The Problem with SoCal

Breaking News: Station fire arson; homicide investigation underway

“No-Good” for “Lifestyle” and fires cost too much to “fight!”

A [Neanderthal ] took up residence [in SoCal], dug a cellar [deep inside the forest] and built a log house on top of it; paved up large tracts of the forest and mountainside and bought two cars. After 20 years he decided SoCal was no good for living, for most of his forest had gone, the water table had dropped by 8 yards and he didn’t have enough water to spare the fish [and the cost of ‘fighting’ the fires had become unaffordable.] —Adapted from My Life, My Trees, by Richard St. Barbe Baker [Quoted by EDRO]

Station Fire 38% Contained

This UPDATE was posted on September 3, 2009 at 5:32 PM PDT (September 4, 2009 at 00:32 UTC)

Some 4,735 fire crew have contained about 38 % of the Station Fire, estimated at 144,743 acres.

Five other fires are still burning in SoCal:

• Oak Glen 3 (San Bernardino Unit, Cal Fire): 1,159 acres at 75 percent contained. This fire is four miles north of San Bernardino. Minimal fire activity was reported.
• Morris (Angeles National Forest): 2,168 acres at 95 percent contained. This fire is five miles north of Azusa.
• Big Meadow (Yosemite National Park): 6,283 acres at 60 percent contained. This fire is two miles northeast of El Portal. Structures remain threatened and roads are closed. Precipitation fell on the fire yesterday.
• Pendleton (San Bernardino Unit, Cal Fire): 860 acres at 95 percent contained. This fire is burning two miles east of Yucaipa. Fire activity was minimal.
• Red Rock (Klamath National Forest): 1,382 acres at 90 percent contained. This fire is 15 miles west of Fort Jones. Minimal fire activity was reported.

Year-to-date statistics:
Fires: 65,483; Acres: 5,459,428

10-year average
Fires: 62,862;  Acres: 5,754,861

Cost of fighting “wildfires?”
(CALFIRE Budget)

1998/9:  $44 million
2008/9: Just under $1.7 billion
2009/10: $2.0 billion (?)
A rise of  more than 45 folds!

• Fire industry worth billions of dollars
• Under Bush’s watch, decay of public firefighting has spawned billion dollar private industry

Problem with SoCal:
“No-Good” for “Lifestyle” and fires cost too much to “fight!”

SoCal Fires: “Nothing personal; it’s just business, folks!”

External Links:

• Fire industry worth billions of dollars
• Under Bush’s watch, decay of public firefighting has spawned billion dollar private industry

• Fighting wildfires in a cash-strapped state

Related FEWW Link:

• Hazard Mapping System Fire and Smoke Product [Links to Satellite Images]
• Our Forecast for 2009 California Fires
  
• Thought for the Day: The Car Salesman & SoCal Fires
• Tell Schwarzenegger Damage from Fires Is Preventable!
• Shock and Awe Southland Fires Take No Prisoners
• California Fires: Not Hard to Understand!
• The War on Wildfire
• Links to FEWW SoCal Fires Entries

Socal Fire Crews: May the Force Be With You …

But that’s all the water we’ve got!

Photo: From a lakeside dock in Yucaipa Regional Park, the McHenry family  cheers as a Sikorsky S64 Sky Crane firefighting helicopter goes “In the Dip” for another load of water Tuesday. (Don Bartletti /Los Angeles Times). Image may be subject to copyright.

Fires Approach Mt. Wilson Observatory from Two Directions

Fire crews are reportedly trying to save the historic Mt Wilson observatory as well as important TV and radio antennas from destruction. Fire was approaching the mountain  from two directions: about 800 meters (yards) to the north and 1,200 meters (yards) to the west.

Photo: Flames from the Station fire approach Mt. Wilson Observatory in the Angeles National Forest. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times).  Image may be subject to copyright.

“We expect the fire to hit the Mt. Wilson facilities between 5 p.m. today and 2 a.m. Wednesday morning,” LA Times quoted Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief James Powers. “Right now, we’re conducting controlled burns around the perimeter in preparation for the impending fire’s arrival. We’re also bringing in trucks and special equipment to coat all of the structures with protective gel and foam if necessary. We do not plan to cover everything with a gooey mess.”

Smoke from the Station Fire rises over downtown Los Angeles Monday, Aug. 31, 2009. (AP Photo/Jon Vidar).  Image may be subject to copyright.

The Los Angeles skyline is obscured by smoke [buildings are barely visible in the background] from the Station Fire north of the city August 31, 2009. A deadly wildfire burning out of control for a sixth day in the parched mountains north of Los Angeles doubled in size overnight on Monday and posed a continuing threat to Mount Wilson, a key communications nexus for the region’s broadcasters and emergency services. REUTERS/Freds Prouser. Image may be subject to copyright.

Head Lines:

• Pitched battle underway to save Mt. Wilson from fire as officials cite progress elsewhere
• Supervisor says county’s emergency notification system failed during fires
• Firefighters battle flames on Mt. Wilson
• Los Angeles wildfire gets first break from weather
• Huge wildfire portends bad Calif. fire season

More images at

• LA Times Photo Album
• Reuters Photos

Related Links and Previous Entries:

• https://feww.wordpress.com/calif-fires-2009/

Run, if you see fire: Schwarzenegger

California Gov.  Schwarzenegger has urged residents in fire evacuation zones to flee

Schwarzenegger referring to three residents in Big Tujunga Canyon who suffered  burns while trying to save their homes Saturday said:

“There will be people who don’t listen… Move as soon as [fire crews  tell you] to move.”

The Station fire, characterized as “treacherous” by U.S. Forest Service Incident Chief the has now burned more than 35,000 acres of land, destroying another handful of homes.

Schwarzenegger: Evacuate if Ordered

About 6,600 homes across the 32-km fire line were reportedly  under mandatory  evacuation as a DC-10 and other aircraft doused the area with hundreds of tons of  water and orange-colored flame retardant.

According to Gov Schwarzenegger, 12,500 structures are under threat, with 2,200 personnel tackling the fire, which is 5 percent contained.

DC-10 douses the Station fire and surrounding area with  fire retardant. This picture was taken from Soledad Canyon Road in Acton. Credit: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times. Image may be subject to copyright.

More images at LA Times Photo Album
Related News: Station fire likely to hit historic Mt. Wilson observatory, fire officials say

Related Links and Previous Entries:

• https://feww.wordpress.com/calif-fires-2009/