Cleveland National Forest is still closed... No kidding...

Our trails in Cleveland National Forest are really closed although in many cases there are no signs warning about it. I was itching to run to the Old Camp, but after I checked USDA Forest Service web site I am going to opt out until they open up the trails officially - thanks to timely warnings I got from Jess and Linda that kept me out of trouble.

"A violation of these prohibitions is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both."

http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/cleveland/conditions/forest-closure.shtml

Probably they are just bluffing and it is not THAT serious - but the incentive is pretty sound to keep me from checking on how serious they are about it :)

The Old Glory is gone :(

Greg Hardesty just published a report from his first run to the Old Camp after the fire:

http://achtungrunner.blogspot.com/2007/10/santiago-truck-trail-fire-damage-report.html

The pictures are not fun to watch recalling what it used to look like just few weeks ago:
http://dchechuy.blogspot.com/2007/09/old-glory-again-groundhog-day.html
http://dchechuy.blogspot.com/2007/09/old-glory-run-dancing-in-rain.html

Nevertheless I want to do the Old Glory run again once they officially open the trails.

Santiago Fire (highlights)

The Santiago inferno is moving fast inlands towards the Riverside County, devouring more and more land of the surrounding mountains.

Live up-to-date version of this map can be found here:

http://www.ocregister.com/article/map-santiago-fire-1902193-orange-county

Acres burned: approximately 27,600

Containment: 35 percent

Full containment expected: unknown

Full control: unknown

Aircrafts on scene: 13 helicopters, 4 air tankers, 13 water tenders
Firefighters on scene: 1,614 firefighters; 216 engines/trucks, 21 handcrews, 11 bulldozers. 634 personnel from the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 100-plus officers from California Highway Patrol.

Here are a couple of pictures by Greg Hardesty showing the devastation of our favorite mountain trails: The fire threatens homes in Silverado Canyon again. The Santiago fire dipped into the bottom of Silverado Canyon late Friday and is predicted to reach houses by Saturday afternoon (OC Register).

Most of the photos above came from the OC Register web site:
http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sections/news/firecentral/

Fires in OC

A quick update on the fires in Orange County: the most affected areas are Modjeska Canyon, Silverado Canyon and Santiago Canyon. We got a lot of smoke in Irvine (especially on Monday) and can clearly see the fire from Ladera Ranch but they are in no danger.

As far as I know there were about 10 houses lost to the fire in Modjeska Canyon - I am not sure about the two other places. Although the fire in OC is pretty serious and grave, the damages cannot compare to what is going on in San Diego County where the fire already destroyed 1,600 homes (!) and triggered the largest evacuation in California history.

Here are some pictures of what is hapenning in our area:

A brush fire rages near dozens of homes at Silverado Tuesday night

At 7 a.m., fire was burning slowly toward a small custom home development called Santiago Canyon Estates near Cook's Corner. The winds had stopped but the fire continues to advance on the homes.

The setting sun silhouettes a home on fire in Modjeska Canyon.

Firefighters battle a blaze at 28161 Modjeska Grade Road in Modjeska Canyon on Tuesday. The house ignited a second time in the late afternoon after firefighters put it out once in the morning.

Under smoky skies Wednesday morning, northbound lanes of the I-5 freeway were closed because of a fire on Camp Pendleton.

The sun rises over the Cook's Corner area Wednesday morning. The winds did not return to the area and firefighters were able to focus their attention on flare-ups.

All the photos were taken from OC Register, which provides the most recent information about the fire:

http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/sections/news/firecentral/

Here is also an interesting blog about it:

http://lansner.freedomblogging.com/