[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 28803]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   FIRES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 2007

  Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, over the past 2 weeks, residents of San 
Bernardino, San Diego, Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, and 
Santa Barbara counties in southern California have faced some of the 
most horrific wildland fires in California's recorded history. At one 
point, as many as 1 million Californians were forced from their homes 
and communities by flames driven by Santa Ana winds of up to 100 miles 
per hour.
  To date, 14 people have lost their lives, almost 3,000 structures, 
two-thirds of them homes, have been destroyed and more than 500,000 
acres have burned. Over 100 people have been injured, some seriously. 
The consequences to people's lives will be long term, and we will do 
everything we can to bring comfort to victims and regeneration to 
affected communities.
  Throughout these fires, which are only now being subdued, thousands 
of firefighters, mostly Californians, but some from other States, have 
been on the front lines working around the clock to defeat the fires. 
They have been tireless and fearless. We owe these California 
firefighters, and those who traveled across the country, our deepest 
thanks and appreciation. Whether it was saving the lives of people in 
the path of the flames, or making a stand to protect a neighborhood or 
a whole town, these brave men and women were there selflessly doing 
their duty. CalFire, the California National Guard, county and local 
fire agencies worked tirelessly to get the job done.
  Thankfully, there has been no loss of firefighter lives, though 
several of our firefighters were injured, and to them I send my best 
wishes for a full recovery.
  I hope that today we all can recognize our firefighters' valor and 
steadfastness in the face of the threat. We must also commit ourselves 
to standing up for their health and welfare as they face health 
challenges that sometimes last a lifetime. They do a very difficult job 
and we must do everything possible to assure they have all the support 
necessary so that they can continue to be there when the next threat 
presents itself.

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