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Chronological Fire
Updates, with latest coverage first (to start at the beginning, scroll to
the bottom and work your way up)
4/29/08 Fire update 12:06pm
This just in from the City:
Evacuation restrictions are scheduled to be lifted as
of 12noon on Tuesday, April 29. At this time people with proof of
residency will be allowed back into the evacuation areas. Road blocks
are scheduled to be removed as of 6:00 am on Wednesday, April 30.
Acres burned have increased to 583 acres.
Fire update 9:55am
FEMA announces help Thanks to Cici at CalTech for the update.
Fire update, 8:32am
This just in from
the Incident Command folks...
Fire update, 8:22am
Just received from the City of Sierra
Madre:
There are 1055 firefighters working on the Santa
Anita Fire.
150 homes
are still evacuated.
The fire
is 57% contained, expecting full containment May 2nd.
Fire
currently concentrated in the north.
The
Community Recreation Center will be closed, Tuesday, April 29, 2008.
There is a
smoke advisory:
- stay
indoors, including pets
- keep
doors and windows closed
- check
air filters
- if
outdoors, reduce physical activity.
Sierra Madre, Fire update 8:06am
Just spoke with Angeles Forest phone info,
here's what they are telling me...There's been no change in the
evacuation order since 8pm last night. East of Baldwin is now
open. West of Baldwin evacuation area remains at North of Carter,
from Grove to Michillinda, north of Fairview. Grandview to
Fairview is open to residents only, from Baldwin to Michillinda.
538 acres have burned, it didn't grow overnight. The fire is 57%
contained. They said they will be faxing me the most recent
release from Incident Command, I'll post it when I get it.
4/29/08 - Fire update for Pasadena
8:00am
I haven't forgotten you, Pasadena. I
have not received any updates from Pasadena, and the release posted at
8:48pm Monday night immediately below is the last post on the City of
Pasadena's website's emergency page...
Fire update for Pasadena 8:48pm
I have been receiving a lot of requests for
updates from Pasadena residents, so I guess it's transition time.
I have now been added to the Pasadena Public Information Office
distribution list, so that I can begin receiving the City's official
releases. Thanks to Brooke at KPCC for sending me this most recent
6:25pm update.
PASADENA UPDATE ON WILDFIRES
Now that
wildfires in the San Gabriel Valley foothills have the potential of
spreading into Pasadena, households on Park Vista Drive and Skycrest
Drive are under MANDATORY evacuation. Both are off of Michillinda
Avenue.
Households
on the following streets have been advised of VOLUNTARY evacuations:
Carriage House Road, Ranch Top Road, Hastings Heights Lane, Winding Way
and Pear Orchard Lane.
Pasadena
Fire Department is providing fire engines in these neighborhoods in case
the situation worsens.
People who
have NOT been ordered to evacuate should remain calm and update their
emergency preparedness kits and review their household evacuation plans,
which should already include potential places to which to evacuate, such
a friend's home or a motel in another town.
Pasadena
Fire Department offers the following tips for those who HAVE BEEN
ordered to evacuate:
* Remain
calm and stay in control of your situation.
*
Absolutely do not stay on your property.
* Follow
all instructions given by public safety officials.
* Wear
sturdy shoes and appropriate clothing.
* Take
your emergency supply kit plus valuable papers, prescription medication,
keepsakes and family/emergency phone numbers.
* Close
windows and doors to prevent sparks from blowing inside.
* Remove
all combustible items from around the exterior of your home, including
lawn and poolside furniture, umbrellas and tarp coverings. (If these
items are left outside, they may catch fire and the added heat could
ignite your home.)
* Help
neighbors who may require special assistance.
* If you
have a physical disability and need transportation, call Dial-A-Ride
during regular business hours at (626) 744-4094. After hours or on
weekends, call Pasadena Police Department at (626) 744-4241.
* Only
service animals, such as guide dogs, are allowed at emergency shelters.
If you have pets, make arrangements in advance for their care at kennels
or other locations. Pets may become agitated due to the situation, so
transport them in animal carriers.
* Lock
your home or business when you leave.
* Use only
authorized routes.
* Once you
are safe, call an out-of-area contact with information about where you
are and how you can be reached.
