LAB 8

2009 Los Angeles County Station Fire

Image Courtesy of earthobservatory.nasa.gov

    The Los Angeles County 2009 Station Fire was quite destructive as it burned on the slopes of Mount Wilson. It burned within the Angeles National Forest and near surrounding foothill communities of La Canada-Flintridge, La Crescenta, Acton, Soledad Canyon, Pasadena and Glendale. The steep terrain, abundance of old growth bush and hot dry weather were factors that contributed to the overwhelming fire activity. Two LA County firefighters died when their vehicle plunged off a roadway due to the heavy smoke conditions that reduced visibility. Temporal patterns suggest that the fire spread northward, which meant less harm to the large urban cities in the foothills. The Station Fire is believed to be the largest in Los Angeles County history. Forensic evidence examination determined it was an act of arson that ignited the fire.     

Many roads were closed due to the expansive fire. This included:

• Red Rover Mine Rd @ SR-14
• Soledad Canyon Rd @ Crown Valley Rd.
• Escondido Canyon Rd @ SR-14
• Soledad Canyon Rd. @ SR-14 (exit only)
• Agual Dulce Canyon Rd. @ SR-14
• Placerita Canyon Rd @ Sand Canyon Rd.
• Big Pines @ SR-2
• Aliso Canyon Rd @ Soledad Canyon Rd.
• Angeles Forest Highway @ Mt. Emma Dr.
• Red Rover Mine Rd @ Escondido Canyon Rd.
• Aliso Canyon Rd @ Ave Y-8
• Little Tujunga Canyon Rd @ Ranger Station

    More than 40 miles of the Angeles Crest Highway from La Canada Flintridge to Islip Saddle were closed due to the fire, which burned off road stripping and destroyed guard railings and signage along the scenic route, Caltrans officials reported.  Some of the pavement did not remain intact.. The Angeles Crest Highway, one of the main routes through the San Gabriel Mountains, runs from Foothill Boulevard to State Route 138 northeast of Wrightwood. The two-lane road handled as many 11,300 trips by motorists everyday, depending on the section of the highway.

    The Station Fire did not actually damage any of the railroad tracks within Los Angeles County. However, the map above indicates that in the North West region of the fire extent boundary, it came very close. The one mile buffer zone emanating from the September 2 extent shows that the fire was only about half a mile from damaging the railroad tracks in the San Gabriel Mountains. 
    Also, none of the transportation lines considered to be interstates were damaged. Some portions of the interstate did fall within the one mile buffer of the overall extent of the fire. The neighboring airports also did not get damaged. Air travel in the area did have to take extra precautionary measures due to the copious amounts of smoke the fire was giving off. 
    It is important to note, however, that fires can have long lasting impacts on transportation. Many of the roads were still closed off after several months/years due to their vulnerability to rockslides /landslides as well as mudslides during wetter conditions. The loss of vegetation means the loss of roots that would've held the mountainsides together. They also curb water runoff as the vegetation will take in more water than the soil can by itself. 
    All in all the fire had some great impacts on major roads within the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. There is an upside since the fired did not descent onto the large urban centers at the base of the mountains. It is unfortunate that many of the roads took some time to open due to their vulnerability due to the lack of mountainside vegetation. There was still much to be thankful for as many areas were threatened, but not necessarily harmed. The Station Fire that burned around 150,000 acres will still be forever scorched in the minds of the people forced to evacuate their Los Angeles homes due to its proximity.

References 

Bloomekatz , Ari. B. "Station fire is largest in L.A. County's modern history." Los Angeles Times(Sept. 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

"Station Fire Evening Update Aug. 31, 2009." Incident Information System 8 Auguest 2009: n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

Weikel, Dan. "Angeles Crest Highway closed indefinitely because of fire." Los Angeles Times(Sept. 4, 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

Bloomekatz, Ari. B. "Station fire was arson, officials say; homicide investigation begins." Los Angeles Times (Sept. 3, 2009): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.

O'Neil, Megan. "Work continues on Angeles Crest Highway." La Canada Valley Sun (May 11,2011): n. pag. Web. 9 Jun 2011.