OC Fire Dept. Was Ill-Equipped

Orange County firefighters might have contained the fire that ripped through Irvine, the county fire chief says, if only there were more of them. Orange County was short on manpower and fire engines even before it sent crews to help contain Malibu’s fires. With state reinforcements busy elsewhere, and aircrafts grounded by red tape, the Santiago fire grew into a monster, destroying 16 homes.

“We're out there with a handful of crews trying to stop this big fire,” said the OC fire chief. Much of Southern California faced similar problems, the LA Times says. After the 2003 fires, a state commission recommended buying 150 new fire engines. So far only 19 have been ordered and none delivered. (More firefighters stories.)