QUOTE(maestro @ Jun 23 2007, 01:11 PM) 
Thursday fire destroyed about 50 to 75 acres of State Park,
Corp Yard, private land.
Explosions were numerous.
Black smoke from burning wood poles poisoned the
air, sickened neighbors.
Flames 30 to 35 feet high raged within 25 feet of houses
on Young Wo.
Flames reached Hazardous Materials area (with stored oil,
batteries, electronics, derelict vehicles, tires, wood,
plastic, CRTs, paint, toxics, etc.)
City has and continues to improperly store haz mats
on BARE ground directly above American River.
Most importantly, if the breeze were not a strong
SW Delta breeze, our homes would have been
touched by the raging fire and explosive, air poisoning
toxins of the fire.
We are stunned, shocked, and physically ill.
The fire reached the Haz Mat area, where plastic
tarps cover plastic and metal barrels of haz mats.
Fence at Vet Hall was burned and fire spread to private
forest land beyond. Thanks to firefighters for braving
Creosote-filled toxic smoke in order to halt the
fire before it consumed the Sutter St. Forest and
homes along there.
While explosions occurred, and black smoke rose
from them in Corp Yard, the flames rose to at
least 35 feet in the air, and in front of the Young Wo
Cemetery/Park, our faces turned red from heat.
We have an urban forest. There's a Corp Yard
between forest/river
and our homes. So, where are the Fire Breaks?
None. City brought in Haz Mat area, and all
sorts of flammables, poisons, and toxics.
Instead of fire breaks, we have flammables to
spread the fire to our homes.
Again, thanks to the SW breeze, our neighborhood
was spared. Our lungs and throats are sore, and
we are in shock.
For 3 painful years I have battled cityhall to observe
regulations and safety precautions. Fires are
always occurring in the forest at the river, because
of humans.
Perhaps finally, the city will admit that when I sound
an alarm, I'm on the mark.
I have likewise been extremely concerned about the
very old tinderbox situations on Historic Sutter St.
BTW, I was stunned by the number of looky-lous
coming into the area. The fire trucks were impeded
by the illegal parking. The air was black, white, orange,
toxic. The flames blazed above us. The Creosote
burned our throats and lungs. The fear of the fire shifting
to our homes was red-hot and real. Neighbors used
their hoses against the burning corp yard just 25 feet from
their homes. Fire fighters didn't fight this front until
almost an hour after the blaze began. The area below
our homes is nearly impossible for trucks to reach.
Now they don't have to; there was a "fire clearance."
Corp yard junk and flammables were hard to reach.
And vehicles streamed in onto the 28 foot wide pavement
that had to service all the fire trucks. It was a nightmare
which could only have been worse by the loss of
homes and friends -- not just our False Sense of Security.
I feel deeply saddened and shocked by this near holocaust
because we are a close neighborhood, and we deserve the
city to respect the most basic of safety laws. Take the
hazardous materials away from the forests and our homes.
You've dragged your feet long enough.
A difference of wind direction, and we'd be gone.
Corp Yard, private land.
Explosions were numerous.
Black smoke from burning wood poles poisoned the
air, sickened neighbors.
Flames 30 to 35 feet high raged within 25 feet of houses
on Young Wo.
Flames reached Hazardous Materials area (with stored oil,
batteries, electronics, derelict vehicles, tires, wood,
plastic, CRTs, paint, toxics, etc.)
City has and continues to improperly store haz mats
on BARE ground directly above American River.
Most importantly, if the breeze were not a strong
SW Delta breeze, our homes would have been
touched by the raging fire and explosive, air poisoning
toxins of the fire.
We are stunned, shocked, and physically ill.
The fire reached the Haz Mat area, where plastic
tarps cover plastic and metal barrels of haz mats.
Fence at Vet Hall was burned and fire spread to private
forest land beyond. Thanks to firefighters for braving
Creosote-filled toxic smoke in order to halt the
fire before it consumed the Sutter St. Forest and
homes along there.
While explosions occurred, and black smoke rose
from them in Corp Yard, the flames rose to at
least 35 feet in the air, and in front of the Young Wo
Cemetery/Park, our faces turned red from heat.
We have an urban forest. There's a Corp Yard
between forest/river
and our homes. So, where are the Fire Breaks?
None. City brought in Haz Mat area, and all
sorts of flammables, poisons, and toxics.
Instead of fire breaks, we have flammables to
spread the fire to our homes.
Again, thanks to the SW breeze, our neighborhood
was spared. Our lungs and throats are sore, and
we are in shock.
For 3 painful years I have battled cityhall to observe
regulations and safety precautions. Fires are
always occurring in the forest at the river, because
of humans.
Perhaps finally, the city will admit that when I sound
an alarm, I'm on the mark.
I have likewise been extremely concerned about the
very old tinderbox situations on Historic Sutter St.
BTW, I was stunned by the number of looky-lous
coming into the area. The fire trucks were impeded
by the illegal parking. The air was black, white, orange,
toxic. The flames blazed above us. The Creosote
burned our throats and lungs. The fear of the fire shifting
to our homes was red-hot and real. Neighbors used
their hoses against the burning corp yard just 25 feet from
their homes. Fire fighters didn't fight this front until
almost an hour after the blaze began. The area below
our homes is nearly impossible for trucks to reach.
Now they don't have to; there was a "fire clearance."
Corp yard junk and flammables were hard to reach.
And vehicles streamed in onto the 28 foot wide pavement
that had to service all the fire trucks. It was a nightmare
which could only have been worse by the loss of
homes and friends -- not just our False Sense of Security.
I feel deeply saddened and shocked by this near holocaust
because we are a close neighborhood, and we deserve the
city to respect the most basic of safety laws. Take the
hazardous materials away from the forests and our homes.
You've dragged your feet long enough.
A difference of wind direction, and we'd be gone.
That is horrible! We were on Sutter St and I kept praying the wind wouldn't change but from where we were, we couldn't tell how close it was to you. There should be some kind to authority level you could go to above our City leaders to get attention of this Haz Mat safety (rather lack of) issue. Do our City Leaders care??? Doesn't sound like it. Perhaps a few of you should find a good lawyer for the physical damages you've experienced due to the lack of our City Leaders following the laws.
