Results tagged “lacanadaflintridge”

A short burst of rain last night--two inches in 5 minutes around 11 p.m.--caused a mudslide to enter into a La Canada Flintridge neighborhood, damaging six homes and some vehicles. No one was hurt, but it did demonstrate to everyone that when the rain comes, evacuations might be a good idea.

The truck driver who killed two people and injured twelve when his vehicle careened into a La Canada Flintridge intersection was spared the possibility of murder charges today. A Pasadena Superior Court judge said there was insufficient evidence that Marcos Barbosa Costa, 44, had intent to kill people, according to the Daily News. However, he will still face vehicular manslaughter and reckless driving charges.

The aftermath of the Station Fire means picking up the pieces for those who live in communities tucked into the foothills, like La Cañada-Flintridge and La Crescenta. What lies ahead, however, is the one-two punch of Mother Nature, as heavy rains will likely trigger mudslides and debris flow down the slopes of the recently-scorched hillsides.

The Station Fire had its way with La Cañada-Flintridge just last week, but fires still happen when people are careless. Actually, in the case of a house fire yesterday in the area, it wasn't a human who made the flub, it was the dog. A "hyperactive dog" knocked over a candle, which set the furniture ablaze, followed by the entire house, reports the Pasadena Star-News. The house is considered a "total loss," and "damage to the home on the 1000 block of Lavender Drive is estimated at $575,000." The two adults and one child managed to escape the house once the flames grew; no word on what became--or will become--of the family's pyromaniac pooch.

The Station Fire seems to be holding steady, and while the news is good to some degree, the big picture tells another story. As of last report, the "overnight containment of the 154,000-acre blaze [...] rose to 49% as temperatures dropped and humidity" increased according to LA Now. Along with the increase in acreage comes an increase in cost; the largest wildfire in LA County's modern history "has cost more than $37 million to fight, and officials are still assessing the toll to property, wildlife and forest facilities."

This afternoon the monstrous Station Fire continued its slowed-burn of the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains, moving east towards communities to the north of Pasadena, as predicted earlier today.

[Update, 4:55 p.m.: All Station Fire mandatory evacuations have been lifted in La Cañada Flintridge and La Crescenta except one area, says Bruce Quintelier of the Forest Service. The area still under an evacuation order is north of Markridge between Pennsylvania and Lowell with a voluntary evacuation from Santa Carlotta to Markridge between Pennsylvania and Lowell. See a map below]

This afternoon there are several new areas in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains that are under mandatory evacuation orders due to the Station Fire. While authorities cannot force people to leave their homes in these areas, heeding orders is seriously urged; this afternoon 5 people who opted not to leave Gold Canyon under orders two days ago are now in a situation too dangerous to allow a helicopter rescue.

As the the Station Fire grows, the latest official tally boosts acres burned to over 100,000 with 5 percent containment, according to KNX1070, which also reports that three people who ignored evacuations orders are trapped near Gold Creek.

Evacuation orders still hold in La Cañada Flintridge for the following areas, per InciWeb:

all streets east of Ocean View Blvd. and north of Los Amigos St. In addition, all streets north of Jessen Drive and Palm Drive have been evacuated as well. There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets located west of Briggs Ave. and east of Pennsylvania Ave., in between Harmony Pl. and the foothills. There has been a mandatory evacuation of all streets north of Rockdell St. between Briggs Av. And Pine Glenn Rd.

       

These numbers are expected to change significantly by morning, but the Station Fire stands at 42,500 acres with 5 percent containment, according to officials. 2,575 personnel have responded, leaving four injured and two dead. 18 homes have been lost.

The Station Fire continues to hold the San Gabriel Mountains under siege as the northeastern flank of the 35,000+ acre blaze rages in the Acton area, continues to burn out of control with dangerous hotspots near homes in neighborhoods of La Crescenta, and could pose a threat to Mount Wilson (where 22 broacast stations have communication towers). The fire remains at around the 5% containment level. Here are some updates and information at this hour:

"The City of La Canada Flintridge advises that evacuation orders were lifted at noon for most of the evacuated area in the Station Fire area, including the area from Arroyo Seco on the east to Angeles Crest Highway, and then continuing west to Palm Drive. Evacuation orders are still in effect for the portion of La Canada Flintridge west of Palm Drive and north of Olive Lane," reports KTLA. The threat of the fire seems to have subsided from several portions of the area, although the fire has not grown smaller, but rather moved to the northwest, and is now burning within 3 miles of Acton.

Evacuation centers have been opened in two more schools to shelter residents who are being asked to leave their homes in the Antelope Valley due to the Station Fire. In addition to the first evacuation center opened in the region at Highland High School in Palmdale, shelters are now accepting evacuees at Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita and Verdugo Hills High School in Tujunga. The Glendale Unified School District announced early this morning they were canceling all classes on what would have been the first day of the school year; the GUSD is housing one evacuation center at Crescenta Valley High in La Crescenta. The La Cañada Unified School District, which is housing an evacuation center at La Cañada High, is expected to announce later today if they, too, will close tomorrow and postpone their first day of school.

In just a few short hours since dawn, the Station Fire is now reportedly burning over 35,000 acres, and has spawned a new set of evacuations. Deputies are now ordering out residents of "Crown Valley, Soledad Canyon and Aliso Canyon as the fire [has] moved northwest along the Angeles Forest Highway," reports the Pasadena Star-News.

The Station Fire, which began on Thursday in the Angeles National Forest, made short work of tearing through the hilly acreage of the San Gabriel foothills that haven't burned in decades. Now estimated at over 20,000 acres in size, the fire is moving northward currently, and is expected to pose a threat to the community of Acton, according to an abc7 live newscast.

