The Station Fire Thread

harper · Post by **harper** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 10:05 pm

Layne Cantrell wrote:
cougarmagic wrote: :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D

You'n me both, man.

me third

harper

Post by **Taco** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:23 pm

Nothing wrong with Ilyushin.

The IL-76 is used to resupply folks on the polar caps.

Dunno about the video, just felt like supporting Slavic aircraft companies.

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Sun Sep 06, 2009 11:52 pm

TacoDelRio wrote:Nothing wrong with Ilyushin.

The IL-76 is used to resupply folks on the polar caps.

Dunno about the video, just felt like supporting Slavic aircraft companies.

Someone's got to. Errr..aside from Slavs, that is.

kgw · Post by **kgw** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:32 am

One of these with a good pilot is not a good thing to see on your six:

Notice this is a Luftwaffe MiG 29...

Sewellymon · Post by **Sewellymon** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:00 am

GeoMac map shows latest burning on north side of ACH/ 2 between 3 Points and Cloudburst summit (heading down towards the desert) and ALL of Mt. Waterman, including the NE side which contains our beloved trail. Eastern edge of the fire at or near Kratka Ridge.

Map shows no fire in southern San Gab wilderness....(i.e. Cogswell, W Fork River and points north

EDIT- -latest ANF Twitter says "Crews focusing today on area above Chantry Flats, towards Cogswell Res.", so must be hot spots or more still on southern edge...

Sewellymon · Post by **Sewellymon** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:10 am

GeoMac map shows latest burning on north side of ACH/ 2 between 3 Points and Cloudburst summit (heading down towards the desert) and ALL of Mt. Waterman, including the NE side which contains our beloved trail. Eastern edge of the fire at or near Kratka Ridge.

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 12:23 pm

Just looked at the tower cam:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop 12:00pm

Things are not looking good for Mt Hillyer area. It looks like the fire has "erupted" again in that area.

Hopefully the Forest Service Station has not burned.

This is sooo nauseating seeing this happen in virtual reality.

I'm not sure how I'll handle the "real" reality of this in person.

Sewellymon · Post by **Sewellymon** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:16 pm

from ANF Twitter minutes ago:

"Fire has become very active in the area northeast of Chilao near Squaw Cyn. Air tankers are making frequent drops on the flare up"

and...

"DC-10 being deployed to support FF's near Sulfur Spgs and Squaw Canyon"

Jim · Post by **Jim** » Mon Sep 07, 2009 3:54 pm

Taken from ACH between La Canada and Mount Wilson by observatory staff. Their comments below.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Images from the Angeles Crest

These photographs were taken by Susan McAlister as we drove back up from a grocery run to La Canada on Sunday afternoon, 6 Sep 2009. We estimate that about 85% of the forest that one can see from the highway has been destroyed. There are reassuring stands here and there where fire fickleness spared chaparral and trees, but the rest has been decimated.

The photos speak for themselves, so I'm not adding captions.

LINK: http://www.chara.gsu.edu/CHARA/MWO/CrestPhotos1.php

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 1:56 am

Jim wrote:Just looked at the tower cam:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop 12:00pm

Things are not looking good for Mt Hillyer area. It looks like the fire has "erupted" again in that area.

Hopefully the Forest Service Station has not burned.

This is sooo nauseating seeing this happen in virtual reality.

I'm not sure how I'll handle the "real" reality of this in person.

It's awful but if you look at the pictures taken by the Mt. Wilson folks you'll notice in every one of them at least a little greenery survived. Enough trees survived that after some of the brush grows back a lot of the lower portions of the Angeles will look somewhat normal. Hey, its my turn to be the optimistic.

No replacing the pines at higher elevations, though.

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:06 am

I couldn't continue to watch this slow motion train wreck over the weekend

But I can't hide forever....

Don't know what these morons have in mind, you can't predict what Psychopathic people are going to do...

