CFN - CALIFORNIA FIRE NEWS - CAL FIRE NEWS : CA-SMD Santa Anita Fire - 538 acres

Monday, April 28, 2008

CA-SMD Santa Anita Fire - 538 acres - 21%

Special news: As of 8:00 p.m. Monday April 28, evacuations will be lifted for homes east of Baldwin Avenue. Mandatory evacuations were lifted earlier this afternoon for residents living in the area east of Camarillo Street and north of Grandview Avenue.
Sierra Madre public schools (both campuses) will reopen Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

Santa Anita Wildland Fire

P-3 Tanker 27 Drop on Santa Anita Fire

Photo Credit: fotoguy2008

Fire progression through Monday, April 28, 2008
Credit: USDA Forest Service

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Summary - CA-SMD-08-22735

As of Monday, April 28, 2008, 6:00 p.m. PST, the Santa Anita Fire has burned 538 acres north of Sierra Madre, CA. Approximately 234 acres are on National Forest System land within the Angeles National Forest, and 304 acres are within the corporate boundary of the City of Sierra Madre (see updated fire progression map posted to this site).

The fire is currently 21% contained, with most of the containment in the area surrounding Sierra Madre residences.

Southern California Interagency Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the fire at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, 2008.

Fire information is available 24 hours/day by calling the Angeles National Forest Fire Information Center at 626-821-6700. The City of Sierra Madre Public Information can be reached at 626-355-7135.

Evacuation Update (7:30 p.m. April 28, 2008):

The western boundary of the evacuations in Sierra Madre was extended to Michillinda Avenue at the boundary between Sierra Madre and Pasadena today. The southern boundary of the evacuation zone, from west to east, is Fairview Avenue to Grove, north along Grove to Carter Avenue, east along Carter Avenue to East Mira Monte Avenue, continuing down Mountain Trail Avenue, across Grandview Avenue to Camarillo Street.

As of 8:00 p.m., Monday April 28, 2008, mandatory evacuations will be lifted for residents living in the area east of Baldwin Avenue. Mandatory evacuations were lifted earlier this afternoon for residents living in the area east of Camarillo Street and north of Grandview Avenue.

Residents of evacuated areas who need to go to their homes to retrieve medications, etc. should contact the officer in charge in their neighborhood, who will then provide an escort to their homes.

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.

Closure Update (4:00 p.m. April 28, 2008):

Sierra Madre public schools (both campuses) will reopen Tuesday, April 29, 2008.

All other schools in Sierra Madre, including the Sierra Madre Community Nursery School, will remain closed.

Santa Anita Canyon Road (Chantry Flat Road), which accesses the Angeles National Forest, is closed.

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	699
Size	538 acres
Percent Contained	21%
Fuels Involved	Brush, chaparral and light timber.
Fire Behavior	Fire behavior included active upslope runs, and slow spread to the southwest (see fire progression map).
Significant Events	Evacuation boundary was extended west to Michillinda Avenue in Sierra Madre. As of 8:00 p.m. Monday April 28, evacuations will be lifted for homes east of Baldwin Avenue.

Outlook

Planned Actions	Not available
Projected Movement	Fire crews will continue direct line construction, mop up, and structure protection. Fire is expected to move downslope on the west side.
Growth Potential	High
Terrain Difficulty	Extreme. Very steep terrain.
Remarks	Not available

Weather

Current Wind Conditions	3-5 mph SW
Current Temperature	94 degrees
Current Humidity	9 %

Incident Information from Inciweb link

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