For more
information visit
www.cityofpasadena.net/disaster
or call (626) 744-7000.
Fire update for Pasadena 8:01pm
Just received the following. I'm told
it's from (and it appears to originally be from) Pasadena City Manager
Bernard Melekian.
>Further
update....
Two
streets in the very northeast of Pasadena are being evacuated.
The
northern one third of Upper Hastings Ranch will be informed that they
are subject to evacuation.
Please
alert Upper Hastings Ranch.
This
makes me a little uncomfortable. With Sierra Madre news and
information, I knew my sources and was sure that what I was posting was
coming from the City. While I have no reason to doubt the veracity
of the sender, and as I said, it appears to be legitimate, I don't want
to, even with the best of intentions, spread misinformation. I
will attempt to verify this information, but until I do, please
recognize that I'm flying, not blind, but certainly with impaired
vision. Thanks.
Fire Update 7:49pm
This just in from the City of Sierra
Madre:
Sierra Madre residents east
of Baldwin (including the canyon) will most likely be able to go home
after 8:00 this evening with proof of residency.
Pasadena People:
Here's the most recent info I have as of
5:30pm.
From the Star News website:
Pasadena
officials announced at 3 p.m. that the evacuation zone for the 490-acre
blaze has been expanded past Michillinda Avenue to include Park Vista
Drive and Skycrest in the Crown City. It was unclear how many
homes are involved in the new evacuations, though Pasadena Fire
Department spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said the two streets will likely
not be the last affected by the fire in Pasadena. "There might be
more evacuations near the top of Hastings Ranch before the night is
over," she said.
Another
good source:
www.thefcblog.com
Official
site:
Incident Command website, fire progression map.
Phone:
(626) 821-6700
I've had
four hours sleep since Friday night. I think I'm going to back off
for now.
Some photo links
I've got a lot of shots I've yet to upload of my
own, and others have sent me their pics. Since it's more time
consuming then just putting a link up as I did above, I'm going to have to
get to it, so I'll try to do it soon.
Fire update 3:42pm
Just got off the phone with Angeles Forest
folks. Everything east of Camillo is now open. The rest of the
closures/evacuation areas remain off limits. Right now they say the
fire is northwest above Bailey Canyon/Hastings Canyon. They are
dropping retardant ¾ miles east of Henneger Flats, but not as high as
Henneger Flats, below it. Air tanker plastered it. Am investigating a
complaint about a closure at Vista and Grand View, which makes no sense to
me as that is east of Santa Anita, and the only closures I heard about
stopped at Santa Anita.
Fire update 2pm
Heard a report some people didn't want to
leave their homes because they heard a couple homes had been burgled.
Just spoke to Corporal Doyle at SMPD re: burglary. She said there was
one report of burglary, not two, and it was on Saturday. She said it was
on Sierra Madre Blvd., not up in the evac area. My understanding of the
situation (from another source, not Corporal Doyle) is that it was on or
near Canon at the Blvd. But it was not in the evac area, and it was on
Saturday. So don't be afraid to evacuate. Look around, I
think you might see a law enforcement agent or two.
Fire update 1:20
Just spoke with the Santa Anita Fire information
line of the Angeles National Forest folks. New evacuation area:
From Santa Anita to Mtn. Trail, north of Grand View. From Mtn. Trail
west to Oak Crest, north of Carter. At Grove, the evacuation area moves
South to Fairview. Everything above Fairview from Michillinda to Grove.
From Fairview to Grand View is closed to traffic, but open to residents
only, from Michillinda east to Mt. Trail.
Fire update 11:50
Audio of the conversation Melissa Pamer, Mark Harmsen, Congressman
Dreier and I had at about 10:30am this morning.
Fire update 11:13am
Received this
Press
Release from the Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 3
at 9:49am, but was out of the office, just became aware of it.
