High winds: Pasadena, Sierra Madre declare states of emergency

The city of Pasadena declared a state of emergency Thursday and requested aid from the L.A. Department of Public Works after high winds downed trees and power lines, blocking roads, damaging buildings and possibly sparking a structure fire.

The neighboring city of Sierra Madre also declared a state of emergency with at least five structures damaged by the high winds and a large number of trees down.

Pasadena fire officials reported a fire on North Penn Street that left one person critically burned. Forty people were evacuated from an apartment building on North Hudson Street after a tree fell on it,  spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said.

PHOTOS: Wind wreaks havoc on Southern California

Public schools in Pasadena, Arcadia and Alhambra, as well as some nearby communities, canceled classes for the day and urged private schools to do likewise.

In total, Derderian said 6,000 Pasadena customers were without power.

“We’ve had more calls overnight had we’ve had in several nights combined,” she said.

Pasadena established two information lines for the public, (626) 564-0199 and (626) 584-0299.

Through Twitter, South Pasadena police were asking residents to conserve water after a pump failure caused by winds forced water capacity and pressure to reach “critical levels.” 

In Sierra Madre, Public Works Director Bruce Inman said most of the city's 11,000 residents were without power and the city was asking residents to conserve water because of electrical problems. 

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-- Sam Quinones in Pasadena and Matt Stevens    

Photo: Co-owner Roger Farraj steers clear of a collapsed roof at the Colorado Shell gas station in Pasadena. The pumps were shut off to prevent leakage. Credit: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times