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Morning Briefing: Bobcat Fire Spreads Rapidly
A home burns as the sun sets behind smoke and flames during the Bobcat Fire on September 18 in Juniper Hills. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
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Good morning, L.A.
The weekend brought more flames and smoke as the Bobcat fire spread to nearly 100,000 acres, driven by gusts of wind up to 44 miles per hour.
"The fire behavior that we're getting in this fire and throughout the state of California is unprecedented,” said L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby at a news conference Saturday night. “It's very important that when your local law enforcement comes through, or your local firefighters come through, please make sure that you evacuate."
New mandatory evacuations were ordered, including for folks living in the foothills north of the blaze. There was some good news too, though – residents of evacuated areas in Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Monrovia, Duarte and Bradbury were able to return home.
Keep reading for more on what’s happening in L.A. today, and stay safe out there.
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Coming Up Today, September 21
There are 12 statewide ballot propositions in the November election — and some of them could have huge consequences. Brianna Lee has your guide.
Cal State is expected to announce its new chancellor to replace retiring Timothy White on Wednesday. Adolfo Guzman-Lopez will preview the meeting.
Julia Paskin has the story of Southern California’s last pack station, which uses donkeys to haul supplies for cabin owners in the hard-to-reach area of Big Santa Anita Canyon.
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The Past 24 Hours In LA
Wildfires: The Bobcat fire has burned 99,428 acres in the Angeles National Forest and is at 15% containment. The El Dorado fire has burned 22,489 acres in the San Bernardino Forest and is at 59% containment.
Coronavirus Updates: L.A. County public health officials on Sunday confirmed 991 new cases of the coronavirus and 23 new deaths attributed to the disease, bringing the total in the county to 260,797 positive cases and 6,353 deaths.
Photo Of The Day
Friends, family and community members arrive to celebrate Mary Louise Sayles' 100th birthday in Compton, where Sayles has been a resident since 1951, working as a cosmetologist.
(Photo by Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
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This post has been updated to reflect changes in what's coming up for today.
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One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
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