Los Angeles fire worsens, 10,000 homes threatened

[JBean]

No highway on fire was going stand a chance against your motherly instincts Bean!

Amen sister! I just wet myself down and went for it!

 

[JBean]

Nova if you come online how is the air by you? I know you are not really that far from Yucaipa. but depends on which way the wind blows

 

[scandi]

Suddenly the Towercam has gone quite dark:

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop

 

[Cypros]

Be careful Wrinkles :blowkiss:.
I used to live in Altadena and when the foothills behind my house would burn, we could see them very well and the ashes would rain on our cars and the air made breathing difficult.
The San Diego fire a few years ago was the worst I have ever seen. I had 2 sons living down there at the time and they were perfectly content to stay in their apt and play video games while I was sick with worry. Their schools were closed so they were just taking advatntage of the time off. Of course I had to drive down and bring them supplies as I was sure they were going to just sit in there and suffocate.It was awful just awful. The 5 fwy was on fire but I went right through it to get down to SD before the hwys were shut down.
The air is more dangerous than the fire in some cases. BE CAREFUL!

Are you sure we are not related?

 

[SuziQ]

Good Day LA reporting live:

http://media.myfoxla.com/live/

 

[JBean]

Ahnold going to give a presser. click Listen Live they will be streaming it:

http://kfi640.com/main.html

 

[scandi]

I wonder if they are using the Super Tanker 'Water Bomber' on these fires?

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/Multimedia.html?feed=337183&article=5951852

 

[JBean]

I wonder if they are using the Super Tanker 'Water Bomber' on these fires?

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/Multimedia.html?feed=337183&article=5951852

I know they requested them so I believe they are.

 

[Niner]

snip...
Niner what is happening with your brother? The fire is defintely in sunland so I was just thinking about you.

Hey JBean - I talked with him last night, and all was okay; but I did notice on this morning's map re evacuations, he is 15 blocks east and 7 blocks (BIG blocks) north from the streets on evac... I'm going to give a call right now!! LOL!

And THANKS for all the coverage you have here! And Scandi - I too noticed the tower cam is out... anyone have any updates on the telecommunication towers up there???

 

[RainyGirl]

Any updates from the observatory or telecom towers? I'm getting zero connection to the tower-cam. So sad and anxious about my old neighborhood stomping grounds and buddies in the hills. ((((Prayers)))) for all the amazing firefighters......amazing men and women. Take care everybody XOXOXO

 

[JBean]

I wonder if they are using the Super Tanker 'Water Bomber' on these fires?

http://www.kfiam640.com/pages/Multimedia.html?feed=337183&article=5951852

But the air show was stolen by the Boeing 747 Evergreen Super Tanker, which holds 24,000 gallons of water or retardant.
It is the first time the Evergreen has flown on a California fire, said Cal Fire spokesman Bill Peters.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13243340

 

[scandi]

Hey JBean - I talked with him last night, and all was okay; but I did notice on this morning's map re evacuations, he is 15 blocks east and 7 blocks (BIG blocks) north from the streets on evac... I'm going to give a call right now!! LOL!

And THANKS for all the coverage you have here! And Scandi - I too noticed the tower cam is out... anyone have any updates on the telecommunication towers up there???

Hi Niner :blowkiss: I'm thankful your brother is OK but that was a bit too close for my liking. I'm glad you're keeping in touch with him as the air for one thing must be awful to breathe if he is that close.

Isn't that Towercam something? Last night I started watching it and an hour later, still watching it. LOL Probably because it suddenly changed to very dark and I knew it was going to go dead as we were told it would. Then this morning it looked like the moon, then a change and all the white smoke.

I was just very thankful tho at the smoke as I knew that meant the firemen were at work or else retardant or water was being dropped on the Mt. Every tree is precious, but Mt Wilson is history and I think everyone together is doing a BANG UP JOB on perserving it's integrity - keeping it safe.

