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Niko Solorio, an artist who had lived in his friend's home on Stonyvale Road off and on for five years, prepares to videotape the ruins of the home after the Station fire swept through Big Tujunga Canyon in the Angeles National Forest (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)
Fire crews have contained the Station Fire to 87%, up 6 points since Friday evening and are optimistic the fire will be knocked down soon. However, officials have extended the expected containment date from tomorrow to Saturday. Acreage burned still stands at 160,557, or over 250 square miles.
Over 12,000 homes were threatened at the height of the blaze with over 50 destroyed, including some owned by firefighters. As for recreational uses--hiking, camping--no official list has been tabulated yet, but here's what we know via the Pasadena Star-News:
- The burn area includes 13 campgrounds and 11 picnic areas, but it their conditions are unknown at this point.
- The Switzer Picnic Area appears to be saved because trees are still standing. However, the area leading to there, some hiking trails and the immediate surroundings might not be.
- The Chilao Campground, Charlton Flat, and Devil's Canyon has some vegetation and trees left, "but the area has hardly been spared," says the paper.
- Although not open yet, popular hiking areas like Echo Mountain, Henninger Flats, Chantry Flats are okay, but remain off-limits at the moment.
- Futhermore, the whole forest is officially closed until Angeles National Forest authorities reopen it to the public.
- That said, the Forest Service does hope the reopening is within weeks, not months or years.
Right now the Burned Area Emergency Response Team (BAER Team) is assessing the aftermath, says Casey Schreiner at Modern Hiker. The team will look at the biological, archaeological and recreational, among other resources, that have been impacted. A report is expected soon. After that, LA County's Department of Public Works will look at the flood-control systems in the forest.
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I did the 3-mile hike/overnight camping at Bear Canyon on the Sunday before the fire started. I'm glad I got to see it so recently, as it's probably all gone now. Maybe some part of the Switzer area still exists, but I bet it's a much less beautiful hike these days.