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Daily Titan
Wednesday October 24, 2007
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
DTSHORTHAND Red Cross provides relief for evacuees Around 500,000 people have reportedly evacuated their homes in Los Angeles, San Diego and Orange Counties. In response, the Red Cross has housed more than 3,000 evacuees in emergency shelters and has dispatched over 75 mobile feeding vehicles to provide food and water to those in need. Evacuees are being encouraged to register themselves with the Safe and Well are at their Web site, www.redcross.org. For information on emergency shelters in Orange County, contact the local Red Cross chapter at (714) 481-5300.
State of Emergency
Immigrants flee fire, turn themselves in SAN DIEGO (AP) – Fearing for their safety, about 50 suspected illegal immigrants have surrendered to the Border Patrol since Sunday to escape one of Southern California’s largest wildfires. The Border Patrol says no illegal immigrants have been reported injured, but agents are scouting a hilly, heavily wooded area east of San Diego for anyone in trouble. The so-called Harris Fire has burned 22,000 acres near the Mexican border. One civilian has been killed, while 16 people and five firefighters are injured. The California National Guard says it has pulled about 200 of its 600 troops normally assigned to work security on the Mexican border. Those troops are assisting other agencies on the fire.
By Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times via Associated Press A scarecrow with pumpkins stands in front of house which went up in flames Tuesday, near Running Springs, Calif. Flames have burned across nearly 600 square miles.
Cal State Fullerton student helps girlfriend evacuate from San Diego By Richard Tinoco
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
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If we’d had the resources earlier to take care of those lines with hand crews, we wouldn’t have been in that situation.
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– Chip Prather,
O.C. Fire Authority on the lack of fire prevention resources
YOUTUBE: REPORTER HOME BURNS DOWN
Larry Himmel, a reporter for San Diego News 8, stood in front of his still-burning home and reported on the fire. Himmel pointed out several structures, including what used to be his garage, as they were being eaten away by the flames. His shock and sadness are evident in his wavering voice but, amazingly, he is able to hold himself together enough to get through the broadcast. Duration: 2:22
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The firestorm plaguing the coast of Southern California is burning shrubs and homes, but it isn’t stopping Cal State Fullerton student Isamu Sonoyama from coming to the Share your rescue. As the fire stories at flames continued to con- news@dailytisume acres tan.com upon acres of land, he thought of his girlfriend of two years, Valerie Durham. She lives in Bonita, an unincorporated city near San Diego. When the decision-making time came, he had to choose between going to class or lending a hand. He chose the latter, driving down the smooth traffic of the 5 Freeway after bumping into closures on the 15 and 805 freeways. Just as he traveled 15 minutes out
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of Irvine, he noticed the color of the sky change dramatically, from a bright blue to something “dark” like “a scene from the movies.” While making his way south, he saw the sea near a Navy base completely in darkness. Making his way into San Diego County, he noticed worried faces and U-Hauls. Despite the chaos, Sonoyama said people were organized, although he wasn’t sure who was in charge or controlling the situation. “It is hot. I’m breaking a sweat ... It’s an epic scene,” he said. When he reunited with Durham, he noticed her uneasy yet calm expression. Upon arrival, everything was fine. “‘When is it going to end?’ ” he asked himself, as he acknowledged he could “not do much but wait.” Only Durham and her mother live in the house, but after feeling the heat, she was scared of being left alone. Durham and her mother will stay with a close friend on the island of Coronado. “I was more worried about helping my friends,” Durham said.
By Gary Friedman /Los Angeles Times via Associated Press Displaced by wildfires, Ariel Yue peeks out from under her tent in the parking lot at Qualcomm Stadium on Monday night. Wind-whipped flames consumed hundreds of homes across tinder-dry Southern California on Tuesday and authorities ordered people in more than 350,000 homes to flee the fires.