Fire update 11am
 I was standing in front of the Rec. Center
(Command Post) talking with Melissa Pamer of SGVN when Congressman David
Dreier and his aide Mark Harmsen were leaving the building to head over to
speak to the assembled press in the park. Mr. Harmsen stopped the
Congressman and introduced the Congressman and I, and Ms. Pamer and I had a
chance to speak with him for several minutes. I'll be uploading audio
of that conversation, but briefly, Congressman Dreier was leaving shortly
for D.C. where in a couple days he had a pre-scheduled meeting to discuss
the aftermath of the recent San Diego fires. He decided to take this
opportunity to stop by and thank the members of the command team and see if
they had any input from this fire that might be helpful in his upcoming
meeting. He stated that while this fire has not reached the threshold
to trigger FEMA and/or other types of federal aid, he and his office stand
at the ready to do whatever they can to help, and if the threshold does get
reached, he will work immediately to see that the federal government steps
in. I'll upload the file shortly. After speaking with us,
Congressman Drier went and spoke with radio and television media, and I have
some video of that, as well. Will get things uploaded as time and
conditions allow. In photo at left, Congressman Dreier prepares to
speak to the press with Sierra Madre PIO Elisa Weaver.
Fire update 8:52
Just heard unofficially from a good source that
Congressman David Dreier will be touring the area at 10am.
Red Cross update 8:40am
Spoke to Candace McDonald at the Red Cross
Shelter a few minutes ago. They have a food and rest area set up at
the Senior Center, and a shelter at Congregational Church. Candace
tells me eighteen people stayed overnight last night, down from the 30 - 40
that had stayed the night before. She said as near as she's been able
to figure, most of the displaced people in the area have family nearby, or
are staying at local hotels. If you're looking for someone, and want
to check to see if they are at Red Cross, the number is 355-0256.
Fire update 7:25am
Here's a
Windows Media Audio file of the press conference. It's 3:37
long, about 25 seconds in the audio improves as I moved the voice recorder
closer to him.
Fire update 7:17am
A couple points I missed in my 6:55am update -
power was shut off in the canyon, but that was due to firefighter safety.
Weather forecast includes some slow winds. The command post is going
to shift to Santa Fe Dam.
Fire update 7:10am
City Manager and Emergency Operations Director
Elaine Aguilar talking about the fact no structures were lost overnight -
"The fire came right up to the rear properties, and the firefighters did a
phenomenal job protecting the structures. I was really impressed, it
was amazing."
Fire update 6:55am
REPEAT - NO
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OVERNIGHT!!!
Absolutely amazing.
I'm expecting a press release by e-mail, will post it when it comes in.
Meantime, here's what was said at the press conference, in a nutshell.
Firefighters made stands at a few homes overnight, but no homes were lost.
The main area of concern for structures as of the conference was up around
the north end of Auburn Ave. Air crews will be starting up again at
any time. Three new strike crews arrived overnight. Weather
conditions today will be hot, in the nineties, but humidity will be a little
lower. Four hundred residences have been evacuated, about 1000 people
displaced. Still just the three injuries, a bee sting, a bad knee from
terrain, and a fatigue related injury. The newswoman from Channel 2
was doing live remotes throughout the press conference, right next to my
camera. I'm going to try and put the audio from my voice recorder with
the video from my camera, and hopefully get that posted a little later.
Fire update 6:53am
NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OVERNIGHT!!!
Fire update 5:22am
 This
picture was shot from the southwest corner of Lima and Highland at about
5:20am. You can see by the palm trees in the front that the flames
have come down the hill quite low. While both the City's PIO and the
Angeles Forest public line are saying that there are "no reports' of
structure damage, I think that's because they aren't reporting anything new
till the press conference, when we're probably going to be hearing new info
in that regard. I have an unconfirmed report of a city employee who
lives in the canyon whose home was in danger, but firefighters fought the
blaze back. Let's hope there's more of that news. From what I've
observed during the night, I'll be very surprised if there are no new damage
reports. If there is no damage, what a testament to the firefighters.
Either way, these folks, who have come from all over California to help us,
have done one helluva job, as has the SMFD, the SMPD, and the City staff,
which transitioned into the Emergency Response team and from what I observed
did so both efficiently and somewhat effortlessly. Pretty amazing.
Thanks to all. And to those who think our staff is overpaid (you know
who you are), I can only ask if you want some seasoning to go with your
crow.
Fire update 4:56am
I'm posting this at 4:56am but it's
video I shot at about 4am of
the fire cresting the ridge at the top of Baldwin Ave.
