Lab 8

Map 1 - Reference Map 1

Map 2 - Reference Map 2

Map 3 - Reference Map 3

Map 4 - Thematic Map 1

2009 Station Fire

           In late August of 2009, a fire broke out in the Angeles National Forest near a ranger station on Highway 2 (also known as the Angeles Crest Highway). The fire raged for about six week and was not fully contained until October 16^th.  After, an extensive fire investigation, it has been determined that the Station Fire was caused by arson. Investigators found “puddle burns” at the fire’s origin. Puddle burns indicate that some type of accelerant was used. The station fire is the 10^th largest in California history and the largest in modern Los Angeles County history. 

             Many agencies and personnel were involved in the fight against the Station Fire. The list includes Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, California Highway Patrol, Caltrans, American Red Cross, CAL FIRE, Southern California Edison, Office of Emergency Services, National Park Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. This is in addition to the US Forest Service that manages the Angeles Nation Park. Over 640 men and women, 5 helicopters, 27 fire engines, and 14 hand crews were assigned to fight the Station Fire. Assisting fire fighters were inmates from a Department of Correction’s prison program that trains convicts how to fight fires. Unfortunately, two firefighters lost their lives during the blaze, meaning the arsonist (if caught) will also face murder charges.

As illustrated by Map three, the Station fire was incredibly close to urban and developed areas. This only increased the danger of the fire. Many mandatory evacuations were ordered for 8 communities as the fire threatened over 12,000 structures. Two highways were closed, including Highway 2 that runs through the Angeles National Forest and was located near the fire origin point. In the end, 209 structures were destroyed, 89 of them being homes. In addition to the two deaths, there were also 22 injuries. Highway 2 did not reopen until November 30^th of 2009.  Over 160,000 acres were burned. Efforts are still being made by the USFS and volunteer groups to restore the land and heal the fire scar

            The 2009 Station Fire is one of the only true forest fire events in Southern California. Although the area in prone to burning, SoCal typically experiences fast burning brush fires. However, it was very similar conditions that make Southern California susceptible to brush fires that exacerbated the 2009 Station Fire. Because of the region’s infrequent burning resulting from fire suppression practices, the area carries a high fire load. This means that the probability of severe fires in the area is extremely high; in this case the accumulation of old, dead, dry vegetation feed the fire.  Moreover, hot and dry weather conditions worsened the fire and made fighting it extremely difficult.

            The station fire resulted in heave criticism of the USFS for some of its fire practices. It has been said that the fire should have been contained in the very early stages by bringing in more personnel and equipment in the beginning. Additionally, policy resulted in the lack of use of night flying helicopters that could have aided firefighters during the night time hours. USFS has stood by their actions. However policy adjustments in regards to vegetation clearing and fire practices are still underway. The 2009 Station Fire was an incredibly devastating time for SoCal residents, but hopefully lessons can be learned from it to prevent such extreme events in the future.

Bibliography

"20 Largest California Wildland Fires (By *Acreage Burned)." Cal Fire. CA.gov, 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Angeles National Forest Restoration." TreePeople.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Blood, Michael R. "2009 Los Angeles Station Fire Report Reveals Foggy Policies In The Forest Service." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 16 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Fire and Aviation Management: Station Fire Initial Attack Review." United States Forest Service. N.p., 13 Nov. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Garrison, Jessica, Alexandra Zavis, and Joe Mozing. "Station Fire Claims 18 Homes and Two Firefighters." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"How Did the Station Fire Start?: And Other Questions about the Disaster in Southern California, with Answers from Our Archives." Slate Magazine. N.p., 3 Sept. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"InciWeb - Incident Information System - Station Fire." InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire News Release. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"InciWeb - Incident Information System - Station Fire Update Sept. 27, 2009." InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire News Release. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"New Fire Breaks out near Angeles Crest Highway; Forces Road Closure." Pasadenastarnews.com. N.p., 26 Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

Siegal, Daniel. "U.S. Forest Service Turns to Nonprofits for Help Restoring 2009 Station Fire Damage." Glendale News-Press. N.p., 16 Mar. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Station Fire Evacuations." Dailynews.com. N.p., 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"STATION FIRE: Forest Service’s Response Offers Potential Lessons for Future Wildland Fire Management." U.S. Government Accountability Office. N.p., Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

"Station Fire Recovery." Angeles National Forest. U.S. Forest Service, n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.