Fire crews work hard despite lack of resources and heavy winds Associated Press Faced with unrelenting winds whipping wildfires into a frenzy across Southern California, firefighters conceded defeat on many fronts Tuesday to an unstoppable force that has chased an estimated 1 million people away. Unless the shrieking Santa Ana winds subside, and that’s not expected for at least another day, fire crews say they can do little more than try to wait it out and react — tamping out spot fires and chasing ribbons of airborne embers to
Gaming convention wraps up in Los Angeles Convention welcomes public to a showcase of new electronic systems By Rae nguyen
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
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Main line: (714) 278-3373 News desk: (714) 278-4415 Advertising: (714) 278-4411 E-mail: news@dailytitan.com
keep new fires from flaring. “If it’s this big and blowing with as much wind as it’s got, it’ll go all the way to the ocean before it stops,” said San Diego Fire Capt. Kirk Humphries. “We can save some stuff but we can’t stop it.” Tentacles of unpredictable, shifting flame have burned across nearly 600 square miles, killing one person, destroying more than 1,600 homes and prompting the biggest evacuation in California history, from north of Los Angeles, through San Diego to the Mexican border. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the flames were threatening 68,000 more homes. “We have had an unfortunate situation that we’ve had three things come together: very dry areas, very hot weather and then a lot of wind,”
Nearly 18,000 exhibitors, video gamers and software developers attended E for All at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the first-ever gaming convention open to the public, to the delight of gaming enthusiasts all over the nation. IDG World Expo, the organizers of the event, knew they had to answer to the overwhelming response from video gamers who were not originally allowed to attend the E3 Business and Media Summit expos. Now, IDG is looking to give the opportunity for game developers and vendors to interact with the public in exchange for feedback on their products and services.
Also, it gives die-hard gamers a chance to check out new titles before their release dates. About 65 exhibitors brought something new to the table during the event, which took place from Oct. 18 to Oct. 21. Each booth attracted gamers with a chance to win cash and gift prizes. However, it’s not the perks that
brought Rafael Andrades to the Konami kiosk. Andrades, who flew from New York, had been standing in line for nearly two hours to catch a glimpse of the much-anticipated game of the season, Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots for PlayStation 3, due out in early spring. “This is the only booth that has
always had a line since the expo began. It has not shown any sign of letting up but I don’t want to give up a chance to play it,” Andrades said. Barbed-wire fences wrapped around the enclosed booth to keep gamers in line. Large TV monitors were boxed in from prying eyes and only those inside could see and play the espionage-action game. Audra McIver, senior account executive of Bender/Helper Impact, a public relations agency representing Konami, explained the craze of the popular franchise. “Every version of MGS has done well in the market, and this is the first time MGS4 consumers can actually play the game in the United States and it is PS3 exclusive,” Mciver said. However, Konami had set up other video game displays of classic hits like Castlevania: The Dracula X Files, the original Metal Gear See CONVENTION, Page 2
Schwarzenegger said. “And so this makes the perfect storm for a fire.” In Rancho Santa Fe, a suburb north of San Diego, houses burned just yards from where fire crews fought to contain flames engulfing other properties. In the mountain community of Lake Arrowhead, cabins and vacation homes went up in flames with no fire crews in sight. “These winds are so strong, we’re not trying to fight this fire,” said firefighter Jim Gelrud, an engineer from Vista, Calif. “We’re just trying to save the buildings.” More than a dozen wildfires blowing across Southern California since Sunday have also injured more than 45 people, including See WILDFIRES Page 2
Football team forced on the road Associated Press The San Diego Chargers boarded a plane for Phoenix on Tuesday night, not knowing where or when they’ll play their next game. They left town because of the wildfires that chased many in the organization out of their homes, fouled the air and left Sunday’s scheduled home game against the Houston Texans in doubt. Their superstar running back knows his home survived the firestorm. Their general manager hasn’t heard if he’ll have a house to come home to. While they spent Monday taking care of their families, it was time to get back to business. The Chargers will practice at the Arizona Cardinals’ headquarters in Tempe today, Thursday and Friday.