Final post for this blog

This Wildfires 2007 blog proved to be an effective means of getting you the latest news on the recent firestorms around the clock. We were able to post fire news the instant it was confirmed, and the format - a chronologically arranged series of posts focused on a single topic - created a running narrative of the fires.

But now that the flames are out and ruins are being removed, our coverage of the county's firestorms has shifted away from breaking news. Instead, we're turning to more explanatory pieces, human interest stories and watchdog work. As we did after the 2oo3 firestorms, we'll continue to examine the fires' aftermath, we'll cover the rebuilding process and examine whether our region is adequately prepared for another such conflagration.

So we'll be retiring this blog with this post. The latest U-T stories on the fires will be displayed in a special Wildfires 2007 area of SignOnSanDiego's homepage for a bit longer. You can find an index of our top fire stories on this San Diego Wildfires 2007 page, along with multimedia and other features. I particularly recommend this graphic, which shows the progression of the fires, the burned and evacuated areas and the areas scorched by the 2003 firestorms. We'll also extend our Scenes from the Wildfires blog for a while. And we'll continue to cover the latest breaking news on the U-T Newsblog.

Readers like you have expressed their appreciation for our coverage, which has been particularly gratifying. But we owe you our appreciation as well. You shared information with each other on the blog and on our fire forums and corrected us when we were wrong. In the process, you helped us cover the news for everyone.

So, on behalf of the U-T and SignOnSanDiego, let me thank you for your contributions, your support and your interest.

Tom Mallory
U-T Breaking News Team

Burned woman dies at UCSD

See story from Wednesday's U-T.

A Vista mother of four who was critically injured in the Harris fire after crossing the border illegally through the blazing hills surrounding Tecate died Tuesday afternoon at UCSD Medical Center.

Maria Guadalupe Beltran, 29, had been hospitalized in the medical center's burn unit after being rescued in the back country during the firestorm two weeks ago.

Beltran, a native of the state of Mexico, had been returning to the United States after traveling to her hometown to attend her father's funeral. Her younger brother, who was with her, was also critically injured.

She leaves behind four children, ages 8, 7, 5 and 18 months, along with her partner Felipe Mercado, her mother in Mexico and several siblings.

- Leslie Berestein, staff writer

Governor announces $5 million for debris removal

To help with the removal of fire-related debris from more than 1,000 homes, the state Office of Emergency Services (OES)is advancing $5 million in state funds to San Diego County, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced today.

The $5 million advance represents the first installment on its share of an estimated $21 million in advances and reimbursements to San Diego County under the California Disaster Assistance Act, which was activated when the Governor proclaimed a state of emergency on Oct. 21.

The advance will not supplant funding available under a federal major disaster declaration.

"We must do everything we can to assist the fire victims in their efforts to rebuild and recover as quickly as possible including accelerating the debris removal process," said Governor Schwarzenegger.

The advance follows the county's submittal of a debris removal plan, which estimatess costs of $28,000 per home. The county's plan is based on the model developed after the Angora Fire in South Lake Tahoe earlier this year.

Under the Angora model, debris was removed and disposed of in a single step. As a result, property owners, insurance companies, local agencies and the state all saved money.

Poomacha nears full containment

Firefighting crews battling the stubborn Poomacha Fire were hoping for full containment by 6 p.m. last night, officials said.

The blaze -- which has scorched 49,410 acres since Oct. 23 -- was 95 percent contained early Sunday, according to Cal Fire officials.

The Poomacha Fire is the last wildfire still burning in San Diego County since the firestorm began Oct. 21 with the Harris and Witch fires -- both fully contained by now.

The Poomacha Fire originated in the rural outskirts of northeastern San Diego County and has affected the La Jolla and Pauma Valley reservations, Valley Center and Palomar Mountain.

It is not currently threatening homes and no evacuation orders remain standing, according to the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

So far, Cal Fire reports that the Poomacha Fire has destroyed 138 homes, one commercial property and 78 outbuildings. Of the 1,562 firefighters called in to fight the blaze, 15 have been injured.

The total cost of fighting the Poomacha Fire has been $15.8 million to date, Cal Fire officials said.

An official cause has not yet been released.

To the north in Orange County, the Santiago Fire is expected to be fully contained Tuesday evening, officials said.

Man's burned body found in fire path

The body of a man was found near the U.S.-Mexico border on Sunday, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department

Officials had no further details. But members of a volunteer group that found the body near state Route 94 in East County believe the man perished in the Harris fire, which started Oct. 21 and burned 90,000 acres.

The victim was crossing the border near Tecate with a group of Mexican nationals but was apparently caught in the fire, according to his brother who was with the search group.

Volunteers spent the last four days searching for the 37-year-old man whose family said he has a wife and three children in Chiapas in southern Mexico.

If authorities determine he died in the fire, he would be the eighth death from the wildfires that swept through San Diego County since last month.

- Lisa Petrillo and Hiram Soto