Station Fire (2009)

Station Fire
Pyrocumulus cloud from the Station Fire, seen from North Hollywood
Location	Angeles National Forest, Flintridge, California
Coordinates	34°15′04″N 118°11′42″W / 34.251°N 118.195°W / 34.251; -118.195Coordinates: 34°15′04″N 118°11′42″W / 34.251°N 118.195°W / 34.251; -118.195
Statistics[1][2]
Date(s)	August 26, 2009 (2009-08-26) – October 16, 2009 (2009-10-16)
Burned area	160,577 acres (650 km2)
Cause	Arson
Buildings destroyed	89 residences 120 other structures
Fatalities	2 firefighters
Map

The Station Fire started in the Angeles National Forest near the U.S. Forest Service ranger station on the Angeles Crest Highway on August 26, 2009.^[3][4] Two firefighters, Captain Tedmund Hall and Firefighter Specialist Arnie Quinones, were killed on August 30 when their fire truck plunged off a cliff as they tried to set backfires to slow the blaze.^[5] The blaze threatened 12,000 structures in the National Forest and the nearby communities of La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, Glendale, Acton, La Crescenta, Littlerock and Altadena, as well as the Sunland and Tujunga neighborhoods of the City of Los Angeles.^[6] Many of these areas faced mandatory evacuations as the flames drew near, but as of September 6, all evacuation orders were lifted.^[7] The Station Fire burned on the slopes of Mount Wilson, threatening numerous television, radio and cellular telephone antennas on the summit, as well as the Mount Wilson Observatory, which includes several historically significant telescopes and multimillion-dollar astronomical facilities operated by UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley and Georgia State University.^[8] A 40-mile (64-kilometer) stretch of the Angeles Crest Highway was closed until 2010 due to guardrail and sign damage, although the pavement remained largely intact.^[9]

Cause

On September 3, officials announced that the Station Fire was caused by arson and that a homicide investigation had been initiated because of the deaths of the firefighters involved. Investigators discovered a substance at the fire's point of origin which they believe may have accelerated the flames.^[10] The two firefighters, supervisors of inmate fire crews (jointly operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Department of Corrections^[11]), had been conducting ignition operations in order to protect personnel and Mt Gleason Camp 16 from the advancing fire front.^[12] As of September 15, $93.8 million (US) had been spent fighting the fire at 91% contained with full containment by September 19.^[13] It was 100% contained at 7:00 pm PST on Friday, October 16, 2009, due to moderate rainfall. Property owners and concerned citizens are demanding a formal Congressional investigation as to why the U.S. Forest Service did not contain the fire within the first 48 hours when it was manageable. To date there has been no rigorous casual evidence broght forth, showing a breech of duty by Fire Managment Officials. At 160,557 acres (649.75 km²), the Station Fire is the 10th largest in modern California history,^[4][14] and the largest wildfire in the modern history of Los Angeles County, passing the 105,000-acre (164 sq mi; 425 km²) Clampitt Fire of September 1970.

Gallery

• 
  The Station Fire burning as seen from Arcadia, California.
• 
  Progression of the Station Fire through September 4, 2009. Note the huge expansion on August 29. Map courtesy of the United States Forest Service.
• 
  This near infra-red image shows the extent of the burned area from the Station Fire.
• 
  Smoke from fires as seen from the desert to the north.

References