Results tagged “wildfire”

One year ago this Thursday, the Freeway Complex fire broke out. The 30,305-acre fire destroyed 314 homes. Two years ago this past Sunday, the Santiago Fire ignited, eventually burning through 28,517 acres and destroying 14 homes.

Although the massively large Station Fire was fully contained last month, it still burns in the Angeles National Forest. That may be confusing, but we'll back up to the common definitions of containment and control, as given by officials in most fire updates to the public:

It appears that this afternoon's fast-moving fire in Diamond Bar was not caused intentionally, but by a pickup truck that had a small fire its bed. One story is that an burning debris was flying out of the bed of the truck, unbeknownst to the driver and passenger. Another is that a faulty cadyilac converter was sending sparks out from under the truck, according to KCAL-TV. Nevertheless, the truck and people inside have been detained by LA County Sheriff's Deputies.

A large fire this afternoon is burning right next to homes in Diamond Bar, about one-half mile from the 60 freeway, reports KABC-TV. It began around 11:45 a.m. Because there are several different start points, the word "arson" is being thrown around a lot, but not by officials. There are no evacuations at this point and no reports of damage or injuries. Update: The cause of the fires might be from a pickup truck. More info here.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting a 1-acre fire near the neighborhood of Tujunga in the Northeast Valley. First reported at 5:09 p.m. from the 6300 block of Day Street, the fire is burning in steep rugged terrain. Over the phone, LAFD Spokesman Brian Humphrey says the nearest home to flames is about one mile away, therefore no evacuations have been ordered.

Big, but not surprising news snuck out yesterday about the 250-square mile Station Fire. After a cold front and a few days of rain, containment finally reached 100 percent last Friday evening.

The man who is suspected of starting a small fire in the Angeles National Forest just six days before the 250-square mile Station Fire was arrested last week in Lancaster, according to the LA Times. 25-year-old Babatunsin Olukunle, a Nigerian national, was caught on August 20th tending a fire near Mile Mark 36. Six days later near Mile Mark 29, the Station Fire began. Officials determined the large blaze to be caused by arson, prompting a homicide investigation after two firefighters lost their lives. Olukunle was only wanted for questioning and has not been formally named a suspect yet. Earlier this Month: Transient Sought For Questioning in Earlier Fire 'Person of Interest' in Station Fire

The National Weather Service this morning issued a flash flood watch for several areas that have burned over the last year from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles. "A strong Pacific storm system moving into Central and Southern California will bring the threat of heavy rain," an alert stated. Up to four inches are expected in many areas.

To date the Sheep Fire has scorched 7,128 acres in San Bernadino County. Located near Lytle Creek and Wrightwood, the blaze broke out mid-afternoon last Saturday, and has eased towards containment through the week.

Officials continue to gain control of the Sheep Fire, burning near Wrightwood. The 7,128-acre blaze is currently 90 percent contained with full containment expected tomorrow by 6 p.m. On Wednesday, fire personnel began implementing rehab initiatives for short- and long-term repair of the forest and infrastructure. The fire began last Saturday afternoon and has damaged or destroyed a handful of homes, also leaving eight firefighters injured. At one point, the fire prompted 6,000 to 8,000 people to evacuate.

Considering yesterday's amazing progress on the Sheep Fire (a 32 to 75 percent containment jump), it's no surprise that firefighters made no progress over night on the blaze, which still stands at 7,128 acres in size.

Officials announced this evening that the Sheep Fire has been 75 percent contained, a major improvement from this morning when it was only listed at 32 percent containment. The size of the blaze is still listed at 7,128 acres.

The Forest Service lifted mandatory evacuations for the Wrightwood area at noon today. The Sheep Fire prompted around 6,000 to 8,000 people to evacuate the area near the San Bernardino National Forest on the San Gabriel Mountains.

Forest Service officials today lowered the estimated size of the Sheep Fire by about 700 acres to 7,128 acres. Spokesperson Norma Bailey said new GPS technology being deployed has been helping the estimates to be more accurate.

Forest Service officials announced tonight that containment of the Sheep Fire reached 30 percent as scorched acreage grew slightly to 7,824 acres.

As the Sheep Fire in San Bernardino County rages on, officials this afternoon announced that more homes have been lost or damaged, increasing the total to seven residential structures in the Wrightwood area. Mandatory evacuations for some 6,000 to 8,000 people are expected to be lifted by the end of the day.

