Amid progress, evacuations considered for Altadena [Updated]

Despite significant progress in containing the Station fire, officials said this morning that they are still concerned about the massive blaze's fast-moving southeastern flank.

That edge of the fire is burning in the mountains above Altadena and Pasadena. Officials are trying to cut fire lines in the area, hoping to block the fire from moving farther east toward Sierra Madre and Monrovia. No evacuations have been ordered in those areas.

[Updated, 9 a.m.: Fire officials said they are considering evacuating Altadena residents who live north of Altadena Drive as the fire continues to move southeast.]

The Station fire grew to more than 140,000 acres overnight, but officials said they continued to make solid progress. Evacuation orders have been lifted in La Crescenta, La Cañada Flintridge and other foothill communities.

Firefighters have worked hard to save Mt. Wilson, home to a historic observatory as well as crucial TV and radio transmission towers. Officials said this morning that aggressive water and gel drops from aircraft helped prevent the mountain from taking a direct hit from the flames.

But Mt. Wilson is still in danger, and the fight there will continue. Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Mark Whaling said machines were used to crush much of the brush surrounding the area there and that more fire-resistant gel was used to protect structures on the peak.

Temperatures continued to drop slightly, aiding firefighters on a massive blaze that killed two firefighters and destroyed 62 dwellings. But the weather conditions are still far from ideal for firefighters. Whaling said high levels of humidity helped firefighters overnight, but said "there will be a more intense fire" today because of lower humidity and temperatures reaching into the 90s.

A total of 4,128 personnel are working to stop the blaze. About 12,000 structures are threatened.

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 wild-land 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, mile after mile of slope once covered with manzanita, sumac, sycamore and pine trees looked like black dunes.

Charred remains of squirrels and other rodents lay by the road.

Joe Young, 63, who has hiked the San Gabriel Mountains for 39 years, said the burned area contains many of Southern California's most popular hiking trails.

"It's very sad," said Young, a member of the Sierra Club's Hundred Peaks group. "In just the burned area so far we have about 40 peaks that the club goes to regularly, if not every week."

Meteorologists said the humidity should continue to rise over the next few days, with temperatures dropping -- but slowly. Fire officials don't predict full containment until Sept. 15.

"This was like the Jabba the Hut fire," said Bill Patzert, a climatologist for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge. "It's menacing and big, but it definitely can't move that fast."

Patzert said the foothill communities "dodged a bullet" in that this fire didn't erupt during Santa Ana winds.

"This could have been like the conflagration of the century with the Santa Anas," he said.

On Haines Canyon Avenue in Tujunga, Lisa Martin stood in front of her house, chatting with neighbors as ash rained down and flames scoured the hill above. She was actually happy to see the foliage burn before the Santa Anas come.

"Let it burn. Get rid of the fuel," she said.

The outlook also improved Tuesday in San Bernardino County, where firefighters gained the upper hand on the Oak Glen III and Pendleton fires.

"If it stays like this, I expect an easier day tomorrow," said Bill Peters, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. "We may be able to release some of our resources."

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz at Hansen Dam

Photo: Smoke from the Station fire obscures sunrise along Angles Crest Highway Wednesday. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Photos: Southland wildfires  | High-res	Interactive map: The Station fire

Amid progress, concern about Station fire's southeastern edge

In Big Tujunga Canyon, fire leaves behind mourners and miracles

San Gabriel Mountains a daunting place to fight fire

L.A. County Fire Department: The latest

Twitter: Follow @latimescitydesk | @latimesfires

Comments

[michael]

first!!

[Bob Packham]

Where's the map that was here yesterday showing the location of the fires?

[Heather]

Folk in the communities below the burn area need to start thinking about mudslide prevention. Without foliage, walls of debris could come down in winter / early spring when the rains hit. If I lived there, I'd get an engineer out to look at my property ASAP and start planning retaining walls, culverts, etc. With so much mountain laid bare, there could be a major disaster (think a 20- foot high wall of earth and sludge) for communites like La Canada Flintridge. And write to your representatives, too. We need to be proactive and spend the money needed today--not later for rescue and clean-up.

[JR]

The Times did not publish my previous comments so here they are again: I firmly believe that the Forest Service allowed the houses to burn. There is a strong belief that private and public housing has no place in the Angeles National Forest. With the Forest Service now staffed with environmental extremists, they will get rid of all housing by not allowing any houses or cabins to be rebuilt after being destroyed by wild fires. Sure, CALTRANS will go through the long, painful and costly process of filing environmental impact statements and obtaining permits to rebuild. But the environmental wackos, aided and encouraged by their buddies in the Forest Service, will legally fight and stall them until CALTRANS gives up. The rich and powerful, whose houses were saved, will continue to get richer and powerful while the rest of us are distracted by fighting over the scraps.

[Ed]

JR - you are the only Wacko I can see. People are putting their lives on the line - home owners, fireman, emergency workers, etc. People are evacuated - thousands faced with the potential to lose everything, not to mention the mud and flooding that will follow, the loss to businesses that rely on these resources, etc.

You however, just want to make some political comment about the Forrest Service letting houses burn! Get out from under your tin foil hat and put yourself on the line - I'm sure you'll run the other way!

[JR Jake]

I left a lot of friends throughout SoCal when I moved to Florida. I hope each of you are well and I pray the fires will be doused soon and people can feel safe again. We don't get the raging fires here in Fla. like you do. But we do get lightning strikes all the time and they are usually followed with rain, A WHOLE LOT OF RAIN, so these fires are contained fairly briefly. My prayers go out to all those who have been displaced and I hope you can all return back to normal soon. Be well everyone.

[GH]

To JR, non-enviro whacko, seeing as how the public housing in Angeles National Forest was burned to the ground by a fire that, had Santa Ana winds been present, would have been much worse, doesn't it make you consider even slightly that possibly public housing does not belong there ? ...or should I say did not belong there.

[ashaindra]

' Foothill communities "dodged a bullet" in that this fire didn't erupt during Santa Ana winds.'

Dodged a bullet for now, today, this year, but what about the next time the California wildfires come around (which inevitably they will, same time, same place)? Maybe there should be laws in place to forbid developers from building in these foothill communities or any 'fire-prone' zones.

http://www.newsy.com/videos/raging_fire_threatens_the_golden_state

[Maureen Scorpio]

Instead of considering the shrubs, grasses and trees and "fuel" why have we not concentrated more on scientific approaches to fire-fighting, more target-specific bombing and faster deployment when the fire is smaller; and oxygen-depleting sprays ahead of the fire areas. Animals depend on the shrubs, grasses and trees for camouflage and food and we need it for seeing how beautiful nature is. Now very little "forest" along the San Gabriels is left - mostly tall shrubs. When John Muir travelled these mountains from Acton to Big Bear, he described pine meadows, bears, streams loaded with fish and fruit trees. All of that is gone and we adjusted. We never really made an effort to bring it back to its former beauty. Based on history, I can't believe authorities today will make much of an effort to restore what has been destroyed especially the "fuel" trees. Millions of dollars are raised for forest service, fire fighters and activist organizations. Can't we all join forces to fight a common enemy - fire?