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Why am I blogging on a Saturday night? Because PCH to Santa Monica, where I was supposed to meet friends for dinner and a movie, is a parking lot. An hour into the drive I phoned in my regrets, pulled a U-ie and came home. Fire is the reason for the jam -- make that fires -- so here's the latest:
The fire in the OC that began in Corona (see photo), tore through Yorba Linda and reached Anaheim Hills has burned 2,000 acres and forced an estimaged 10,000 people from their homes. The OC Register has a terrific story. Lots of road closures in the OC Reg's breaking news blog. Citizen journalists are filling Flickr with their OC fire pix, too.
The toll from the Sylmar fire stands at 6,500 acres, with at least 500 homes destroyed, the LA Times reports. LA Now has a steady stream of info, updates, pix and vignettes.
More news and pix in the Daily News. The Oakridge Mobile Home Park near Sylmar, where hundreds of homes burned, is now a crime scene. Details in LAist.
Info on the Montecito fire, which is more than 40 percent contained, is wrapped into both of the previous stories. You'll find links to really good maps with evacuation zones and road closures in the stories as well.
Meanwhile, the Prop 8 battle keeps heating up. Thousands of demonstrators gathered in rallies across California, part of a nationwide protest against the measure. Check out stories in the LA Times, LAist, the San Bernardino Sun, the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the NYT. Pix from all over the U.S. here on Flickr.
There's a margarita with my name on it at the Coral Cantina, so adios for now. More fire updates tomorrow, as well as a local media wrap-up and, thanks to Gustavo Arellano, a shaggy dog story.
Photo: The Blind Glass / Flickr (Via Creative Commons license)