I also learned today the 2 firefighters who died were true heroes. They were down below 10 people who were trapped above and trying to back burn to keep them safe. So very sad. God Bless them both xox

 

[JBean]

Hey JBean - I talked with him last night, and all was okay; but I did notice on this morning's map re evacuations, he is 15 blocks east and 7 blocks (BIG blocks) north from the streets on evac... I'm going to give a call right now!! LOL!

And THANKS for all the coverage you have here! And Scandi - I too noticed the tower cam is out... anyone have any updates on the telecommunication towers up there???

Glad to hear this niner. Sunland was the farthest point west that the fire was reaching IIRC. There is some concern about dry lightening up in Big Bear tonight because of the weird weather.

 

[scandi]

But the air show was stolen by the Boeing 747 Evergreen Super Tanker, which holds 24,000 gallons of water or retardant.
It is the first time the Evergreen has flown on a California fire, said Cal Fire spokesman Bill Peters.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_13243340

Hey Thanks for that Bean. I thought that was a real interesting video about the Boeing 747. I was amazed to learn it can fly 400' above any area it is targeting. And that is one big plane.

Let's hope there is a Fire Fairy this year to keep fires to a minimum and keep a watch on arsonists! When I saw the hurricane bearing down on Baja this morning I thought maybe there was some divine intervention to save all the misery for those in the area of the fires. I guess it won't go as far as the Session fire, but hopefully it will put more humidity into the air. xoxoxox

 

[scandi]

Niner, Here is what the Observatory has put on line from my link above to the Towercam:

"The Mount Wilson webserver has gone down, most likely due to a backfire infiltration of a pull box containing telephone lines that bring us our T1 internet service. The will be no more updates from the Towercam, the last one being upoaded at 13:49:06.

All news updates have now been moved to a different server and are posted here".

Link for UPDATES: http://www.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/fire.php

 

[Niner]

Hey Scandi - good to 'see' you! :blowkiss:
And thanks for the explaination of 'why' the tower cam is out...

Brother is still okay... but getting close... sounds like they might be getting a handle on it (just listened to the local news) at least saving Sunland homes!

 

[PassTheMotrin]

Feds didn't clear brush in wildfire area
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD (AP) – 44 minutes ago

LOS ANGELES — Federal authorities failed to follow through on plans earlier this year to burn away highly flammable brush in a forest on the edge of Los Angeles to avoid the very kind of wildfire now raging there, The Associated Press has learned.

Months before the huge blaze erupted, the U.S. Forest Service obtained permits to burn away the undergrowth and brush on more than 1,700 acres of the Angeles National Forest. But just 193 acres had been cleared by the time the fire broke out, Forest Service resource officer Steve Bear said.

The agency defended its efforts, saying weather, wind and environmental rules tightly limit how often these "prescribed burns" can be conducted.

Bear said crews using machinery and hand tools managed to trim 5,000 acres in the forest this year before the money ran out. Ideally, "at least a couple thousand more acres" would have been cleared.

Could more have been done to clear tinder-dry hillsides and canyons?

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gNirrGO3UeJug3__BuGV2m6TzUIQD9AFHJG00

 

[JBean]

The Station fire has been determined to be arson. This is now a homicide investigation due to the firefighters that were killed.
Station Fire is arson, officials say

City News Service
Posted: 09/03/2009 06:22:19 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - The deadly Station Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest was the result of arson, fire officials announced Thursday, prompting the Sheriff's Department to begin a homicide investigation.
http://www.presstelegram.com/breakingnews/ci_13265145

 

[JBean]

well it is busy in my area this morning. For reference, the area burning is around where they found Samantha Runnion.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO -- A small brush fire is burning in the Cleveland National Forest in Orange County, near the border with Riverside County.

The vegetation blaze, dubbed the "Ortega Fire," erupted around midnight near mile marker14 of Ortega Highway, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Greg McKeown.

About 15 acres have burned, and nearly100 firefighters are battling the flames, which are creeping up a mountainside east of Ortega Highway.http://www.ktla.com/news/landing/ktla-ortega-fire,0,3057307.story

 

[mysteriew]

JBean how close to you is this fire?