Where To Look For The Latest Information
- Angeles National Forest (Twitter)
- East Fire incident page (Cal Fire)
Firefighters have made significant progress on a fire burning in the Angeles National Forest since Thursday afternoon. By Sunday evening, the East Fire was 93% contained and had not grown larger than the 150 acres reported Friday morning.
#EastFire closures:
— Angeles National Forest (@Angeles_NF) August 28, 2022
•East Fork Rd from Hwy 39 to Glendora Mtn Rd
•Glendora Mtn Rd from Glendora, CA, to the East Fork
•Glendora Ridge Rd from Mt. Baldy to Glendora Mtn Rdhttps://t.co/TIlVPRPslM
San Gabriel Canyon closed in East Fork Day Use/East Fork Trail areas + OHV. pic.twitter.com/jLRdR2F6qE
"An afternoon aerial reconnaissance flight shows firefighters making great progress in difficult terrain and hot dry weather," Angeles Forest officials tweeted late Friday. "The cause of the fire remains under investigation."
Plumes of smoke had been visible from major freeways during the Tfirst hours of the fire on Thursday but by the next day authorities said "very little smoke is coming from the fire."
The area burning is in the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument section of the forest.
There are no evacuations or structures threatened. The fire is burning towards a wilderness area at this time.
Background
The fire was first reported at 1:39 p.m. Thursday, originating at East Fork Road and Shoemaker Road at San Gabriel Canyon.
- 159 firefighters from the Angeles National Forest were working on the fire as of late Sunday, down from 270 the day before.
Closures
County road closures in the area:
- Glendora Mountain Road from Glendora, CA to the East Fork
- Glendora Ridge Road from Mt. Baldy to Glendora Mountain Road
- East Fork Road from Highway 39 to Glendora Mountain Road
- The San Gabriel OHV Area will be closed this weekend due to fire operations nearby
Here's an earlier view of the fire.
#BrushFire The #EastFire is estimated at 5-7 acres in size. It is visible from I-210 and I-605. More firefighters and equipment are on the way. pic.twitter.com/1qS9JKrJgz
— Angeles National Forest (@Angeles_NF) August 25, 2022
The Context
California’s wildfires have gotten increasingly destructive and deadly. Some important context to keep in mind from our larger explainer on wildfires:
Temperatures have gotten hotter and our landscapes have gotten drier, which makes them more susceptible to burning throughout more of the year. On top of that, extreme drought, of which climate change is a contributing factor, leads to plant stress and massive tree die off. Those dead trees become added fuel for fires.
Read more: LA Explained: Wildfires Are Getting Worse. What You Need To Know
How We're Reporting On This
Reporter Julia Paskin has been monitoring the fire.
Fire Tips And Explainers
LAist: Tips and Explainers
- Listen to The Big Burn, our podcast that will get you motivated to get ready
- Wildfires are getting worse. What you need to know
- Understanding climate change may help you feel less helpless
- Every day is now fire season. Let's get you ready for the next wildfire burning near you
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- How to keep yourself safe from wildfire smoke
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- What does 'containment' of a fire mean, exactly
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- What to do — and not do — when you get home after a wildfire
- If you want to help fire victims, resist the urge to volunteer
