Fire chief says state unprepared for deadly Calif. blazes

We already know that the people responsible will never acknowledge, let along accept, blame for this fiasco. The real tragedy is much like so many of the loses this nation has suffered; warning had been given but not heeded.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/05/11/MNGRIPPB2D1.DTL

State National Guard warns it's stretched to the limit

Mark Martin, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau

Friday, May 11, 2007

As state forestry officials predict an unusually harsh fire season this summer, the California National Guard says equipment shortages could hinder the guard's response to a large-scale disaster.

A dearth of equipment such as trucks and radios -- caused in part by the war in Iraq -- has state military officials worried they would be slow in providing help in the event of a major fire, earthquake or terrorist attack.

The readiness of the Guard has been described as a national problem and has become a political liability for the Bush administration, which came under fire this week when the governor of Kansas complained that the National Guard response to a devastating tornado in her state was inadequate. National Guard readiness has become a growing concern as the Guard has taken on extra responsibilities caused by the Iraq war and the increased threat of terrorism.

In California, half of the equipment the National Guard needs is not in the state, either because it is deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world or because it hasn't been funded, according to Lt. Col. John Siepmann. While the Guard is in good shape to handle small-scale incidents, "our concern is a catastrophic event,'' he said.

Let's look at the key.

In California, half of the equipment the National Guard needs is not in the state, either because it is deployed in Iraq or other parts of the world...

Of course we can count on some people to try to blame the boogieman dujour.

Fox News: Al Qaeda is causing the CA wildfires.

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/24/fox-news-al-qaeda-is-causing-the-ca-wildires/

This morning on Fox News, hosts of the show Fox and Friends blamed the wildfires in California on a new culprit: al Qaeda. They pointed to a 2003 FBI memo, which raised the possibility that al Qaeda may try to set wildfires around the western United States. They also noted that men in a “hovering helicopter” saw “a guy starting one of these fires.”

Later in the segment, host Steve Doocy acknowledged that in memo, al Qaeda didn’t even mention California. “They mention Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming,” he added.