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Williams Fire: Blaze in Angeles National Forest Won't Be Contained Until Late Next Week
Plume of smoke from the Williams Fire as seen on Sunday, Sept. 2 from the Antelope Valley (Photo by Jim Staley via Flickr)
The Williams Fire, which has burned nearly 4,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest since it broke out Sunday, will not be fully contained until late next week, according to new estimates.
Due to the hot temperatures and the challenging, hilly terrain, firefighters now say the fire will likely not be completely surrounded until Thursday, September 13. Current containment is at 15 percent, up from a mere 5 per cent Monday night, according to City News Service.
"Good progress was made yesterday," notes Inciweb, adding:
Evacuations of Camp Williams and San Gabriel Canyon were completed, however, 25 people have elected to stay in place regardless of the evacuation order. Highway 39 remains closed. Resources include 4 Air Tanker, 10 Helicopters, 40 engines, 8 dozer, 24 hand crews and 5 water tenders.
The incident-tracking site also notes that the actual size of the fire has been revised to 3,600 acres burned so far, "due to more accurate mapping."
The fire is consuming medium to heavy chaparral and mixed conifers, which is fuel that has not burned in about 15 to 20 years, and the blaze is moving north.
There are an estimated 775 firefighters deployed to the effort to calm the blaze today. So far six firefighters have suffered minor injures, but all are reported as having been treated and returned to duty.
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The Williams Fire broke out in San Gabriel Canyon at about 2:15 p.m. on Sunday. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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