1991 Wrap-up

CaliforniaBrush Fire

The brush fire that killed 19 people inOakland, Calif, wasthe costliest blazeinU.S. history— thedamage was put at more than $5billion. This surpassestheGreatChicago Fireof 1871.

Pushed by25 mph winds acrossbrush thathadbeen dried byfive years ofdrought, theOctober 1991 blazedestroyed more than 1,800 housesand 900 apartments, cityofficials said.

Inadditiontothe19 killed, 148were injured, and5,000 were evacuated, according toSheriffRobert Jarrett.

PresidentBush declared thefire site amajor disasterarea, opening the door tofederalaid fortherebuilding re-

The wooded area, with its postcard views ofSan FranciscoBay, was a disasterwaiting tohappen because ofthedrought, officials said. Many of thearea'sonce-eleganthomes were reduced torubble, their bare chimneys looming like giant tombstones.

Forestry Department spokeswoman Karen Terrill said, "Thevery thing thatmakes thewildlands attractiveandromantic, likethetrees, is what makes thewildlandsdeadly."

Magic Johnson announced on November 7thathehadtested positivefortheHIVvirusand was retiring.

"Because oftheHIVvirusI have attained, I willhave toannounce my retirementfrom theLakerstoday," Johnson told reportersat the Forum, where heplayed 12superstarseasons with theLos AngelesLakers.

Johnson, whose given name is Earvin, received hisnickname from a sportswriteraftera36-point, 18rebound,16-assistperformance in highschool.

Michael Landon, starofmany family-based TV series(Bonanza, LittleHouse on thePrairieand Highway toHeaven),died ofcancer on Julyl. Afterit was announced onApril8 that Landon hadfallenvictimto pancreaticcancer, hefought a ferociousfinal battle Landon died with hisfamilygathered near his bedside.

Don Mattingly ceived nationalattention in August formore thanhis baseballexpertise. A flat refusaltogetahaircut resulted inhis being benched just beforetheNe w York Yankees'game against KansasCity