Fire update 4:40am
Just got off the phone with City PIO James
Carlson. Nothing new officially. He noted that all 3 networks
were setting up to do their early morning broadcast from the park. It
doesn't sound like there's going to be anything official prior to the
approx. 6:15am press conference, which I'll be attending, and posting
shortly thereafter. I will post the press release as soon as I get
back, and the video will probably take a couple hours again, as it did the
Sunday at 6pm press conference. He was unsure at this time if the
conference will be done by fire service agents or Elisa Weaver.
Fire update 4:10am
I just left Baldwin Ave., just north of Grand
View, where I've been for the last hour or so, I'll post video shortly.
The fire has come over the top of the last ridge before housing, though I
think there might be one small hill between that ridge and the two on a lot
craftsman property just to the left of the dead end at Carter. I
wouldn't be feeling real comfortable if I lived there. I just spoke
with the Santa Anita fire info line, and they told me they really haven't
had any updates through the night from the fire lines. We can all see
that it has come down very low. I heard a report that it had gotten
down to the dam in the canyon. Info line still reporting no structures
damaged, but then 20 seconds later he admitted they have had no updates, so
it's anybody's guess.
|
Ridge at the top of Baldwin, 4:00am |
Ridge at the top of Baldwin, 4:02am |
Fire update 2:33am
The Santa Anita Fire information line is
626-821-6700. Just spoke to them, they said still no report of damage
to structures other than the shed on Lotus Lane, seems hard to believe.
Evacuation area remains the same. Upper and Lower Canyons, everything
north of Carter from Lima east, everything north of Grand View from Mt.
Trail east to Santa Anita.
Fire update 2:10am, 4/28/08
The fire has really flared up again, and there
is increased enforcement of the evacuation areas. Law enforcement is
using their p.a. system to wake people and encourage them to evacuate, but
according to James Carlson, PIO for the City, the evacuation area remains
the same. James did not have any information regarding additional
structure damage, and said he probably will not have that info until the
press conference at 6:15ish this morning. I plan to be at the
conference and will update after the conference. I will also update as
I receive any news.
Incident Command website, fire progression map.
|
Shot at S.W. corner of Auburn and Highland by the school, 1:32am |
Shot from across the street from Episcopal Church of the Ascension,
1:38am |
Shot from S.W. corner of Baldwin and Grand View, 1:41am |
|
Shot from N. W. corner of Baldwin and Grand View, 1:43am, lots of ash
visible on lens |
Shot from across the street from Bud Switzer's house (pumpkin man) on
Alegria, between Baldwin and Mt. Trail, 1:53am |
Shot from across the street from Bud Switzer's house (pumpkin man) on
Alegria, between Baldwin and Mt. Trail, 1:55am |
Fire update 10:27pm
I'm posting this at 10:27pm, but it's the
6pm press conference.
Fire update 7:02pm - Am currently
uploading the 135mb video file of the press conference to Google Video, and
heading out to dinner. Hopefully when I get back, it will be mostly
uploaded. It's hit and miss. As soon as it's uploaded and
processed, I'll make a link to it.
>Received the following re: Adams Pack Station.
Thanks to Diane and Jeff for keeping me (and thus, you) informed.
Channel 4 news
just had an update story on the fire and they showed footage of one of the
donkeys at the Pack Station being loaded into transport. The reporter said
that all the animals from the pack station had been relocated safely to
Santa Anita Racetrack. I assume the Pack Station itself is fine as they did
not mention any destroyed buildings except the one storage shed (in SMad)
that burned earlier. Don't know the
location of the human inhabitants (Sue, Greg, at al), but I am sure they are
safe down here somewhere.
Fire update 6:30pm -
I am working on
converting and uploading the video of the 6pm press conference at the
park, it will be up (hopefully) within a couple hours.
Southern California
Interagency Incident Management Team 3 to Assume Command
At 6:00 p.m. (1800 hours) PST the Southern California Interagency Incident
Management Team 3 will assume command of the Santa Anita Fire in Sierra
Madre, California. The on-scene media contact will be Marc Peebles, PIO
SCIIMT3, 626-821-6700. The media center will be located at the USDA Forest
Service, Angeles National Forest at 701 N. Santa Anita Avenue in Arcadia,
California. The Santa Anita Fire information line is 626-821-6700. Online
information available at INCIWeb.org.
