After the burn

Offices with the US Geological Survey plan to release a report that assesses the risks of erosion in areas affected by the Station and Sheep fires, reports Guy McCarthy at Watershed News:

The need for timely and accurate assessment of post-fire dangers was underscored on Christmas Day 2003, when torrential rains on burned watersheds unleashed flash floods and debris flows that killed 16 people -- including nine children -- in Waterman and Cable canyons just outside the city of San Bernardino.

"The urbanized areas below the Station Fire are of course a focus of the report," [USGS project manager Sue] Cannon said. "But as we learned in 2003, the interior canyons are especially vulnerable."

Arson

Authorities classify the Station Fire as arson, which because of the death of the two firefighters also makes this a homicide investigation.

Station fire photos

Guy McCarthy at Watershed News has some photos up of the Station Fire.

Station Fire still spreading, investigators investigating

The Station Fire is slowing, but now its headed for mountains behind Sierra Madre and Monrovia. ... Mt. Wilson, its observatory and its array of communications towers remain threatened but water and gel drops have kept the flames at bay so far. ... Investigators have cordoned off an area on the Angeles Crest Highway near mile marker 29 where the fire is thought to have begun. LAT, Star-News

From the LA Times:

Although the number of structures razed is small compared with other recent wildfires, this one has ripped an enormous hole in one of Southern California's most treasured wildlife areas, a fact that was particularly evident along Angeles Crest Highway, which remained closed to the public.

Under skies tinged coral and gray by dense smoke, acres of slope once covered with manzanita, sumac, sycamore and pine trees looked like black dunes.

Battle for Mt. Wilson

From the LA Times:

...firefighters were frantically trying to save the historic astronomical observatory and dozens of critical TV and radio antennas from destruction. By 3 p.m., the fire was approaching closer than ever from two directions: one-half mile to the north and three-quarters of a mile to the west.

“We expect the fire to hit the Mt. Wilson facilities between 5 p.m. today and 2 a.m. Wednesday morning,” said 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.”

CBS has some raw footage of the fire here.

More complaints about fire coverage

Los Angeles Times TV critic Mary McNamara scolds local television stations for failing provide more coverage earlier of the fast-moving Station Fire that has now consumed 122,000 and cost two firefighters their lives:

What do we have to do to get a little blow-by-blow televised coverage? "If only Kate Gosselin lived in La Crescenta," I found myself thinking Monday morning as I watched KTLA-TV Channel 5 (which is owned by Tribune Co., as is The Times) move quickly off a brief report of the fire -- it's spreading -- into a segment about decoding carbs, then we'd have the news crews out in full force.

Complaints about the lack of coverage started coming in over the weekend and were aimed mainly at local TV and national news outlets.

Times reporter Greg Braxton gets the local stations to respond to LA County Supervisor Mike Antonovich's charge that their coverage was "horrendous."

Towers still standing

The observatory and communications towers on Mt. Wilson remain threatened, but a look at the live web cam this morning shows they're still standing.

Station Fire update*,**

From the LA Times: Two firefighters have died south of Acton. The fire has grown to 42,500 acres and has destroyed 18 homes. Flames are threatening Mt. Wilson Observatory and a host of television, radio and law-enforcement transmission towers nearby.

*Update: The two firefighters were killed in a vehicle accident near Mt. Gleason, the Times and Star-News report.

*Update II: The transmission towers on Mt. Wilson are crucial to local law enforcement and maybe to the firefighters battling the blaze. From NBC Los Angeles:

Loss of communications facilities there would cripple fire and police departments across Southern California, which not only use mountaintop transmitters to communicate in the field but in many cases relay signals from other mountaintop sites back to dispatch centers via microwave facilities that are now threatened.

Mt. Wilson threatened*, **

Flames from the Station Fire are less than two miles from the Mt. Wilson Observatory and fire officials expect they will hit the area, home to television and communications towers, in the next two to four hours.

From the LAT:

“It’s a serious situation,” said Bob Shindelar, operations branch director of California Incident Management Team 5. “Is the observatory going to make it? We’re doing everything in our power. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it is impacted by fire today or tomorrow.”

(Sceen grab from a live web cam tracking the fire's advance.)

*Update: This is certainly one way to get the television stations' attention.

**Update II: The transmitters serve more than television and radio stations. They include cell phone towers and transmitters for the FBI, CIA and Secret Service, the LA Times reports. There's also the matter of the historic Observatory and Hale's 60-inch telescope.

Station Fire updates

Los Angeles Times: Afternoon winds continue to push the flames toward Acton. The fire line stretches 19 miles, and more than 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze.

Pasadena Star-News: Some La Cañada Flintridge residents allowed to return home; some Altadena residents choose to stay put.

Flames on the march

The flames appear to be advancing toward the Mt. Wilson Observatory. This is a screen capture from a live web cam near the observatory.

A few complaints about fire coverage*

I've seen and heard a few complaints about the coverage of the Station Fire from both the print and TV side. LA Times architecture critic Christopher Hawthorne let out a few frustrated tweets last night:

For a fire to threaten Tujunga on one end and Pasadena on other is like threatening Tribeca and S. Bronx, or G'town and Chevy Chase. Huge.

NYT might want to think about putting fire *somewhere* on homepage. As of 10 pm LA time, nada.

The New York Times now has a story up on its homepage.

LA Observed noted that Channel 9 got around to covering the fire from the perspective of the station's helicopter pilot:

Channel 9's fire coverage in the 9 o'clock hour included several minutes with reporter Dave Lopez on the battle by firefighters to save the La Cañada Flintridge home of the station's helicopter pilot, Larry Welk.

The post goes on to relate complaints from an LAO reader and LA County Supervisor Mike Antonivich about the dearth of coverage.

*Update: LA Observed has this from TV anchor John Beard:

Are LA TV Stations not doing live fire coverage (with lives at risk) because they spent so much on excessive Michael Jackson coverage?

Will LA tv take another day off as fires thrtn hmes and lives? Does anybody in mgmnt have the guts to spnd $$ to give viewers critical inf0

Animal victims of the Station fire

Dramatic shot from Gene Blevins of the LA Daily News of two horses singed in the Station Fire. A larger version is here.

View from Mt. Wilson

A view of the Station Fire from a live web cam near the Mt. Wilson Observatory.

Station Fire heads toward Acton

The Station Fire, which grew to about 35,000 acres overnight, continues to spread toward Acton where evacuations have been ordered. On its other end, the fire threatens the Mt. Wilson Observatory above Pasadena.

At left, a great photo from Wally Skalij of the LA Times. More photos here.

Station Fire spreads, mass evacuations ordered

From the Los Angeles Times:

The Station fire in Angeles National Forest tripled in size today, spreading rapidly to the east and west and threatening at least 10,000 homes in a broad swath of foothill neighborhoods in areas including La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, Glendale, Altadena and Big Tujunga Canyon as temperatures reached triple digits and flames drew closer to homes.

Three to five homes in rural Big Tujunga Canyon were lost, authorities said.

The Times reports the fire had reached 20,000 acres as of Saturday and forced the evacuation of 4,000 homes. At least three people were injured.

Stories: LAT, Pasadena Star-News

Twitter updates: LAT, PSN, LA County Fire, California Fire News, KTLA

Also, LA Observed has a time lapse video of the spreading smoke.

(My bad photo above)