Results tagged “forestservice”

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.

The Station Fire began four weeks ago today on August 26th. Back then, the already-burning Morris Fire was dominating concern from authorities, but then the Station Fire took a turn for the worst, eventually burning through 250 square miles of the Angeles National Forest and becoming the biggest fire in Los Angeles County history (and in the top ten for the state).

Fire-friendly weather has pushed back containment of the nearly month-old Station Fire to Thursday, according to Forest Service authorities today. The blaze, which has burned through some 250 square miles, is still 94 percent contained. Aerial operations will continue in an effort to knockdown remaining interior hotspots and to reduce the risk of embers igniting additional fuels during today's hot, dry and windy weather. "These hotspots are located in steep and rugged terrain, which is inaccessible by ground crews," explained an Angeles National Forest fire operations summary.

Hot spots and little areas of the Station Fire are all that remain for firefighters, say Angeles National Forest officials today. Crew are mopping up those spots and other smoldering areas that need attending to while other personnel are patrolling for unknown areas of danger. "We're making sure that everything that was burning is out now," said Tom Debellis, a Forest Service fire information officer, over the phone.

We've seen, smelt and been saddened by the destruction of the deadly Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest. Containment is expected next week and soon after a new phase will be entered into: rebirth. "After we get in there and assess what damages need to be repaired, there will be opportunity for volunteers to help the Forest Service repair some of this stuff," explained Howard Okamoto, the Recreation Officer for the Los Angeles River Ranger District, which was the area most affected by the blaze. He said activities will likely include tree plantings and trail work, but once a list of needs is developed, more projects opportunities will be announced. In the meantime, those interested in volunteering should contact Okamoto to be placed on a list to be notified when projects are ready to go. He can be reached at 818-899-1900 x229 or better yet by e-mail at hokamoto [at] fs.fed.us.

Photo by Dogboy

Los Angeles Times's staffer David Pierson reports that county officials closed 80% of the Angeles National Forest on Sunday, forcing canyon residents to evacuate: