South Coast AQMD Continues Smoke Advisory Due to Bobcat Fire and El Dorado Fire

a mandatory evacuation is in effect for Camp Williams.

Due to the Bobcat Fire the following roads have been closed:

State Route 39 is closed at Old Gabriel Canyon Road to State Route 2; 

State Route 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) from Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road to Big Pines;   

South Coast AQMD Continues Smoke Advisory Due to Bobcat Fire and El Dorado Fire

Valid: Thursday, September 10 through Friday, September 11, 2020.

Two major local wildfires as well as wildfires in Northern and Central California are affecting air quality in the region. 

Smoke from fires in Northern and Central California is also being transported south and may impact the South Coast Air Basin and Coachella Valley

TODAY:

Fire crews will continue to focus on increasing containment lines along the south end of the fire as smoke lifts. Throughout the day, heavy fire activity will continue to be seen on the south end. More fire activity is expected in the north side of the fire where crews will work to contain it at Angeles Crest Highway 2. The eastern portion of the fire is entering into a burn scar from the Ranch2 Fire creating less intense fire behavior for firefighters. Heavy fuels in the west end of the fire are also expected push the fire into an old burn scar. Steep terrain and dry fuels, some of which haven’t burned in the last 60 years, will create challenges for crews. Fire crews will also continue working on opening dozer lines and utilizing the road system to slow progression of the fire. Local fire departments will continue to conduct structure protection planning and triage efforts within the foothill communities.

YESTERDAY:

Firefighters reached a containment of 6% on the southeastern end of the fire as winds pushed the fire northeast yesterday. Two LA County Blackhawks worked the perimeter control in the southwest portion of the fire that will continue into today.  Retardant drops were made in the north end as fire activity has mainly continued to grow in that area. Poor air quality due to smoke cover was experienced in the foothill communities

WEATHER:

Continued warm and dry conditions with poor humidity recovery along the ridgetops will allow active burning and fire growth through the night. Another trend toward abnormally high temperatures is expected through the weekend. Poor air quality due to smoke cover will continue today.

EVACUATIONS ALERTS:
Evacuation warnings are in effect for Monrovia, Arcadia, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena. At this time, no Evacuation Orders in these communities have been issued—however, it’s important to stay well-informed as this is an evolving incident.
 

SUMMARY:
The Bobcat Fire started on September 6th at 12:21. The fire is located near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. The fire is burning in heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread. Along with California Team #1, the fire is currently managed under Unified Command by the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating fire departments.

 Bobcat Fire Update for Tuesday, September 10, 2020 at 8:00 P.M.

TODAY:

Overnight, fire crews saw heavy activity in the northeastern portion of the fire towards Crystal Lake. Winds pushed the fire east where it crossed Hwy 39, where fire crews were able to make good progress. Aside from fire growth in the northeast, fire behavior remained moderate with active runs and spotting. On the west side near the West Fork drainage, the fire is making its way into an old burn scar creating less intense fire behavior for fire crews. Fire operations will take advantage of favorable wind conditions to focus on protecting the foothill communities as those remain a priority. Today, fire management will transition to a Type 1 incident management team to allow greater access to additional fire and overhead resources. Local fire departments will continue to conduct structure protection planning and triage efforts within the foothill communities.

YESTERDAY:

Main objectives were to prepare and strengthen fire lines from completed dozer and handline work.  As the day progressed and the dense smoke lifted, two air tankers, including a DC-10, were able to make several drops of fire retardant on the southwest portion of the fire to reinforce and strengthen previously applied fire lines.  Several more resources arrived at the fire late in the day, including a sky crane helicopter and two more hotshot crews. The fire behavior was very active to extreme with long-range spotting, tree torching, and visible slope runs. Nighttime operations continued into the evening to monitor fire behavior and growth.

WEATHER:

Fire crews will take advantage of favorable weather conditions today as a Red Flag Warning for the area no longer remains in effect. Warm and dry conditions along with low humidity remain. A northeast wind flow is expected over the fire with gusts up to 20 mph predicted for the afternoon.

EVACUATIONS ALERTS:

Evacuation warnings are in effect for Monrovia, Arcadia, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Altadena, Duarte and Pasadena. At this time, no Evacuation Orders in these communities have been issued—however, it’s important to stay well-informed as this is an evolving incident.  

SUMMARY:

The Bobcat Fire started on September 6th at 12:21. The fire is located near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. The fire is burning in heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread. Along with California Team #1, the fire is currently managed under Unified Command by the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating fire departments.

