Burned area 160,577 acres (650 km) Fatalities 2 firefighters | Cause Arson | |
 | ||
Location Angeles National Forest, Flintridge, California Date(s) February 8, 2009 (2009-26-08) – October 16, 2009 (2009-10-16) Buildings
destroyed 89 residences
120 other structures | ||
station fire brush fire compilation la county august 28 30 2009
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. 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. 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. Many of these areas faced mandatory evacuations as the flames drew near, but as of September 6, all evacuation orders were lifted. 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. 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.
Contents
- station fire brush fire compilation la county august 28 30 2009
- station fire an alan simmons firestorm hd production
- Cause
- References
station fire an alan simmons firestorm hd production
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. The two firefighters, assigned to a fire inmate hand crew camp (jointly operated by the Los Angeles County Fire Department and California Department of Corrections), had been searching for a safe escape zone to help evacuate the camp's inmate crews who were being forced to evacuate due to the Station Fire threatening the camp. As of September 15, $93.8 million (US) had been spent fighting the fire at 91% contained with full containment by September 19. 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. At 160,557 acres (649.75 km2), the Station Fire is the 10th largest in modern California history, 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.
