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Crews working the Station Fire consider backfires and other strategies
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Crews working the Station Fire consider backfires and other strategies
Cal Fire Captain Craig Waag spoke with KPCC's Debra Baer about firefighting strategy as homeowners nervously watched flames on the canyon hillside from their front yards.
Captain Craig Waag: What you're looking at is the main fire that is burning on the ridge tops. And due to the terrain being so steep, the hot burning material will break off and roll down those steep slopes and ignite the material below. And then the fire will make a run back up and that's the flare ups that they're seeing come down off the hillside. Strategy is they're gonna get in, assess, see if there's areas that they can start a backfire behind the structures in this area, taking into account the terrain and the weather, make sure everything favorable.
Debra Baer: Why is this community under mandatory evacuation?
Waag: Due to the terrain, the steepness of the terrain, that hot rolling material could come down and possibly ignite the fuel right behind their houses. And also, too, is by them being evacuated it makes it easier for the fire equipment to come in and do their job.
Baer: I see. And you're more hopeful today than you were yesterday?
Waag: Yes. Right now it's just slowly burning back down and it's all within our control unless weather changes, unless we get strong winds or something.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
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