Station fire consumes 154,655 acres, moves through San Gabriel Wilderness

The Station fire has grown to 154,655 acres and remains at 42% containment, fire authorities said this evening.

While crews have made good progress on the "back end" of the blaze near Pacoima Canyon, flames continue to spread in the San Gabriel Wilderness at the eastern edge, said Incident Commander Mike Dietrich.

Dietrich said crews today were able to close the fire line around Pacoima Canyon and that it was "no small feat" because the brush is so tall and thick there, and the terrain so steep, Dietrich said.

He said the northern perimeter of the fire was "very secure" and that the priorities moving forward remained in the San Gabriel Wilderness and in the Chilao area. Jody Noiron of the U.S. Forest Service said that officials with her agency were already contacting federal resource groups about how to move forward after the flames are extinguished.

-- Ari B. Bloomekatz at Hansen Dam

Comments

[Mats Johansson]

In regards to radio reports of cyanide poisoning of fire fighters in the northern part of this fire it should be mentioned that the Monte Cristo Mine operation in the area that was active from 1890 to 1940 erected a cyanide processing plant next to the mine in 1920 to refine the ore to gold. Earlier mammoth fires may have brought some of the debris to daylight, but apparently not all. The remainder is most likely seeping down toward our groundwater supply.
Cyanide is also a defense mechanism in various insects and common produce, but in minute quantities not comparable to old time mining waste.

[francine]

Can anyone report on the Vetter Mountain Fire Look-Out?

[JOHN STOLLER]

Our recent experiences with California Wildfires requires us to examine the failed mission of the State of California Forestry and Fire Prevention Agency FIRE.

Our goal should be the prompt safe extinquishment of forest fires. Our State, County and Federal firefighting agencies need to change their fire management as follows:

FIRST RESPONSE - AIRCRAFT

Our recent fires proved that our expanded fleet of airtankers have the capability to extinquish the fire; not merely contain it.

Our 2 SuperScoopers can deliver 1,600 gallons each flight and refill from available water supplies.

Our 2 DC 10s in Victorville can deliver 12,000 gallons each flight.

I hope that we are getting 2 of the Evergreen 747s that will deliver 24,000 gallons each flight.

Through the primary use of our air resources we can extinquish fire and not have to fight it.

AIRCRAFT FLEET

[JOHN STOLLER]

We should be using our DC 10 airtankers to continue to drop water on the fires. These can be flown daily and at night at a higher altitude. The falling water will cover an area 100 yards wide and 2 miles long. The temperature will be reduced over a greater area and this will slow the fire and eventually extinguish it.

Much more cost effective than men on the ground with shovels.

[omg]

o i love this page

[Lee]

I wish the media would stop referring to this fire as the Station Fire. The "Station Fire" was a nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003 which took the lives of 100 people. Please refer to this forest fire as the Station wildfire or some other name, out of respect for those lost here in RI.

I realize people will say this is nitpicking, but too bad! This bothers me every time I come across it.

[Bob Kerstein]

Why didn't the Forest Service react quicker once the fire started. The following was obtained from their reports on Facebook:

On August 26, 2009, The Station Fire obtained its name from its proximity to the the Angels Crest Ranger / Fire station as an arsonist was igniting a blaze nearby on Highway 2 approximately 15:20 (3:20 p.m.). At initial attack the fire was 15 acres, in a 24 hour period the fire remained at a low acreage of 40 acres. A red flag warning was issued with an expected humidity dropping to the low teens coupled with winds aligning with the southeast lay of Tujunga Canyon. Fuel conditions in this section of the Angeles NF were ripe to burn. The chaparral had not experienced wildfire for over 60 years, with no historical recording of fire in the wilderness areas. Status of the chaparral cover in the canyon was described as 'decadent'. The potential extreme fire activity actualized with acreage jumping to 500 acres on day three, (August 27, 2009), 5000 acres on day 4, and by end of shift on August 29, a total of 20,102 acres was documented. The rest is history with over 160,000 acres burnt to date.