The Santa Anita Fire is reported to be 30% contained, with most of the
containment in the area surrounding Sierra Madre residences. The cause of
the fire is still under investigation.
Background
– updated
information in bold
The Santa Anita Fire
began on Saturday, April 26th at approximately 3:00 p.m. and has
currently burned under 400 acres of wildland urban interface. The only
structure damaged at this time is a small out building off of Lotus Lane.
Two firefighters have
been injured, one was stung by a bee Saturday afternoon; the other strained
his knee working in the steep terrain Sunday morning.
The fire is 30%
contained and is looking at 5-7 days for full containment.
Approximately 1000
people have been evacuated from Oak Crest Drive across Carter Avenue to East
Mira Monte Avenue, continuing down Mountain Trail Avenue, across Grandview
Avenue to Santa Anita Avenue.
The American Red Cross
has opened a shelter at the
Hart
Park House,
222 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd. The number for the American Red Cross is 626-799-0841 x270.
The Sierra Madre City Council held an emergency meeting at 12:10 a.m. on
Sunday, April 27th to declare the City in a state of emergency.
Air support began again Sunday morning at approximately 6:30 am. We
anticipate having 2 helicopters, 3 air tankers, and over 400 firefighters on
the ground. There are over 500 logistics and operations people assisting
with relief efforts.
The difficulty of this fire is the terrain which is steep and difficult to
access. Additionally, some of these areas have not burned in over 40 years.
So far, the weather has been on our side, and although there will still be
intense heat today, we expect little wind and rising humidity.
A
wedding party for Ken and Julie Grady consisting of 45 people and 4 pets
were asked to shelter in place at Sturtevant Camp; the party was safely
evacuated Sunday morning.
The party had driven up Saturday night to camp and celebrate the nuptials.
Sierra Madre Search and Rescue lead the evacuation operation coordinating
with LA County Sheriffs. It took five helicopter trips to take the party
back to their cars at the Chantry Flats Ranger Station where Los Angeles
County Sheriffs escorted everyone back down the mountain safely. There were
no reported injuries during this operation.
All Sierra Madre schools, public and private, will be closed on Monday,
April 28, 2008. These schools include: Alverno High School, The Gooden
School, Bethany Christian School, Saint Rita Elementary, both campus of
Sierra Madre School, and Sierra Madre Community Nursery School.
Evacuations are to remain in place through Monday, April 28, 2008 at 6:00
a.m. Incident commanders will continually evaluate the safety of residents’
return. Incident commanders are sensitive that evacuations are a stressful
and inconvenient event; we thank the public for the patience and
understanding as firefighters work to contain the fire as public safety is
our top priority.
We are asking residents and visitors to stay off the streets, keep areas
clear for fire department access and to stay attentive. Immediate updates
can be found on
cityofsierramadre.com and SMTV3, channel 3 on Time Warner.
Fire update - 5pm
Overnight Accomodations
Although the City of Sierra Madre and the American Red Cross have provided
ample places for evacuees to stay tonight, we understand that many residents
are choosing to stay in local hotels and motels. The following hotels had
rooms available as of 2:30 PM, Sunday, April 27, 2008:
Courtyard by Marriott*
700 West Huntington Drive, Monrovia
626-357-5211
Santa Anita Inn*
130 West Huntington Drive, Arcadia
626-446-5211
Motel 6
225 Colorado Place, Arcadia
626-446-2660
*Please state that you are a Sierra Madre fire evacuee to receive discounted
room rates.
Fire update revision - 3:19pm
Schools Closed,
Evacuations Remain in Place
All Sierra Madre schools (PUBLIC AND PRIVATE) have been cancelled for
Monday, April 27, 2008.
Evacuations are to remain in place through Monday, April 27, 2008 at 6:00
a.m. provided that the fire conditions remain steady. All residents are
still strongly urged to leave their homes if they are in the mandatory
evacuation area.
Fire update - 2:52pm
Schools Closed,
Evacuations Remain in Place
All Sierra Madre schools have been cancelled for Monday, April 27, 2008.
