Marek Fire Erupts Overnight in California

Wildfires in Los Angeles and in the entire West Coast area are nothing new. About a few wildfires are set off a year, many of which cause a lot of damage to the surrounding areas, threatening homes, the environment, and even lives. Wildfires are almost a fact of life in California, a trend that is becoming even more reinforced with the latest fire around Lakeview Terrace today.

According to the Associated Press, winds from Santa Ana going as high as 65 mph blew into Southern California on Monday, starting a wildfire across 3,000 acres of land. Already, the wildfire is causing a major effect in the area, as a major freeway is closed and mobile homes and industrial buildings are being burned.

The Foothill Freeway is closed in a three-mile stretch from both directions, affecting the morning rush hour. The blaze was last reported 20 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.

According to Los Angeles county fire captain Mark Savage, the blaze jumped into a fireline at around 4:30 a.m. at Lopez Canyon. Fortunately the area, which is in the eastern San Fernando Valley, had been evacuated already.

The fire is already being dubbed the Marek Fire, after Marek Canyon. 1,200 people have already been evacuated from around 450 homes, and no injuries have been reported as of yet. Over 1,000 people were sent to fight the fire.

The Santa Ana winds have long been feared as a trigger for a wider fire. The arrival of the winds begins the traditional fire season in the region.

Now, California will be on the lookout for future fires and how they compare to past seasons. Recent California wildfire seasons have had a share of major fires, but nothing yet that compares to the historic season of 2003, when fires engulfed 300,000 acres of Southern California. That area was declared a disaster zone until the fires were put out, but California has avoided those kind of destructive flames since then.

For the Marek Fire, people have been making progress to shut down this fire before it causes anymore damage. Officials say that the fire is 20% contained. But with forecasts warning about more Santa Ana winds, the fire may not stay stagnant for long.

The location of the fire, near Lakeview Terrace, is a bit ironic. A similarly named film, Lakeview Terrace with Samuel L. Jackson, also featured a huge wildfire in the movie's climactic scene. That fire was used as a critically maligned metaphor for the racial tensions of the movie.

But this current wildfire near the real Lakeview Terrace is no metaphor.

Sources

San Francisco Chronicle- "Winds whip up wildfire north of Los Angeles" www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi

Los Angeles Times- "Marek fire 20% contained" www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-me-fire13-2008oct13,0,4738290.story

Eagle Tribune- "Lakeview Terrace a thriller in disguise" www.eagletribune.com/pulife/local_story_272014715.html

CNN.com- "Southern California declared disaster area" www.cnn.com/2003/US/West/10/27/california.wildfire/