Last Lab - Station Fire

As we can see on the map above, the Station Fire started on August 29 at around 2:55pm. Though, it was stated on a report that a heat detection from satellites occurred at around 2:17pm. You can also see on the map that the terrain around the Station Fire goes from a low to a steeper terrain, which also caused the fire to rapidly spread around the Station Fire. The steepness affected the spread of the fire because at higher places (e.g. mountain) the wind also moves rapidly which pushes the fire more up the steeper area. According to the Fire Behavior: How do Fires Burn in Idaho?, "when a fire starts at the bottom of a hill, as it moves up the hill, it preheats the unburned fuel above it, so when it reaches the unburned fuel, that fuel is already hot, dry, and ready to burn." that's why fire rapidly spreads as the terrain becomes steeper. Thus the fire is spreading faster than anyone thought, it couldn't be stopped sooner enough, so there could have been less casualties on the area. The Station Fire lasted for almost one week and you can see in the map above that on the last date(9/2 at 12:39am)posted above, the fire has enormously taken over a huge part of the area.

                                           Map of all the affected areas and roads

The map above shows all the Institutions, LA County Cities and the major roads that were affected by the Station Fire. The small, black triangles shows the Institutions that were near the Station Fire. You will see that some Institutions were very close to the Station Fire. Though the Los Angeles National Forest and the other recreational parks around it weren't lucky enough to be saved from the fire. The Los Angeles National Forest contains many recreational parks where people hiked and some of these places were all caught on the fire. However, the most threatened institution is the Mt. Wilson Observatory. The fire was being pushed towards the northern side of the Los Angeles National Forest, which is where the observatory was located. Also within that burned area, there were utility companies and local agencies that were burned during the Station Fire.

Now, the map above shows the same map as before without the Institutions for a better look at LA County Cities that were nearby the Station Fire. You will see that Altadena and La Canada Flintridge cities were so close to the Station Fire. During the Station Fire, there were at least about 1,800 homes in La Canada Flintridge that were threatened by the Station. This also includes the threatened lives of the residents living in both cities of Altadena and La Canada Flintridge due to the wildfire. On the other hand, another wildfire has emerged, the Morris Fire. This fire on the other hand almost affected the cities of Glendora and Asuza. Though, luckily, the fire continued to be pushed towards the northern side of the National Forest, which lessen the danger on the lives of the residents living in Glendora and Asuza. Though some parts of the La Crescenta, part of Glendale, was also threatened by the fire, but it wasn't caught along the immense fire that surrounded the National Forest.

On the other hand, the map shown above is a map that only contains the major roads that were affected by the Station Fire. There were many roads and trails that were affected by the Station Fire, that includes the trails that people go through when they are hiking in the National Forest. The main road that was badly affected by the Station Fire was the Angeles Forest Highway and the Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road. These two major roads the most affected roads during the Station Fire. According to the USDA website, the roads were still closed through traffic even after the incident. Only the residents who lived in the burned area can go through.

In conclusion, you can see in the maps shown above that this fire is immensely huge and that there were a lot of places and roads that were affected by the Station Fire. This wildfire has burned about 45,000 acres to approximately more than 100,000 acres and has also threatened the Mt. Wilson Observatory which holds radio and t.v. towers, as well as communications equipment. There were also many facilities and houses that were burned in the incident. This wildfire extirpated about 209 structures, which also includes the houses of the residents living in that area, as well as two lives of the firefighters trying to contain the fire within the area. According to an article on USDA website, the "Forest Service property that were entirely destroyed or damaged by the Station Fire are: 11 garages; 13 restroom facilities; 5 waste facilities; 1 lookout; 7 barracks; 2 communication sites; 2 pump houses; 10 water tanks; 6 bridges; 7 residences; 2 retaining walls; and 12 misc. buildings." Just by looking at the map itself, you will see how big the Station Fire was and you can imagine how immense that wildfire was.

Images from the Station Fire:

Work Cited:

"Wildfire Today." Wildfire Today. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://wildfiretoday.com/2009/08/29/updated-map-of-station-fire-aug-29/>.

" Fire Behavior: How Do Fires Burn in Idaho?" Fire Behavior and Effects. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.idahofirewise.org/science/fire-behavior-and-effects/>.

"Nighttime Fire Updates: Station Fire, Morris Fire, Cottonwood Fire, Palos Verdes Fire.": LAist. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://laist.com/2009/08/28/nighttime_fire_updates_station_fire.php>.

"Fire Closures." Modern Hiker RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.modernhiker.com/fire-closures/>.

"'Angry Fire' Roars across 100,000 California Acres." CNN. N.p., 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-31/us/california.wildfires_1_mike-dietrich-firefighters-safety-incident-commander?_s=PM:US>.

"Angeles National Forest - Home." Angeles National Forest - Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/angeles/home/?cid=stelprdb5318306>.

"State of the ClimateWildfiresAnnual 2009." RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2012. <http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/sotc/fire/2009/13>.