Evacuations are to remain in place through Monday, April 27, 2008 at 6:00
a.m. provided that the fire conditions remain steady. All residents are
still strongly urged to leave their homes if they are in the mandatory
evacuation area.
Fire update - 2:40pm
Wedding Party Rescued
A wedding party of approximately 50 people was separated 3 ½ miles from the
Chantry Flats Ranger Station. The party had driven up Saturday night to camp
and celebrate the nuptials. Upon receiving word that the party was still in
the mountains, Sierra Madre Search and Rescue lead the evacuation operation
coordinating with LA County Sheriffs. It took five helicopter trips to take
the party back to their cars at the Ranger Station where Los Angeles County
Sheriffs escorted everyone back down the mountain safely. There were no
reported injuries during this operation.
Background
– new information in
bold
The Santa Anita Fire
that began on Saturday, April 26th has currently burned under 400
acres of wildland urban interface. The only structure damaged at this time
is a small out building off of Lotus Lane.
Two firefighters have
been injured, one was stung by a bee yesterday afternoon; the other strained
his knee working in the steep terrain.
The fire is 5% contained
and we are looking at 4-5 days for full containment.
Approximately 1000
people have been evacuated from Oak Crest Drive across Carter Avenue to East
Mira Monte Avenue, continuing down Mountain Trail Avenue, across Grandview
Avenue to Santa Anita Avenue.
The American Red Cross
has opened a shelter at the
Hart
Park House,
222 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd. The number for the American
Red Cross is 626-799-0841 x270.
The Sierra Madre City Council held an emergency meeting at 12:10 a.m. on
Sunday, April 27th to declare the City in a state of emergency.
Air support began again Sunday morning at approximately 6:30 am. We
anticipate having 2 helicopters, 3 air tankers, and over 400 firefighters on
the ground. There are over 500 logistics and operations people
The difficulty of this fire is the terrain which is steep and difficult to
access. Additionally, some of these areas have not burned in over 40 years.
So far, the weather has been on our side, and although there will still be
intense heat today, we expect little wind and rising humidity.
We are asking residents and visitors to stay off the streets, keep areas
clear for fire department access and to stay attentive. Immediate updates
can be found on
cityofsierramadre.com and SMTV3, channel 3 on Time Warner.
Fire update - 2:27pm
Have just received word that the Adams Pack
Station at Chantry Flats is currently being evacuated.
Fire update - 12:15pm
I just got off the phone with PIO Elisa Weaver
who informs me that the wedding party discussed in the press release below
has been located and they are safe.
Fire update 12:13pm
The Santa Anita Fire began
on Saturday, April 26th at approximately 3:00 pm (1500 hours) on
Santa Anita Canyon Road. It has currently burned under 400 acres of wild
land urban interface. The only structure damaged at this time is a small out
building off of Lotus Lane.
Two firefighters have been
injured, one was stung by a bee yesterday afternoon; the other strained his
knee working in the steep terrain.
The fire is 5% contained and
we are looking at 4-5 days for full containment.
Approximately 1000 people
have been evacuated from Oak Crest Drive across Carter Avenue to East Mira
Monte Avenue, continuing down Mountain Trail Avenue, across Grandview Avenue
to Santa Anita Avenue.
The American Red Cross has opened shelters at
the
Hart
Park House,
222 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd. and the Congregational Church
170 W.
Sierra Madre Blvd in Sierra Madre.
Air support began again this morning at approximately 6:30
am. We anticipate having 2 helicopters, 3 air tankers, and more than 400
firefighters on the ground. There are more than 500 logistics and operations
people
We have new reports of a wedding party of approximately 50
people 3 ½ miles from the Chantry Flats Ranger Station. Fire officials are
looking at ground evacuation; otherwise they will be flown out. This wedding
party will be out of the Chantry area by noon today. Sierra Madre Search and
Rescue will be the lead on this operation coordinating with LA County
Sheriffs.
Fire update 7:52am -
Press release received at 7:30am
The Santa
Anita Fire began on Saturday, April 26th at approximately 3:00 p,
(1500 hours) on Santa Anita Canyon Road. It has currently burned more than
350 acres of wild land urban interface. The only structure damaged at this
time is a small out building off of Lotus Lane.
