The fires above LA OT
Dan Vilter
The mountains that are burning in LA, that you may have heard about in the
news are in the Angelus National forest directly north of the performing
arts center and college where I work in Glendora. We have been in an
overcast of smoke for the past two days. Everything is covered in ash.
Every time I approach the theatre there is some awesome display of flames or
smoke columns dominating the view. On Monday afternoon we stood in the
parking lot watching 200 year old California oaks being consumed like
torches in just a few minutes. The ridge where the fire line was at that
time is about 2 miles as the crow files. From that perspective, the flames
were as tall as a kitchen match igniting at arms length. Truly humbling. It
was 108 degrees that day and the weather service said that the smoke clouds
over our inland valley insulated us from the predicted 110. In the evening
at sunset I was driving to through Glendora, San Dimas, and La Vern to get
to a rehearsal at a theatre in Clarermont. There was a solid wall of smoke
above the ridge for the 12 mile drive as the entire valley behind the ridge
was being consumed. At about 11:00 that night, driving home, there was not
a place on the mountain range that wasn't in flames. The entire northern sky
was as bright and orange as the western sky is just a few moments after
sunset. I noticed the large tanker helicopters buzzing back a forth from the
mountains to the direction of the airport and Puddingstone reservoir. They
were flying at night. It is very dangerous for them to be flying at night.
The only time I have heard of the flight crews working a fire at night is
when homes are in danger. I stopped in La Vern. I knew of a parking lot
behind a shopping center that have a very nice view of the mountains and
thought I could get a good perspective of the range and the fire from there.
As I pulled behind the buildings I meet hundreds of others that had similar
ideas, including the news trucks. I also noticed that there was about a half
dozen helicopters hovering about. I took me a few minutes, at about the time
they were flying away, to figure out that they were news helicopters that
had just finished there live reports for the 11:00 news. From here it was
clear, the entire range was in flames. This range defines the northern
boundary of the eastern LA basin. Just a few miles from some of the most
densely packed suburbs and busiest streets of the San Gabriel valley. These
are some of the most rugged mountains in the country. Directly in front of
me I watched as San Dimas canyon was consumed. Flames hundreds of feet high
racing up the canyon walls. Imagine a narrow canyon, 600 to 1000 feet high
filled half their height with what appeared to be solid flame. I couldn't
imagine how any of the homes or stables or camps in that canyon could still
be standing. This is where the reports say 44 "Cabins" were lost. These
cabins are the *homes* for many people. Including a family that was part of
our park day group about 5 years ago. I wondered if they had still lived
there. I'm thinking they sold the place about 3 years ago... The dive along
Foothill blvd. to the theatre on Tuesday evening saw dozens and dozens of
firefighting vehicles. And trucks full of fire fighters. Fresh clean faces
going up and tired dirty ones coming down. I Don't know how they do it. It
seems like such an impossible task. On Sunday just a few hours after the
fire broke out, I pulled to the side of the road as a forest service Truck,
a big semi was speeding by with it's lights and siren going. It was hauling
a huge, maybe 12 foot wide bulldozer towards the mountains. Not the usual
emergency vehicle needing the right of way. I've also seen LA county Sheriff
trucks screaming by towing large trailers, hauling evacuated horses from the
canyon stables.
Late yesterday afternoon we got word from the Azusa police that they are
preparing to use the college campus where work as an evacuation site if the
flames move any further west.
This morning, from our home, about seven miles from the flames, the sunlight
is dim and orange from the smoke and you cannot see the mountains at all.
For the past three weeks I have watched as the curve fire burned the south
side of the Angelus range above Azusa, recreation area for thousands of
Angelenos on any weekend. Now the front range from there east for 12 miles
is in flames. These are the mountains that are in my backyard. When I think
of the mountains, this is the area I think of. They are the mountains of my
youth. The deserted mountain roads I ride my bicycle on are now packed with
firefighting people and equipment. And both sides of the road are burned
down to ash. I objectively know that these flames are an integral part of
the ecosystem. Healthy wilderness needs fire to maintain balance but it is
*very tough* to watch. It is like watching past generations grow old and die
so the new generations can claim there lives and place in this world.
With a tear in my eye, the rebirth begins...
-Dan Vilter
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/25/national/main523221.shtml
http://www.msnbc.com/news/802175.asp?0si=-
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-wildfires0925sep2
5,0,6164139.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20020924_2327.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20020924-1313-wst-calwildfires.html
news are in the Angelus National forest directly north of the performing
arts center and college where I work in Glendora. We have been in an
overcast of smoke for the past two days. Everything is covered in ash.