The Sheep Fire began Saturday and quickly rolled through the western portion of the San Bernardino National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, prompting thousands to evacuate as it headed towards Wrightwood. Now 20 percent contained and 7,500 acres in size, firefighters say today's weather should be helpful.

The Sheep Fire broke out around 2:30 yesterday afternoon in the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Bernardino National Forest and continues to burn between Lytle Creek and Lone Pine Canyons. The blaze has now grown to 3,500 acres and is reported as being 10% contained, with about 1,000 personnel working to control the fire, according to InciWeb.

A fire that broke out near Vandenburg Air Force Base has burned through some 300 acres and was 50 percent contained this evening, according to the Associated Press. The Lompoc-area base, about 60 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, employs up to 10,000 people on any given day. 25 buildings with non-essential personnel were sent home early.

It took firefighters 59 minutes to knock down a small 5-acre fire in Griffith Park this afternoon. First reported near the golf course at 3:24 p.m. by park rangers, the blaze hardly had a chance to consume dry fuels. "There was not wind, so it really didn't do much," said Greg Acevedo, LAFD spokesman. No injuries or damage to structures were reported and a cause is still pending an investigation.

Fully contained yesterday, the Guiberson Fire burned through some 17,500 acres, injuring 10, destroying one outbuilding and costing nearly $10 million. On Sunday, the Advanced Land Imager on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite caught this false-color image of the fire area by using "shortwave infrared light to increase the contrast between burned and unburned land."

The Guiberson Fire, which began on the morning of September 22 and burned primarily in Moorpark and Fillmore, reached 100% containment yesterday, as the last of the assigned fire crews worked to completely surround and put out the flames, reports abc7.com.

Full containment of the month-long Station Fire remains just out of grasp, according to an update issued this morning. The massive wildfire continues to hover at 98% containment, however officials are not currently able to provide a specific date for 100%. This is because "a small portion of the containment line is completely inaccessible and cannot be reached by crews in a safe manner. This area of open line is located in the San Gabriel Wilderness near Twin Peaks and will be continuously monitored." Although the skies do not indicate that the area continues to burn, potential visitors to the Angeles National Forest are reminded that "travel and recreation within the fire perimeter is still extremely dangerous and not allowed," and multiple road closures remain in effect.

       

Although the Station Fire is still not fully contained--it's currently at 98 percent with 100 expected Saturday after burning through some 250 square miles--the process of rehabilitation has begun in parts of the Angeles National Forest where fire and come and gone.

The Guiberson Fire began Tuesday morning quickly moving from the Fillmore area in the Santa Clara River Valley over the Santa Susana Mountains towards Moorpark, prompting thousands of homes to be threatened and several evacuations.

The National Weather Service last night extended the Red Flag warning, due to expire last night, to Saturday evening for mountain areas of Los Angeles and Ventura counties. However, fire-weather related warnings for Valleys in both counties did expire last night. "While the offshore winds have weakened, the triple digit heat and single digit humidities continues across the valleys and mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties," a National Weather Service advisory said.

The Press-Enterprise is reporting a new fire, which was first discovered at 12:05 p.m. It has burned at least 10 acres, with the potential of growing to 300, in the Bear Creek area near the Cleveland National Forest, between Murrieta and Wildomar, south of the 15 Freeway.

Investigators have connected a series of arson fires to the teenager caught yesterday afternoon for allegedly starting the Crafton Fire, currently burning between Yucaipa and Mentone. The recent Pendleton and Oak Glen III fires are just two of the 14 he is suspected of starting.

Just one hour and one half into the Guiberson Fire on Tuesday, NASA's Terra satellite captured smoke billowing over the Santa Susana Mountains and into the Oxnard Plain toward the Pacific Ocean. Further west is Santa Cruz Island, the biggest Channel Island at the size of 96 square miles. The smoke cloud appears to be the same size.

That fire that began yesterday afternoon in Yucaipa apparently was arson and the arsonist has already been caught. A group of witnesses told police they saw a teenager flee on a bicycle near the fire's origin. The teen was soon found by Sheriff's deputies. The blaze began yesterday afternoon at 4:39 p.m. in the Crafton Hills area of Yucaipa and burned towards Mentone. It's currently 475 acres in size and 60 percent contained.