The fire is 5%
contained and we are looking at 2-3 days for full containment.
Approximately 200 homes have
been evacuated and we anticipate new evacuations north of Carter west to
Lima Street.
The American Red Cross has
opened shelters at the Hart Park House, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. and the
Congregational Church at 170 W. Sierra Madre Blvd in Sierra Madre.
The Sierra Madre City Council
held an emergency meeting at 12:10 a.m. this morning to declare the City in
a state of emergency.
Air support began again this
morning at approximately 6:30 am. We anticipate having 2 helicopters, 3 air
tankers, and more than 400 firefighters on the ground.
The difficulty of this fire is
the terrain which is steep and difficult to access. Additionally, some of
these areas have not burned in more than 40 years. So far, the weather has
been on our side, and although there will be intense heat today, we expect
fairly low humidity.
We are
asking residents and visitors to stay off the streets, keep areas clear for
fire department access and to stay attentive. Immediate updates can be found
on
www.cityofsierramadre.com and SMTV3, channel 3 on Time Warner.
END PRESS RELEASE
Red Cross spokesperson Linda Mayer tells us
that the Red Cross has about 50 people on site, that about 50 people
registered with the Red Cross and they anticipate that number rising.
Approximately 30 - 40 people spent the night in the shelter. The Red
Cross fed dinner and breakfast to about 250 firefighters last night and this
morning. If you are looking for someone, contact the Red Cross at
355-0256, ext. 228.
Fire update 12:28am, 4/27/08
In emergency session just a few minutes ago,
the
Council approved an emergency resolution declaring a local emergency, which
opens the door to additional assistance from outside agencies, and
authorizes the City to take necessary steps to protect the residents and the
City government. Video will be uploaded shortly.
Agenda
Fire update - 11:28pm
The City of
Sierra Madre Fire Department is issuing mandatory evacuations for the
following locations:
All homes
above Carter from Oak Crest Drive to Mountain Trail and all homes above
Grandview from Mountain Trail at Santa Anita.
The American Red Cross has opened shelters at
the
Hart
Senior Park House,
222 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd. and the Congregational Church,
170 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd in Sierra Madre.
The
Sierra Madre City Council will have an emergency meeting at 12:10 a.m. on
Sunday, April 27, 2008 to declare the City in a state of emergency. The
meeting will be held at City Hall, 232 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.
The Santa
Anita Fire began at approximately 3:00 pm (1500 hours) on Santa Anita Canyon
Road. It has burned over 100 acres of wild land. No structures have been
damaged at this time.
Fire update - 9:37pm,
4/26/08 - Basically, there were about 400 people hiking
at Chantry, they are all accounted for. Nobody has been evacuated, but
some people have been notified they ought to start thinking about it.
The fire is moving west. An evacuation post has been set up at the
Senior Center at the Hart Park House in Memorial Park, 222 W. Sierra Madre
Blvd., but it is not being used by anyone at this point. Check back, we'll be updating throughout the
night. If you have access to Channel 3, check there, also check the
city website,
www.cityofsierramadre.com
9:37pm report from Public Information Officer
Elisa Weaver.
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From AM/PM at Santa Anita and Foothill, 3:15pm |
From Memorial Park, 4:03pm |
From City Hall, 4:52pm |
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Police Chief Diaz, Mayor Zimmerman, City Manager Elaine Aguilar, Council
Member John Buchanan, Chris Cimino from Public Works, Council Member Joe
Mosca, 4:54pm |
From Taylor's Parking Lot, 8:11pm |
From Santa Anita and Elkins, 9:28 |
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From Auburn and Montecito, 11:15pm |
From 400 Montecito (just east of Canon), 11:31pm |
From Canon and Laurel, 1:55am |
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LA County fire helicopter taking off over Heasley Field, 7:34am |
Red Cross volunteers at Congregation Church shelter, 7:45am |
Parade of law enforcement support entering town 7:46am |
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Heasley Field, 7:39am, photo by Connie Brown |
Photo by Tim Otto |
Photo by Tim Otto
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Photo by Tim Otto |
Photo by Tim Otto |
Photo by Tim Otto |
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Photo by Tim Otto |
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