European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 11, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday december 11, 1988 the stars and stripes Paga 7 wind swept fire claims 13 More la. Houses los Angeles a a b owl Orch of dry Santa Ana wind and blazing embers destroyed 13 expensive houses Friday while a roaring 3,000-Acrc Brush tire chased residents from i hair Beds in a third Day of destruction. The firestorm driven by gusts of up to 70 Mph blasting off the desert hit the Northwestern san Fernando Valley Fri Day and added new destruction to the count of 22 houses lost and Many others damaged wednesday and thursday. Police asked residents Friday to vac Uale threatened areas where Many houses have fashionable but flammable wooden Shingle roofs and siding. Schools were closed and evacuation centers were set up. No serious injuries were reported. Thirteen Homes were destroyed and 23 were damaged Early Friday and inc fire department estimated the loss Al $3.9 million. The fire raced from Sunshine Canyon through the Santa Susana mountains 25 Miles Northwest of downtown and Down Inlo the fashionable Porter ranch development said county fire spokesman John Linihan. Helicopters braved turbulence that made accurate water drops difficult while vans carried ground Crews up to the Battle. Fire trucks stood guard around an Oil  horses were evacuated to Gra Nada Hills High school. The fire was reported about 4 30 . Friday by employers Al the Sunshine Canyon Landfill above Granada Hills and an arson invest ligation team searched for clues to the cause said battalion chief Dean Cathy. The fire swept Southwest in a Bli Zard of embers to Porter ranch where Resi dents awakened to choking smoke and an Orange glow in inc sky. Thousands of embers were coming Down on us As we  said Hank Piorek who lied the neighbourhood with his family of four. It was just like raining fire said Tim Dinsmore 16. Who helped his father wet Down the family Home in Fri they had to Lee. As 1 was spraying War inc neighbor Bouses mar s1 to Burn. That s when t Gol  the Dinsmore returned to find that they lost Only a wooden Fence while neighbouring houses were dest Royed. The relative humidity fell to 15 per cent compared with a Normal 60 percent in the Early morning inc National weather service said and that combined Marlu Goodrunn carries her goldfish out of what remains of her House in the Granada Hills Section of Mangeles Early Friday Rooming. With the wind and thick dry Brush to create an explosive situation. It s equiv Alent to  Cal hey said. Smoke streamed across inc wind swept sky As Lar As he 1 Antic Ocean 20 Miles to the West. The chairman of the los Angeles county Board of supervisors de Bdl Man. Asked gov. George Deukmejian to declare an emergency in the county so. That fire victims can seek Low in to so Loans to rebuild houses and businesses. Elsewhere wind fanned a 200-acre Brush fire that broke out near like Elsi Nore Southeast of los Angeles in Rural Riverside county said suite forestry spokeswoman Joanne Evans. Is aircraft fought the flames in Nigger terrain. The Blasl of the Santa Ann wind began wednesday toppling buildings under construction and overturning tractor trailer trucks on highways. Early thursday the suburbs of Bald win Park and la Verne cast of los an Geles were hit by fires ignited by downed Power lines. At least 22 houses were lost and 12 others were damaged along with five businesses. No serious injuries were i done Mii damage in i cd Ais id million. Power outages hit about 500,000 peo ple wednesday night and thursday in los Angeles Orange. Riverside and san Bernardino counties. Rose Parade floats being built in Azusa were damaged when a huge Mil blew Down. Study urges caution Over any soviet troop cuts Washington a the Noah Atlantic treaty organization should be cautious about soviet proposals for deep reductions in european troop Levels be cause soviet leaders belie they still could win a War with fewer soldiers than they Haw now a congressional study said Friday. The report by a Trio of congressional agencies was completed before the announcement of troop Raduc Lions made wednesday by soviet president Mikhail s. Gorbachev.  Gorbachev in his speech at the United nations said the so jct Union would reduce its military forces 10 percent worldwide. That would include the withdrawal of some soviet troops and tanks from Eastern Europe Friday s report was prepared by the general accounting office the office of technology assessment and the congressional research service it was done in response to last year s Pentagon budget Bill which ordered a wide ranging study of the military balance Between nato aniline soviet Union and its Warsaw pact allies. The study sounded four major warnings about . Soviet Affons to negotiate lower Levels of troops and military Power in the european theater. The cautionary notes were based on the possibility of a soviet attack on  first because the soviets do not believe thai they must have superiority across the theater in order to achieve Victory caution must be exhibited in any agreement for Force reductions. It noted the soviets have Al least a 2-10-1 advantage in Many major measures of military might. But it noted that soviet writings suggest that the soviets could have a Force advantage across Tiu theater of As Little us 1,25 to i or even parity and still achieve "Victory.". Any Over air symmetrical reduction in forces would not be Ionato s advantage Given that lower ing the density of forces by soviet calculations would Aid the attacker and make rapid Advance and Maneu vers easier. ".-. Unless air equipment is disabled or destroyed the soviets could agree to Force reductions knowing that a dramatically reduced division would be capable  Ina  ,.finally. Nato should not expect any significant unilateral reductions on the part of the soviets either id Fromolc Good will or to pressure nato into an equivalent response that would net also be in the soviet Union s own military and political interests.". The report studied soviet military attitudes toward inc Wisl and concluded that soviet planners believe that they have a marginal advantage in the conventional balance in Europe today although they Are far less optimistic about the future. V the soviets Don t believe they need a numerical advantage to win a military attack the study said. Ins Lacot the ability to mass at decisive places an times with sufficient forces to achieve their objectives  while inc soviets have roughly a 2-Ttvl manpower advantage now the soviets apparently have concluded that a l.s-Lo-1 Force advantage or even parity across the entire theater May be sufficient to enable their forces to achieve a 3 or 4-to-1 Force advantage on a few breakthrough sectors and 4-10 8-Tol advantage at the tactical Point of penetration the study said. The study was prepared by a variety of experts including comptroller general Charles Bowsher head of the Gao former arms negotiator Jonathan Dean rep. Charles Bennett d-ra., chairman of the House armed services sea Power subcommittee Lawrence Korb. Former assistant Secretary of defense and James Woolsey. Former undersecretary of the  report offered no Clear answer to the question of who is ahead nato or the Warsaw pact. It noted that neither Side has such an overwhelming advantage that its Victory would be  / but it added thai most scenarios favor the Warsaw pact As the Victor a Alicr than nato. Nato has a Chance of Success but it needs to address its Many shortcomings to enhance that  the Siudy said despite problems in measuring the nato and Warsaw pact Force balance the experts agreed that nato s peacetime deterrent position is Good and that its conventional capabilities have improved Over the last decade but they should be bal  -. -. " if the soviets struck quickly nato Likely could do a Good Job of defending the Wisl inc study said. Hut in a Long fight inc balance might swing toward the Warsaw pact because of nato shortcomings in l lies and stockpiles of weapons and ammunition