|
By Catherine Elsworth in Los Angeles
Last Updated: 8:47AM BST 15 Oct 2008
In two days, major fires have burned about 40 square miles of the parched, drought-stricken region, destroying dozens of homes and forcing thousands of people to flee. One homeless man died in the fires while a motorist suffered fatal injuries after crashing in thick smoke.
But although fire crews made gains on Tuesday after winds slackened, forecasters warned there could still be gusts and that temperatures were set to rise on Wednesday with no sign of rain.
Since Sunday, twin blazes burning near the northerly Los Angeles suburbs of Porter Ranch and San Fernando have scorched over 15,000 acres.
At least 4,000 were forced to evacuate the area and on Tuesday, fire crews staged frantic efforts to prevent wind-whipped flames from torching residential areas abutting arid forest and brush land. Images from NASA satellites showed smoke from the fires streaming out towards the Pacific.
By Tuesday night, the blaze near Porter Ranch had almost doubled in size and was inching west towards residential communities in Simi Valley after destroying 15 homes and 47 other buildings.
Firefighters stood guard, hosing down threatened properties as helicopters waged an aerial assault, dumping water on the flames.
Crews battling the blaze near San Fernando meanwhile managed to bring it largely under control but not before the flames burned 5,000 acres and destroyed 38 mobile homes.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in the region and visited evacuated residents taking refuge in shelters.
Other fires have broken out near the US Marine Corps base Camp Pendleton near San Diego and in eastern San Diego County along the US-Mexico border over the past few days. Altogether the blazes have burned over 26,000 acres and destroyed 64 buildings and structures, the governor said.
The fires are fanned by fierce seasonal winds known at the Santa Anas, dry blasts that sweep in from the desert and can spell disaster for vulnerable communities at this time of year. The first winds of the season were felt at the weekend with gusts of up to 70 mph.
"We're not out of the woods yet, we still have a lot to worry about in terms of winds," said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
"We are prepared for whatever Mother Nature throws at us," said Brian Humphrey, of the Los Angeles Fire Department. "It depends on the winds. In this situation, wind is king. The winds could even be benevolent."
The blazes near San Diego were both close to being brought under control as investigations into the causes of all the fires continued.
The latest wildfires come a year after a devastating series of blazes in southern California that left at least eight people dead, destroyed 2,000 homes and caused over one billion dollars in damage |
|
With the two wildfires still burning in the San Fernando Valley, here's the latest traffic information from the office of Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. The press release went out within the hour:
MAYOR ANTONIO R. VILLARAIGOSA
City of Los Angeles
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 14, 2008, 2:49 PM
FIRE UPDATE - TRAFFIC INFORMATION, EVACUATION CENTERS, SHELTERS, ANIMAL SHELTERS AND SCHOOL INFORMATION
LOS ANGELES - Below is an overview of information regarding road closures and traffic resulting from the Sesnon Fire in Porter Ranch, as well as locations for evacuation centers, shelters and animal shelters throughout the area.
Automated, pre-recorded information line on evacuations, road closures and shelters: (800) 439-2909.
Traffic Information
According to the LA Department of Transportation and the California Highway Patrol, the following streets and freeways are closed until further notice:
? Sesnon Bl closed west of Balboa and in both directions between
Porter Ranch Dr. and Tampa Avenue
? Jollete St and Neon PL are streets are closed at Sesnon
The following streets are closed to northbound traffic at Rinaldi
Street:
? Mason Av, Porter Ranch Dr., Corbin Av, Reseda Bl, Tampa Av,
Wilbur Av, Zelzah Av. (South bound lanes are open as evacuation routes).
? The 5 and 14 Freeway off ramps to Balboa are closed
Foothill Boulevard between Osborne Street and 210 Freeway is closed in both directions.
MTA - Public Transportation Service
The Ventura and Palmdale Metrolinks are operating normally.
Metro Bus service is continuing in northeast San Fernando Valley despite fires in the Sesnon/Oat Mountain/Porter Ranch areas near Chatsworth. Three bus lines are running slightly shortened routes. With the Marek blaze near Lake View Terrace 70% contained, formerly shortened Metro Bus Lines 168 and 761 have returned to regular routes and service.
Metro Bus lines with slightly shortened routes are lines 290, 233 and
243 (route 242).
Metro Bus line 290 is running regular service except on Foothill Boulevard between Wentworth and Osborne streets, where there is no service.
Metro Bus lines 233 have discontinued regular service north of Glenoaks.