The following evacuation orders are currently in place in the Glendale-La Crescenta-La Cañada-Altadena areas due to the Station Fire, according to InciWeb:
• Mandatory evacuations in the City of Glendale north of Santa Carlotta St between Lowell and Pennsylvania. A new evacuation center is located at the Civic Auditorium at 1401 N. Verdugo Rd., Glendale, CA 91208.
• Mandatory evacuations in Big Tujunga Canyon between County Camp #15 and the Ranger Station as well as Camp Colby which is located at 23828 Angeles Crest Highway.
• Mandatory evacuations include east of Ocean View Blvd, north to High Rim Rd and south to Fairhurst Drive.

The Station Fire continues to rage under the blazing sun and on tough terrain. Evacuations of Big Tujunga Canyon have been ordered for the "Western portion of the fire just north of Mt Luken" according to the CalFireNews Twitter feed. Currently the following areas are also under mandatory evacuation notice, per KNX1070:

Evening Canyon Dr., Bay Tree Rd., Briartree Dr., Summit Crest Dr., Bramblewood Rd., Alder Ridge Dr., Catherwood Drive., Greenridge Dr., Forest Green Dr. Ridge Court, and Starlight Crest Drive.

Continue reading "Evacuation of Big Tujunga Canyon Ordered Due to Station Fire*"

       

Blogger Dave Bullock went on an impromptu photo shoot last night, first heading to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), then up the hills of La Cañada towards the Station Fire that continues to burn today with essentially no containment. He shared with us these images from the scene. The Station Fire is expected to remain burning through the week, as hundreds of firefighters work on rugged terrain that has not burned in decades.

Burning over challenging terrain that has not been scorched in decades, the Station Fire in La Cañada Flintridge grew wildly overnight, and has prompted a more extensive set of evacuations. The Pasadena Star-News reports:

More mandatory evacuations were ordered early Saturday morning for Gould Mesa Motorway, North Starlight Crest Drive, Ridge Court and Greenridge Drive, effective immediately, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

The four major fires burning in the greater Los Angeles region were especially worrisome last night, but as of 10:30 p.m., things seem to be subsiding for the most part. Here are the updates for each of the blazes from fire information officers.

Angeles National Forest officials are reporting this afternoon that the Station Fire is also crawling eastward from La Canada Flintridge towards north of Altadena in addition to its west- and northwardly directions. Areas such as Big Tujunga Canyon, Brown Canyon and Brown Mountain are affected. No evacuations of any kind have been ordered for Altadena, but authorities say it's a good idea to prepare and keep alert.

                     

Since this morning, not much has changed with the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest north of La Canada Flintridge, according to U.S. Forest Service officials. The fire is burning in two different directions with smoke traveling northeast, which is one direction the blaze is taking. But most concerns are focused on the portion moving southwest towards homes, 873 of which that are evacuated last night.

Four major fires have consumed around 4,600 acres across the greater Los Angeles region this past week. Here's the latest, as of 9:30 a.m., according to fire information officers for each of the blazes. Palos Verdes Fire The fire that began around 8 p.m. last night has only consumed 100 acres in a residential area prompting the evacuation of around 1,200 to 1,500 people.

       

As the evening began to settle in, the Station Fire changed directions and began to head towards La Canada Flintridge. By 11 p.m., 500 homes were under orders to leave their homes, sending hundreds of residents to an evacuation center. The nighttime photos were taken around the same time from the 2 Freeway and surrounding side streets in the neighborhood as flames grew near homes.

The Station Fire in the National Angeles Forest has prompted the evacuation of 500 homes, Forest Service officials said tonight. Affected residences include those north of Vista del Valle Road and East of La Canada Blvd. (map), said fire spokesperson Rachel Mailo. The evacuation area is also extending into the La Canada Country Club area (map).

The 350-acre Station Fire shifted directions this evening back down the hill towards the Angeles Crest Fire Station and La Cañada Flintridge, according to Forest Service officials. "They're going to try to squash that as quickly as possible," said Rachel Mailo, a Fire Information Officer with the Angeles National Forest, over the phone. The LA Times notes that If it does reach the station, residential neighborhoods are about one mile further.

With temperatures expected to rise to triple digits today, the Morris Fire north of Azusa has burned through three square miles of the Angeles National Forest and is now 45 percent contained, according to authorities this morning. The fire began Tuesday afternoon and quickly spread into dry brush of San Gabriel Canyon and sending smoke into the Los Angeles basin that may stick around until Sunday.

Work to restore truck arresters to their original function after a deadly crash last month began today, announced Caltrans. On April 1st, a truck barreled down Angeles Crest Highway (SR-2) through a red light in La Canada Flintridge, crashing into several cars, injuring 12 and leaving a father and daughter dead. "This project will restore the truck arresters to their original function and enhance safety on SR-2," the state agency said in a news release. "The arresters, located in the median, are designed to enable vehicles experiencing braking problems on the highway’s 7 percent grade to slow and stop." Prior to the April crash, the community had been advocating for safety improvements after a similar incident last year that destroyed seven cars and injured one person. The project should be completed in June; crews will work weekdays between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. One lane in each direction of the four-lane highway will be closed during construction.

A truck coming down from the San Bernardino Mountains on the Angeles Crest Highway last night during rush hour barreled down the road, missing a sharp turn onto a local street, crashing through an intersection striking several cars, killing a father and his daughter and injuring 12 others--three of which who are listed in critical condition--before slamming into a bookstore.