Hopefully at some point they'll put this out or they'll run out of forest.

http://pctmap.homeip.net/data2/Fire%20P ... 200908.kml

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:11 am

I wouldn't tell the source of this photo, even if I knew (which I honestly don't).

But it's a good photo.

Post by **HikeUp** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:16 am

That was close!

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:27 am

OH YEAH!

It still stands despite the minimal efforts of our illustrious Forest (dis)Service

Thanks for the ray of hope

Matt

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:35 am

Ze Hiker · Post by **Ze Hiker** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:37 am

there goes Waterman and Twin Peaks?

seriously bummed. that's my favorite area

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:38 am

mattmaxon wrote:I couldn't continue to watch this slow motion train wreck over the weekend

But I can't hide forever....

Don't know what these morons have in mind, you can't predict what Psychopathic people are going to do...

Hopefully at some point they'll put this out or they'll run out of forest.
http://pctmap.homeip.net/data2/Fire%20P ... 200908.kml

Oh, you're shitting me! Its reached the other side of waterman? Now it really looks like Buckhorn is doomed.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:54 am

Someone at Mt Waterman is making these recorded updates - it does sound like they're working extremely hard to keep it south of the Crest. And working really hard in general.

818-790-2002

Post by **HikeUp** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 8:55 am

Josephine Peak web cam was back up and running the last 2 days but it seems to be dead again. It went dead early on in the fire (29th I think).

harper · Post by **harper** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:06 am

cougarmagic wrote:Someone at Mt Waterman is making these recorded updates - it does sound like they're working extremely hard to keep it south of the Crest. And working really hard in general.

818-790-2002

i have no doubt that the fire fighters *are* working really hard (and i am grateful to them, don't doubt it.)
but i am with mm and wonder who is telling them *where* and *how* to work.
i mean, if there were some "important" structure there and not "just" trees i am confident it would not be burning now.
so.
yes.
they *will* run out of forest.
soon.

harper

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:13 am

harper wrote:
cougarmagic wrote:Someone at Mt Waterman is making these recorded updates - it does sound like they're working extremely hard to keep it south of the Crest. And working really hard in general.

818-790-2002
i have no doubt that the fire fighters *are* working really hard (and i am grateful to them, don't doubt it.)
but i am with mm and wonder who is telling them *where* and *how* to work.
i mean, if there were some "important" structure there and not "just" trees i am confident it would not be burning now.

Oh that's heartbreaking. I know nothing about firefighting and so I was under the impression that this fire was simply too big to "put out" on our terms. Do you really believe that and order could have been given to put this thing out?

harper · Post by **harper** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:14 am

cougarmagic wrote:I wouldn't tell the source of this photo, even if I knew (which I honestly don't).

But it's a good photo.

i just don't get it.
why -- i mean WHY can't the same (or more) effort be expended on the living trees that is evidently going into saving structures that can be re-built?
what *are* these priorities????
whose???

harper

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:17 am

harper wrote:
cougarmagic wrote:I wouldn't tell the source of this photo, even if I knew (which I honestly don't).

But it's a good photo.

i just don't get it.
why -- i mean WHY can't the same (or more) effort be expended on the living trees that is evidently going into saving structures that can be re-built?
what *are* these priorities????
whose???

harper

Honest question, is it because there is simply so much burning that they have to decide what to save?

For my own personal reasons I hope the "structures" at Buckhorn are enough to save. Outhouses are hard to re-build.

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:20 am

I don't doubt the firefighter on the line is doing their level best to do the task assigned

Do not doubt for a Picosecond I don't value their efforts

My bile is reserved for the low grade morons / Psychopathic scum running the show

The decision that has been made to do a "Backfire" on Mt Wilson is beyond stupid and could end in further destruction.

