Page 4 - ARUBA TODAY

A4 U.S. NEWS
Monday 11 deceMber 2017

New evacuations as huge Southern California fire flares up

County. Containment was dozens of horses and
way up on other major forced more than 200,000
blazes in Los Angeles, River- people to flee flames that
side and San Diego coun- have burned over 270
ties. Forecasters said Santa square miles (700 square ki-
Ana winds that whipped lometers) since Dec. 4. One
fires across the region last death, so far, a 70-year-
week would continue in old woman who crashed
some areas at least through her car on an evacuation
Monday evening. route, is attributed to the
A lack of rain has officials fire in Santa Paula, a small
on edge statewide be- city where the fire began.
cause of parched condi- The Ventura County blaze
tions and no end in sight to continued to burn into
the typical fire season. rugged mountains in the
“This is the new normal,” Los Padres National Forest
Gov. Jerry Brown warned near the little town of Ojai
Saturday after surveying and toward a preserve es-
damage from the deadly tablished for endangered
Ventura fire. “We’re about California condors.
ready to have firefighting Ojai experienced hazard-
at Christmas. This is very ous levels of smoke at times
odd and unusual.” and officials warned of un-
Firefighters light backfire while trying to keep a wildfire from jumping Santa Ana Rd. near Ventura, High fire risk is expected to healthy air for large swaths
Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2017. last into January and the of the region. The South
(AP Photo/Noah Berger) governor and experts said Coast Air Quality Manage-
Continued from Front dawn. It’s unclear whether Firefighters made signifi- climate change is making ment District urged resi-
other structures burned. cant progress Saturday on it a year-round threat. dents to stay indoors if pos-
The department posted Thousands of homes in the other fronts of the enor- Overall, the fires have de- sible and avoid vigorous
a photo of one residence county were without pow- mous fire that started Dec. stroyed nearly 800 homes outdoor activities.
engulfed in flames before er. 4 in neighboring Ventura and other buildings, killed As fires burned in Ventura
and Los Angeles counties,
Officials: Patients at risk at Dallas psychiatric hospital firefighters were already
in place north of San Di-
ego on Thursday when
DALLAS (AP) — Federal of- A scathing inspection re- Timberlawn CEO James spanned several days. a major fire erupted and
ficials have warned that port by state regulators in Miller denied that the hos- “We’re monitoring the rapidly spread in the Fall-
patients at a psychiatric October described how pital was dangerous and Timberlawn situation very brook area, known for its
hospital in Dallas are in “im- Timberlawn put children said he viewed every visit closely,” said Carrie Wil- avocado groves and horse
mediate jeopardy” two at risk, coinciding with a from hospital regulators as liams, spokeswoman for the stables in the rolling hills.The
years after Texas regulators 13-year-old patient’s alle- an opportunity to improve. Texas Health and Human fire swept through the San
threatened to close the gations that she was raped His staff, he said in a state- Services Commission. Luis Rey Training Facility,
facility over severe safety by a 17-year-old male pa- ment to the newspaper, Texas regulators had or- where it killed more than
problems, a newspaper re- tient. “strives to provide our pa- dered Timberlawn to close 40 elite thoroughbreds and
ported Sunday. Long a mainstay of psy- tients with the best possible in March 2016, citing a destroyed more than 100
A Nov. 1 letter from the U.S. chiatric care in Dallas, Tim- care and treatment in a patient’s 2014 suicide, vio- homes — most of them in
Department of Health and berlawn serves adults and safe environment.” lent fights among patients, a retirement community.
Human Services addressed adolescents. The federal and state scru- dirty conditions and medi- Three people were burned
to Timberlawn’s chief exec- The for-profit hospital is part tiny raises questions about cal records issues. But the trying to escape the fire
utive said that Timberlawn of national chain Universal whether Texas has done 144-bed complex negoti- that continued to smolder
Mental Health System “no Health Services Inc. enough to ensure safety. ated a way to stay open: a Sunday.
longer meets the require- The October report found The problems occurred $190,000 fine and a three- Most of last week’s fires
ments for participation in that the hospital placed even as the state says it year probation. were in places that burned
the Medicare program boys and girls in bedrooms visited the hospital 10 times In July 2016, a patient agi- in the past, including one
because of deficiencies near one another. Experts this year before the report- tated by news that he in the ritzy Los Angeles
that represent immediate say this poses a problem ed rape. would be transferred was neighborhood of Bel-Air
jeopardy to patient health when combined with poor State officials said they arrested on a manslaugh- that burned six homes and
and safety,” according to staffing. were doing everything pos- ter charge after tackling a another in the city’s rug-
the Dallas Morning News, Inspectors cited this in their sible to make sure the fa- staff physician and caus- ged foothills above the
which obtained a copy of report about the alleged cility met safety standards, ing her head to slam on the community of Sylmar and
the letter. rape in October. including visits that often hard floor. q in Santa Paula.q