 Bobcat Fire Update for Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 1000 AM

FOOTHILL COMMUNITIES EXPAND EVACUATION WARNING

The communities of MONROVIA, ARCADIA, SIERRA MADRE, BRADBURY, ALTADENA, DUARTE, PASADENA are currently under an Evacuation Warning.  The Unified Incident Command of the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and cooperating agencies are coordinating public safety messages to alert residents in the foothills area below the fire to be prepared to evacuate, as there continues to be fire growth. Be advised this is an Evacuation Warning.

Residents should have evacuation plans in place, organize their emergency evacuation supplies, and have essential evacuation personal belongings easily accessible. Vehicles should be fully fueled, facing out in their driveways and ready to leave.  Please make those arrangements now.

When Incident Command and Law Enforcement decide to issue an Evacuation Order, residents should be able to quickly gather their families and pets and leave the area to designated evacuation sites, or to family and friends’ homes outside the fire area. Delaying these preparedness actions will prevent fire crews from suppression activities and compromise the safety of the public and first responders.

In addition, city officials of Arcadia and Sierra Madre have asked residents in these areas to voluntarily evacuate.  Local law enforcement and fire departments have concerns about the timeframe it could take to evacuate safely and orderly. Sierra Madre and Arcadia border a common access road in their pre-identified evacuation zones.  Affected residents in the voluntary evacuation area may want to consider relocating to temporary living arrangements if possible.

For more information on the areas impacted in these voluntary evacuations, Arcadia residents may call (626) 574-5463 and Sierra Madre residents may call (626)-355-1414. 

Bobcat Fire Update for Tuesday, September 8, 2020 at 1000 AM

The fire is burning extremely steep terrain with the west Fork of the San Gabriel drainage and is burning actively north into the San Gabriel Wilderness and south towards Mt. Bliss. Active fire behavior with spotting, torching and rapids rates of spread is occurring.

Continued warm and dry conditions, with poor humidity recovery, coupled with the Santa Ana winds will allow for continued active burning today with erratic fire behavior.  Winds are forecast to become very strong and gusty from the north and northeast pushing the fire to the south around mid-day shortly after the marine layer expected to lift. 

The southern area of the fire will be the highest priority today, given the forecast wind direction. The main objective today is to prepare and strengthen fire lines. Fire departments will be actively conducting structural protection planning in the surrounding communities. Night operations will continue into the evening to monitor fire behavior and growth.

WEATHER:

Hot and dry conditions will continue across the area today as high pressure remains entrenched over the area. Afternoon temperatures today will be very warm, although a few degrees cooler. Dry conditions will persist with minimum relative humidity in the single digits and teens. Northerly winds will increase across the mountains, as well as Santa Barbara South Coast, late this afternoon and evening, before diminishing overnight. The combination of hot and dry conditions, locally gusty winds, and critically dry fuels will continue to produce critical fire weather conditions across these areas through this evening. Therefore, the RED FLAG WARNING will remain in effect until 1000 PM this evening. Elsewhere, elevated fire weather conditions can be expected through this evening.

SUMMARY:

The Bobcat Fire started on September 6th at 12:21. The fire is located near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. The fire is burning in heavy fuels with a rapid rate of spread. The fire is currently managed under Unified Command by the Angeles National Forest and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, City of Monrovia. A Los Angeles County Fire Department IMT and the Eastern Area IMT are managing the fire. Evacuation advisories are in effect for portions of Monrovia County.

INCIDENT STATISTICS

Location of Origin: Angeles National Forest, Azusa, CA
Start date: September 6, 2020
Size: Approximately 8,553 acres
Percent Contained: 0%
Cause: Under Investigation
Resources Assigned: 85 personnel

• Engines Strike Teams: 5

• Handcrews: 10

• Helicopters: 1

• Aircraft: 3

• Dozers: 4

• Water tenders: 2

CLOSURES:

Road Closure:

• San Gabriel Canyon Rd (HWY 39) is closed at Old San Gabriel Canyon Rd.

• SR 2 (Angeles Crest Hwy.) is closed from 10.6 miles east of La Canada-Flintridge to Islip Saddle.

Angeles National Forest Closure: Closed to all general activity, including developed campgrounds and day-use sites due to wildfire threat.  Prohibition of the use of any ignition sources (campfires, gas stoves, etc.). 

SAFETY:

A temporary flight restriction is in place over the fire area. Wildfires are a No Drone Zone. For more information visit Know Before You Fly, http://knowbeforeyoufly.org.

COOPERATORS:

Los Angeles County Fire Dept.

Arcadia Police/Fire Dept.

Los Angeles County OEM

City of Bradbury

City of Monrovia

City of Pasadena

City of Sierra Madre