Metro Bus line 243 (route 242) has discontinued service north of Devonshire Boulevard.
Commuters should expect delays.
Up-to-date transportation information is available from Metro at its toll-free number 1-800-COMMUTE.
Los Angeles School District Information
The following schools have been closed:
Van Gogh Elementary School
17160 Van Gogh St
Granada Hills, CA 91344
Office - 818-360-2141
Robert Frost Middle School
12314 Bradford Place
Granada Hills, CA 91344
Office - 818-832-6900
El Oro Way Elementary School
12230 El Oro Way
Granaga Hills, CA 91344
Office - 818-360-2288
Castle Bay Lane
19010 Castlebay Lane,
Northridge, CA 91326
Office - 818-360-1908
For information, call the LAUSD information line at 213-241-4500, tune in to the District’s television station, KLCS-TV, or click on www.lausd.net.
Evacuations
As of 3:00 PM, Monday, October 13, 2008, the following neighborhoods have been ordered to evacuate: Box Canyon; Bell Canyon; Woolsey Canyon; Lake Manor; Dayton Canyon; Brown Canyon; and Twin Lakes.
A voluntary evacuation order has been issued for the area of the City west of Valley Circle Boulevard and north of Bell Canyon. In addition, horse evacuations are recommended for households in Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills and Bell Canyon.
Shelters
The following locations are serving as overnight shelters:
Shepherd of the Hills Church
19700 Rinaldi Street
Porter Ranch, CA 91326
(818) 831-9333
San Fernando High School
11133 O’Melveny Avenue
San Fernando, CA 91340
(818) 898-7600
Canoga Park High School
6580 Topanga Canyon Boulevard
Canoga Park, CA 91303
(818) 673-1300
Palisades High School - on standby
15777 Bowdoin St.
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 230-6623
Animal Shelters
Large Animals/Horses
Ventura County Fairgrounds
10 West Harbor Boulevard
Ventura, CA 91301
Pierce College - Equestrian Center - LIMITED CAPACITY
6201 Winnetka Avenue
Woodland Hills, CA 91371
(818) 719-6401
Enter campus on El Rancho Road off of De Soto Avenue just south of Victory Boulevard.
Hansen Dam Equestrian Center - LIMITED CAPACITY
11127 Orcas Road
Lake View Terrace, CA 91342
(818) 896-6514
Peter Pitchess Honor Farm
2933 Old Road
Castaic, CA 91384
Contact before transport: County Castaic Animal Shelter (661) 257-3191
Small Animals
Shepherd of the Hills Church
19700 Rinaldi Street
Porter Ranch, CA 91326
West Valley Animal Shelter
20655 Plummer Street
Chatsworth, CA 91311
Mission Animal Shelter
15321 Brand Avenue
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Red Flag Restrictions
A red flag condition has been issued for the City of Los Angeles and will be in effect until Tuesday, October 14, 2008, at 8:00 PM or until further notice.
Air Quality Advisory
The Los County Department of Public Health has issued an air quality advisory for the San Fernando Valley, San Gabriel Mountains, the South Bay-Long Beach area, and the Santa Monica-Malibu area. |
|
A massive wildfire was burning just north of Los Angeles Monday morning, tearing through mobile homes and industrial buildings and closing down a major freeway during rush hour.
Located about 30 kilometres north of downtown Los Angeles, the fire grew into a 1,200-hectare blaze after heavy winds blew into southern California Monday morning.
"This is what we feared the most," said Los Angeles County fire Capt. Mark Savage. "The winds that were expected, they have arrived."
Though the fire began Sunday, it had settled into a smoulder by evening after about 1,200 people were evacuated from their homes. Fire officials warned, however, that the fire could grow into a "sleeping giant" by Monday morning with gusts forecasted to reach up to 95 km/h.
Renewed by the fierce winds, the blaze jumped a fireline near the Lopez Canyon in the eastern San Fernando Valley early Monday and spread towards the Foothill Freeway. A nearly five-kilometre stretch of road was closed in both directions during rush hour, highway officials said.
Meanwhile, no serious injuries have been reported since the fire ripped across a mobile home park and industrial area. While it was not immediately clear how many buildings were burnt, the fire was reportedly 20 per cent contained.
Strong autumn Santa Ana winds usually mark the beginning of fire season in the region. At least 930 hectares of the Angeles National Forest have already been scorched.
"It jumped the ridge and came down like a madman," said Barry Demeter, who told KABC-TV on Sunday that his home had burned as he led his horses away. "I left when the embers were falling around the house." |
|
