 110 homes.
Laura Benvenuto of Carlsbad found her family's Christmas dishes and mugs with pictures of Peter Rabbit beneath piles of ashes where her home once stood. "I cried yesterday," she said. "But you have to put it behind you. That's what everybody is doing."
The northeasterly winds, named Santa Ana winds after the valley where they develop, were expected to pick up again last weekend. Exhausted fire fighters prepared to battle new fires. Some work in airplanes, bombing the fires with water or chemicals. Others fight the blazes on the ground.
President Clinton declared three counties disaster areas and promised to help the fires' victims. Southern Californians just hoped for cool, wet breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean to dampen the fierce blazes and save their homes.