Every time I approach the theatre there is some awesome display of flames or
smoke columns dominating the view. On Monday afternoon we stood in the
parking lot watching 200 year old California oaks being consumed like
torches in just a few minutes. The ridge where the fire line was at that
time is about 2 miles as the crow files. From that perspective, the flames
were as tall as a kitchen match igniting at arms length. Truly humbling. It
was 108 degrees that day and the weather service said that the smoke clouds
over our inland valley insulated us from the predicted 110. In the evening
at sunset I was driving to through Glendora, San Dimas, and La Vern to get
to a rehearsal at a theatre in Clarermont. There was a solid wall of smoke
above the ridge for the 12 mile drive as the entire valley behind the ridge
was being consumed. At about 11:00 that night, driving home, there was not
a place on the mountain range that wasn't in flames. The entire northern sky
was as bright and orange as the western sky is just a few moments after
sunset. I noticed the large tanker helicopters buzzing back a forth from the
mountains to the direction of the airport and Puddingstone reservoir. They
were flying at night. It is very dangerous for them to be flying at night.
The only time I have heard of the flight crews working a fire at night is
when homes are in danger. I stopped in La Vern. I knew of a parking lot
behind a shopping center that have a very nice view of the mountains and
thought I could get a good perspective of the range and the fire from there.
As I pulled behind the buildings I meet hundreds of others that had similar
ideas, including the news trucks. I also noticed that there was about a half
dozen helicopters hovering about. I took me a few minutes, at about the time
they were flying away, to figure out that they were news helicopters that
had just finished there live reports for the 11:00 news. From here it was
clear, the entire range was in flames. This range defines the northern
boundary of the eastern LA basin. Just a few miles from some of the most
densely packed suburbs and busiest streets of the San Gabriel valley. These
are some of the most rugged mountains in the country. Directly in front of
me I watched as San Dimas canyon was consumed. Flames hundreds of feet high
racing up the canyon walls. Imagine a narrow canyon, 600 to 1000 feet high
filled half their height with what appeared to be solid flame. I couldn't
imagine how any of the homes or stables or camps in that canyon could still
be standing. This is where the reports say 44 "Cabins" were lost. These
cabins are the *homes* for many people. Including a family that was part of
our park day group about 5 years ago. I wondered if they had still lived
there. I'm thinking they sold the place about 3 years ago... The dive along
Foothill blvd. to the theatre on Tuesday evening saw dozens and dozens of
firefighting vehicles. And trucks full of fire fighters. Fresh clean faces
going up and tired dirty ones coming down. I Don't know how they do it. It
seems like such an impossible task. On Sunday just a few hours after the
fire broke out, I pulled to the side of the road as a forest service Truck,
a big semi was speeding by with it's lights and siren going. It was hauling
a huge, maybe 12 foot wide bulldozer towards the mountains. Not the usual
emergency vehicle needing the right of way. I've also seen LA county Sheriff
trucks screaming by towing large trailers, hauling evacuated horses from the
canyon stables.
Late yesterday afternoon we got word from the Azusa police that they are
preparing to use the college campus where work as an evacuation site if the
flames move any further west.
This morning, from our home, about seven miles from the flames, the sunlight
is dim and orange from the smoke and you cannot see the mountains at all.
For the past three weeks I have watched as the curve fire burned the south
side of the Angelus range above Azusa, recreation area for thousands of
Angelenos on any weekend. Now the front range from there east for 12 miles
is in flames. These are the mountains that are in my backyard. When I think
of the mountains, this is the area I think of. They are the mountains of my
youth. The deserted mountain roads I ride my bicycle on are now packed with
firefighting people and equipment. And both sides of the road are burned
down to ash. I objectively know that these flames are an integral part of
the ecosystem. Healthy wilderness needs fire to maintain balance but it is
*very tough* to watch. It is like watching past generations grow old and die
so the new generations can claim there lives and place in this world.
With a tear in my eye, the rebirth begins...
-Dan Vilter
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/09/25/national/main523221.shtml
http://www.msnbc.com/news/802175.asp?0si=-
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-wildfires0925sep2
5,0,6164139.story?coll=sns-ap-nation-headlines
http://abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20020924_2327.html
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20020924-1313-wst-calwildfires.html
[email protected]
In a message dated 9/25/02 10:14:07 AM, dan@... writes:
<< Imagine a narrow canyon, 600 to 1000 feet high
filled half their height with what appeared to be solid flame. >>
wow
<< Imagine a narrow canyon, 600 to 1000 feet high
filled half their height with what appeared to be solid flame. >>
wow