Angeles Forest areas closed after Station Fire may reopen by weekend

Angeles National Forest officials hope to open parts of the Big Tujunga watershed this weekend that have been closed since the Station Fire devastated the area in August 2009.

On Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service officials said they hope to get final approval of the plan Thursday.

"We’re anticipating if everything goes right this ... could be opened Memorial Day weekend," Mike McIntyre, a ranger on the Los Angeles River District and former Angeles National Forest archaeologist, said at a meeting at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in Pasadena.

McIntyre said the agency is "scrambling" to get the approval before the weekend, and noted that some areas will probably remain off limits.

"We might open some areas but keep trails closed to the public until they’re ready," he said.

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-- Beige Luciano-Adams, Times Community News

Photo: Fire crews work in a barren landscape in Angeles National Forest after the Station Fire passed through in 2009. Credit: Roger Wilson / La Canada Valley Sun