Station Fire Update 8-30
Update from the KTLA link:
“Two Los Angeles County firefighters were killed Sunday fighting the “Station Fire” in a car accident near Mt. Gleason, just south of Acton.”
The Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest has now burned about 42,500 acres, destroyed at least 18 structures, and is 5% contained.
The fire started off Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) about one mile above Angeles Crest Fire Station around 3:30pm [PDT], Wednesday August 26, 2009.
There have been 3 civilians burned in the fire so far, and one firefighter treated for heat exhaustion.
Currently there are 124 engines, 20 bulldozers, 8 air tankers, 12 helicopters, and 2,200 total personnel assigned to the fire.
Among the aircraft is at least one DC-10, capable of 12,000 gallon drops.
InciWeb notes:
Very heavy fuels of ceanothus, chamise, scrub oak and manzanita across the entire fire area, 15 to 20 feet in height with Big Cone Douglas Fir in the drainage bottoms. Fuels have not experienced any significant large fire activity in the past 40 years.
…Fire behavior was extremely active with rapid rates of spread and flame lengths up to 80 feet.
…Mandatory Evacuations are in effect for over 10,000 homes. The fire is threatening the Mount Wilson Communications Facilities and Observatory and may reach these locations this burning period.
Links: InciWeb, LA Times, KTLA, and Pasadena Star-News
Maps: LA Times fire map and the Enplan Wildfire Viewer
[For more information go to the CATEGORIES drop-down box below the CALENDAR and select “Fires” for all of the posts related to wildfires on this site.]
9 comments
…very heavy fuels of ceanothus, chamise, scrub oak and manzanita across the entire fire area, 15 to 20 feet in height…
…what a nightmare. I hope those in harm’s way heed the warnings and bug out when they’re told to. If these are the fuels producing those 80-foot flame lengths, a garden hose isn’t gonna cut it…
With flames like that the fire is creating its own winds and sending embers all over. I assume that’s why it just went berserk in all directions yesterday.
Currently they are sounding like every TV station in LA is about to lose broadcast transmission capability, because they had to pull the people off Mount Wilson, there was no escape route.
The three burn cases were people who decided to stay and fight the fire. Two of them jumped into a hot tub when the fire overwhelmed their efforts, but it just reduced their burns.
The most you could do with a garden hose is put out embers.
Mt. Wilson is going to get toasted.
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/station-fire-approaching-historic-mt-wilson-observatory-fire-officials-say.html
Two firefighters killed near Acton
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/2-los-angeles-county-firefighters-battling-fire-killed-in-vehicle-accident-.html
.-= last blog ..Say a little prayer today =-.
I just updated with the deaths, Jill. I was checking on the status of Mount Wilson at the KTLA link.
Mt. Wilson looks like it’s going to get roasted. Heartbreaking.
.-= last blog ..Say a little prayer today =-.
The LA Times blog said that there where still firefighters on the mountain at around 830PM PDT, but there was fire on two sides.
The Mount Wilson tower webcam appears to have gone down. Not a good sign. Last pic I saw from it last night, there was fire visible beyond the towers, it’s unclear whether that was from the next hill over or from Mount Wilson itself but it definitely wasn’t a pretty sight.
Anybody in El Aye who can tell us whether they’ve lost over-the-air television signals?
Oops, back up now. Apparently just an overloaded server from everybody trying to view the webcam at once :).
.-= last blog ..Sunday Evening Music =-.
Everything is slow at the moment. Both CalFire and InciWeb are unreachable at the moment.
They apparently held the fire about a quarter mile from the top of the mountain, and have crews on site. The fire came up on two slopes last night, and they did some dead reckoning air drops of suppressants.