THE SOUTHLAND FIRESTORM : Voices

“We were ready. We had the personnel and we had the aircraft. What we didn’t have was a launch order.”

--Maj. Michael Ritz of the Air National Guard, on why two firefighting planes stood idle as fires raged Wednesday.

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“It’s Rod Serling. It’s really the Twilight Zone.”

--Michael Judge, surveying the blackened hills and skeletons of trees surrounding his Santa Monica Mountains home.

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“I’ve lived here a long time and I’ve seen plenty of fires. I have a lot of faith in the fire department.

--Alice Berson, longtime Lake Sherwood resident.

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“Everyone’s exhausted.” --Oxnard Fire Capt. Michael O’Malia, after working the Matilija fire.

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“It was like the eye of a tornado coming at you. You could hear it just roaring.”

--Ventura County firefighter Ron Sandor, after fighting the Santa Monica Mountains fire.

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“The judges and the prosecutors in this county take arson real seriously.”

--Deputy Dist. Atty. Richard E. Simon, on the stiff sentences handed to fire starters.

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“The roof is fireproof, but this isn’t.”

--Rick Widmer, preparing to water down a pine tree brushing against his Lake Sherwood home.

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“We’re not going to carry anyone bodily out,”

--Sheriff’s Deputy Douglas Herder, after some Carlisle Canyon residents refused to evacuate.

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“If you see smoke and can smell it, it’s best to avoid it.”

--Dr. Gary Feldman, county public health officer, on risks posed by smoke.

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“We’re going to have a big party in the valley when this is all over.”

--Anne Capri of Hidden Valley as fire raged to the south.