This is no "backfire" nor is it a "tactical burn" This is a "prescribed burn" which should NOT be done at this very dangerous time

The conditions ARE extreme, they want to do a "prescribed burn" do it when the weather conditions are very favorable (not the political and financial ones)

And YES this COULD be put out today IF the decision to put it out was made

harper wrote:
cougarmagic wrote:Someone at Mt Waterman is making these recorded updates - it does sound like they're working extremely hard to keep it south of the Crest. And working really hard in general.

818-790-2002
i have no doubt that the fire fighters *are* working really hard (and i am grateful to them, don't doubt it.)
but i am with mm and wonder who is telling them *where* and *how* to work.
i mean, if there were some "important" structure there and not "just" trees i am confident it would not be burning now.
so.
yes.
they *will* run out of forest.
soon.

harper

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:23 am

mattmaxon wrote:I don't doubt the firefighter on the line is doing their level best to do the task assigned

Do not doubt for a Picosecond I don't value their efforts

My bile is reserved for the low grade morons / Psychopathic scum running the show

The decision that has been made to do a "Backfire" on Mt Wilson is beyond stupid and could end in further destruction.

I don't understand either. Isn't Mt. Wilson pretty much in the clear at this point? I was under the impression that the active areas had moved NE, pretty much exactly where I was hoping it wouldn't.

cougarmagic · Post by **cougarmagic** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:24 am

I completely understand your point. believe me, though no effort was made to save this structure. This is just an historical replica. The guys who put a bunch of work into rebuilding it several years ago are just happy to see it still there.

At this point, anything familiar that remains is a welcome sight.

Layne Cantrell · Post by **Layne Cantrell** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:25 am

mattmaxon wrote: And YES this COULD be put out today IF the decision to put it out was made

Oh god. I'll be crying over my beer for years over this one.

harper · Post by **harper** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:34 am

Layne Cantrell wrote:
harper wrote:
cougarmagic wrote:I wouldn't tell the source of this photo, even if I knew (which I honestly don't).

But it's a good photo.

i just don't get it.
why -- i mean WHY can't the same (or more) effort be expended on the living trees that is evidently going into saving structures that can be re-built?
what *are* these priorities????
whose???

harper
Honest question, is it because there is simply so much burning that they have to decide what to save?

For my own personal reasons I hope the "structures" at Buckhorn are enough to save. Outhouses are hard to re-build.

i am with you on that one.
buckhorn is *it* for me, too.
of course, outhouses with no forest in which to camp make no sense.
but hey.

h.

mattmaxon · Post by **mattmaxon** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:36 am

Your impression is correct... Mt Wilson and all areas to the west are no longer Actively Burning

So WHY do a Prescribed Burn during this disaster?

I'll tell you my opinion

They can't get the funding to do Prescribed Burns and so when a fire is going the decision makers let it burn and do "back fire" operations under the guise of firefighting

This is exactly why this fire is as bad as it is right now.

The decision was made to let this burn on Thursday and Friday (8/27 & 8/28) and it got away from them

Much of the South face of Mt Lukens could have been "saved" if the fire department didn't have any matches

Yerba Buena Ridge was allowed to burn up to the structures, no attempt was made to stop it.

I didn't see the operations in Arroyo Seco but I suspect it was the same.

My faith in the various Firefighting agencies is dust... They are endangering the public, and the rank and file firefighters

Layne Cantrell wrote:I don't understand either. Isn't Mt. Wilson pretty much in the clear at this point? I was under the impression that the active areas had moved NE, pretty much exactly where I was hoping it wouldn't.

harper · Post by **harper** » Tue Sep 08, 2009 9:38 am

cougarmagic wrote:I completely understand your point. believe me, though no effort was made to save this structure. This is just an historical replica. The guys who put a bunch of work into rebuilding it several years ago are just happy to see it still there.

At this point, anything familiar that remains is a welcome sight.

oh i agree.
it actually gives me *some* relief to see this pavilion still stand.
and thank you for posting the picture!

i keep thinking about that *enormous* pine down in cooper canyon...
it must have seen fires before.
and i hope to god (or someone, something) that it will survive.

hh