Witch Fire in Southern California Made Worse by Residents Ignoring Evacuation Orders

As the Southern California wildfires continue to scorch the areas of San Diego, Malibu and Santa Clarita efforts to control the multiple blazes have been made worse by the need to divert efforts from fighting the fires to rescuing residents.

“We've been unable to do any suppression effort because, in most cases, the fire resources are being used ... to do rescues” said Bill Metcalf, a fire chief in San Diego County.

At a news conference San Diego County Sheriff Bill Kolender appealed to residents to heed the evacuation requests that are in place. Echoing the sentiments of Metcalf, Kolender reinforced the belief that residents who fail to evacuate are only perpetuating the city’s destruction.

The San Diego suburbs are now in dire straits at the moment as the Witch Fire continues to advance into the city limits. As more than 70,000 acres have now been charred by the moving inferno officials have held out little hope of containing the destructive force.

Most of the pessimism is attributed to the strong Santa Ana winds that have made the blaze so unpredictable that it has officials believing the effects could be worse than the Cedar Fire from four years ago. That wildfire killed a dozen people and enveloped more than 280,000 acres.

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