CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : CA-SMD Santa Anita Fire - 400 acres

Sunday, April 27, 2008

CA-SMD Santa Anita Fire - 400 acres - 30% contained

INCIDENT UPDATED: The Santa Anita Fire is currently 400 acres and 30% contained.
Inciweb update - link

Santa Anita Wildland Fire

Summary

The Santa Anita Fire is currently 400 acres and 30% contained. The Angles National Forest Fire Information Center can be reached at 626-821-6700. The City of Sierra Madre Public Information Line is 626-355-7135. Approximately 1,000 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.

Basic Information

Incident Type	Wildland Fire
Cause	Under Investigation
Date of Origin	04/26/2008 at 1500 hrs.
Location	City of Sierra Madre and Angeles National Forest (Los Angeles County)
Incident Commander	Dave Fiorella

Current Situation

Total Personnel	900
Size	400 acres
Percent Contained	30%
Fuels Involved	Brush, chapparal and light timber.
Fire Behavior	Slow to moderate rate of spread. Fire is terrain-driven, burning uphill into the Angeles National Forest (San Gabriel Mtns).
Significant Events	Significant progress has been made protecting homes on the southern end of the fire. There is still considerable work to be done constructing fireline to reach full containment.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Not available
Terrain Difficulty	Very steep terrain with loose rock.
Remarks	Not available

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	2-5 mph SW
Current Temperature	94 degrees
Current Humidity	20 %

No comments:

How fires get their names

Every year in California thousands of wildfires start throughout the state. In most cases, the dispatch center sending the initial resources to a wildland fire will designate a name for the fire, but the first on scene engine or fire official can also name the incident. Fires are usually named for the area in which they start – a geographical location, local landmark, street, lake, mountain, peak, etc. Quickly naming the fire provides responding fire resources with an additional locater, and allows fire officials to track and prioritize incidents by name. For example during the Southern California Fire Siege of 2003, the largest wildland fire in California history, the Cedar Fire in San Diego County, was named after the Cedar Creek Falls area where it started. The destructive Old Fire, which burned during the same time period in San Bernardino County, was named after the road along which it started - Old Waterman Canyon Road.

CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States. CDF - CAL FIRE Firefighters answer the call more than 300,000 times a year. CAL FIRE Firefighters make up the fire department for 30 of our 58 counties in California and more than 100 local communities. We serve as the incident command during many of California’s most serious disasters. CAL FIRE Firefighters respond to many various types and forms of calls ranging from structural fires, to auto accidents, to earthquakes, to floods, to the spilling of hazardous materials, to every conceivable disaster; CAL FIRE answer's the calls. CAL FIRE is the largest fire department in California and the second largest fire department in the United States . CAL FIRE firefighters protect 33 million acres of State Responsibility Area (SRA). We have over 4,000 members within CAL FIRE and CAL FIRE is associated with the California Professional Firefighters (CPF) and the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF).

CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS