Lab 7 - Station Fire of Los Angeles County

Station Fire Perimeters with Main Roads and Boundaries of National Forests

3D Digital Elevation Models of Station Fire Perimeters with Roads and Angeles National Forest

From August 26^th, 2009 through October 16^th, 2009, the Station Fire of Los Angeles County blazed through 160,577 acres of highways, national forests, and various communities. Even though the Southern California region was victim to many different wildfires in the year, the Station Fire was the most dangerous, deadliest, and costly in the series of 63 wildfires in California in 2009.

The numbers of the Station Fire truly conveys how the tenth largest wildfire in California, and the largest experienced by Los Angeles County, was a significant threat to Southern California. The Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain, Mark Whaling, verbally warned the county with his knowledge of any fire’s capability to shift in magnitude and/or path with the comment, “Red sky in the morn, sailor be warned.” Quantitative statistics posted by the Los Angeles Times, less than one month into the fires surge, were already displaying damage worth $28.5 million, two L.A. County firefighters killed, eight injured victims, 62 homes destroyed, and only 42% containment. With considerable effort from firefighters, politicians, governmental employees, and many volunteers, the fire was 91% contained on September 19^th, 2009 with $93.8 million spent in fire fighting efforts. Finally, with the help of wet weather conditions, 100% of the fire was contained on October 16^th, 2009.

The Station Fire forced the evacuation of numerous communities including Palmdale, Glendale, Angeles National Forest, La Crescenta, Littlerock, La Cañada Flintridge, Altadena, Arcadia, Pasadena, Sierra Madre, Pacoima Canyon, Devil's Canyon in the San Gabriel Wilderness Area, and many others as well.

Some of the evacuation of many Los Angeles County communities was not only due to the direct threat of the fire destroying housing, but also due to the heavy smoke and ash clinging to the valley’s horizon. The air quality dropped to such a hazardous level, communities were not able to reside in their homes even if they were not directly at risk of the burning path of the fire. Specifically, San Gabriel Mountains, the San Fernando Valley, the San Gabriel Valley, the south and southwest Los Angeles County coastal areas, the Hemet/San Jacinto area and the west San Bernardino Mountains were heavily polluted with smoke, ash, and debris from the fire. One of the warnings issued to residents in threatened areas stated, “All individuals are urged to exercise caution today and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities in any area directly impacted by smoke. The advisory includes areas where residents can see or smell smoke. Wind patterns today have shifted, with heavy haze blanketing the Los Angeles basin and cutting off views of the fire from as far away as Orange County.” Experts of the South Coast Air Quality Management District frequently issued warnings, such as the latter quote from the Daily News: Los Angeles, throughout the months of September and October to keep the health risks to a minimum.

Unfortunately, even though many individuals were saved and helped by the continuous warnings and evacuations, the lives two Los Angeles County firefighters were taken due a section of the fire rapidly smothering a road, near Mount Gleason, in the Angeles National Forest. The two firefighters vehicle was tailed by a fast-moving fire close to their designated post, Fire Camp 16, for the Station Fire fighting efforts. The roads surrounding Fire Camp 16 were lined with dense smoke, which made escaping the fire impossible.

Entire roads and segments of highways were blocked by Caltrans in order to minimize the amount of vehicle accidents during the months that the Station Fire caused hazardous road conditions. Caltrans closed the Angeles Crest Highway, running from Foothill Boulevard to State Route 138, indefinitely due the hazards caused by damaged guardrails, charred road signs, and the lack of intact road stripping.  The closing of the Angeles Crest Highway, a two-lane road experiencing more than 11,300 commuters per day, is only one example of the many main routes shut down because of the many risks proposed by the Station Fire.

Bloomekatz, Ari B. "Station Fire Is Largest in L.A. County's Modern History | L.A. NOW | Los Angeles Times." Top of the Ticket | Bleeding Heart Democrat Obama Halts Thanksgiving Execution (of Turkeys); They Get Life without Parole | Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-is-largest-in-la-county-history.html

"Firefighters Honor 2 Comrades Killed in 'Station Fire' - Ktla.com." Los Angeles News and Video for Southern California - KTLA.COM - KTLA 5 - Ktla.com. KTLA News, 4 Sept. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-firefighters-bio,0,7708207.story

Rantas, Khadijah. "State of Emergency Declared in California Wildfire - CNN.com." CNN.com International - Breaking, World, Business, Sports, Entertainment and Video News. CNN, 23 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/09/23/california.fire/

"Valley Air Quality Poor from Station Fire - LA Daily News." Home - LA Daily News. Daily News: Los Angeles, 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 24 Nov. 2010. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13235062?source=pkg

"Wildfires in Southern California - The Big Picture." Boston.com. The Boston Globe, 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/09/wildfires_in_southern_californ.htp