MONTECITO: Firefighters were battling a wind-driven wildfire on Friday that ripped through an exclusive California enclave, forcing celebrities, millionaires and thousands of residents to flee. At least 100 homes in the hillside community of Montecito, 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Angeles, had been gutted by the blaze which was raging in the rugged hills and canyons of the picturesque seaside town. Montecito, ranked by Forbes magazine in 2006 as the seventh most expensive neighborhood in the United States with an average home price of 2.9 million dollars, is a popular retreat for the rich and famous. Celebrities such as talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey and Hollywood actors Michael Douglas, Jeff Bridges and Rob Lowe all own property in the area. The firestorm erupted after flames driven by wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, known locally as "sundowners", overwhelmed firefighters on Thursday. There have been no reported fatalities but 13 injuries, including three suffering from burns and 10 suffering from smoke inhalation according to figures from Santa Barbara County.Fire officials told reporters Friday that control of the blaze, which had burned more than 2,000 acres (800 hectares) was "not even in sight" and suggested the number of homes destroyed may have been greater. Santa Barbara County fire official Kevin Wallace said bluntly: "Mother Nature is in control and we aren't." Some 4,500 people have received mandatory evacuation orders while a further 4,500 have been advised to leave their homes, as an army of 1,200 firefighters, including a DC-10 retardant-dropping super-tanker, tackles the flames.
Sunday, February 28, 2010 HAVANA: Hundreds of wealthy merchants and cigar aficionados from all parts of the world gathered in Havana this week to bid high stakes for humidors full of premium cigars. Cuba's annual Habanos festival ended on Friday night with an auction of ornate humidors of cedar and mahogany stacked with hand-rolled stogies that raised 800,000 euros ($1.09 million dollars). Habanos S.A. executives this month said cigar sales fell 8 percent to $360 million in 2009, so they have created the Julieta, a smaller, milder version of the Romeo y Julieta cigar, aimed specifically at female smokers. Women now make up only 5 to 10 percent of customers for Habanos. But even with the creation of the Julieta, Garcia said Habanos has only modest hopes for 2010 sales, due largely to a weak economy in Spain, the biggest market for Cuban cigars. The flavor of premium tobacco relies on the soil and climate in which it is grown. The western province of Pinar Del Rio, famous fo...
Comments