Angie Craig: “I come to the Chamber to express my profound sorrow to the families in southern California who have lost their homes and…”

“I come to the Chamber to express my profound sorrow to the families in southern California who have lost their homes and some who have lost their loved ones during this conflagration of fire. I extend my sympathy to the millions of citizens in southern California who have lost part of their rural refuge to these massive wildfires. Thirteen fires are burning an estimated 600,000 acres of brush and trees, and over 1,900 structures, as of this morning, have been burned. The fire has put thousands of others at risk and, of course, land and mud slides will come with the winter rains. More than 50,000 people have been evacuated as we speak. Over $20 million has been spent thus far on fire suppression. Yesterday our President declared Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Ventura Counties as major disaster areas and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts. The Old Fire, which started Saturday morning and by Sunday had merged with the Grand Prix Fire, had grown to over 52,000 acres in only a matter of a few hours. It is expected now, as we speak, to consume Lake Arrowhead today. Many firefighters on the ground are describing this fire as Armageddon. For communities such as Lake Arrowhead, that have been suffering through the third year of western bark beetle epidemic, the fire was their worst nightmare. Now it has come true. In the San Bernardino greater forest area around Lake Arrowhead, over 90,000 acres are now dead.”