California Fire News

Backbone of the fire fight - China Wall road Posted: 12 May 2007 12:35 AM CDT Catalina Island- China Wall fire crews working just after fire passed Backbone of the fire fight - Los Angeles Times: On a backbone of highway running above the steep Catalina Island canyon known as the China Wall, Los Angeles County fire crew foreman Mo Khazaal calls out to his crew of 10 state prison inmates scraping a fire break around a thick toyon berry bush. "Keep your dime" -- stay 10 feet apart -- "look sharp. Everybody's eyes on the green," watch the green brush that hasn't yet burned. The crew is from Mount Gleason Fire Camp 16, near Palmdale, made up of inmates serving short sentences for nonviolent crimes. Dressed in orange fire suits, they pick and hack at the brush, cutting a yard-wide line around a patch of fire. To the north of the ridge, Catalina Island unfolds as it usually does: with hills of chaparral and scrub oak undulating under a sunny blue cloudless sky. To the south is a smog-brown cloud of hell, fueled by the hiss of unseen flames far below devouring that same chaparral and oak. In the middle, along the road, stand Khazaal and his crew. The plan of attack against the Catalina Island is easy to describe and hard to execute: it amounts to surrounding and beating down the flames. But if that is to happen, it will be largely due to the work of crews like these, fighting fire defensively on rugged terrain, cutting fire lines, sacrificing some vegetation to save a lot. "These crews are the backbone of the fight," said L.A. County Fire spokesman Scott Ross. "They're the frontline, infantry." Around Catalina Island today, dozens of crews are working like this, battling small incendiary battles in an orchestrated war against the larger blaze. Most of this crew is on its second fire season. "They are firemen first, inmates second," Khazaal says. "They're the best of the best." They are hard at work at the on one of the thousand mini-battles that go into defeating a mountain fire. Up here above the China Wall, flames have jumped over the road from the charred canyon to the south. They have torched part of the toyon berry and thus threaten the untouched canyon to the north. So Khazaal's crew works frantically to isolate the burning bush. Khazaal only hopes that it will burn it all -- a clean burn. A dirty burn -- one that leaves behind the bush's dry skeleton, ready to go up again -- is more dangerous. For a time, the fire subsides. Khazaal's crew steps back and watches. But then Khazaal got his wish. A wind picks up, and the flames catch some dry brush and begin to rage over the toyon berry again. "Most of the time we don't have water or hoses or anything," said Khazaal. The line's everything. That's how we fight fires."

CA-PNF-Clifton Fire -75 Acres containment Saturday morning Posted: 12 May 2007 12:33 AM CDT CA-PNF-Clifton Fire - Wildlandfire.com Hotlist Forum: "CA-PNF-Clifton Fire" Inciweb Puts this at 75 Acres, Expected to be contained Saturday morning. Located Clifton Rd. east of Grizzly Road and s. of Lake Davis Called the Clifton Wildland fire and was the one from the escaped burn piles."

San Mateo Daily Journal Posted: 12 May 2007 12:14 AM CDT San Mateo Daily Journal: Historic fire engine nearly restored By Colleen Watson Erik Oeverndiek/Daily Journal San Mateo fireman Trevor Kelly and Capt. Robert Davis, of Station 21, look at the books of the history of the restored 1921 Seagrave fire truck that resides at their station. After 19 years of restoration, a piece of San Mateo's history is finally starting to come to life. The 1921 Seagrave was San Mateo's first fire engine, sporting wooden spoke wheels and hard rubber tires, it was the only pumping engine in the area. A year before the city's 1921 purchase, a huge fire destroyed the Peninsula Hotel and the fire department had to ask for assistance from neighboring cities. The city's leaders realized they needed to make a change. In April 1921, the Seagrave was purchased for $12,500 bringing San Mateo into the modern era of fighting fires. No longer using a motorized chemical wagon, the San Mateo fire department now had a state-of-the-art fire engine. Over the years, the engine was used to fight different fires, and helped save many lives. But it eventually became obsolete and in 1962 was sold to a man in San Jose who eventually sold the engine to a Los Gatos junkyard. After rusting away in the junkyard, San Mateo Fire Capt. Bill Mann bought the Seagrave for $6,000 in 1988. It sat in the fire station's drill yard for three more years before the San Mateo Firefighters' Association voted to buy it from the captain. While at the fire station many firefighters gave up their free time to help restore the Seagrave. They spent hours tinkering away at the old engine, cleaning it up or painting the undercarriage. The community also volunteered materials and money to the project, more than 35 organizations and 50 people donated to the restoration. From the silver bell that sits atop the engine to the nozzle on the water hose, "everything has a story of how we gathered it," said San Mateo Fire Capt. Jeff Barile, also secretary of the Firefighters' Association, a driving force in the Seagrave's restoration. "The oil can, that was donated by [former fire chief George] Cocconi, and George drove this engine," Barile said. Barile is quite dedicated to restoring the Seagrave. "It represents a watershed in our history at the fire department, how we became modernized. … It's a crying shame it ever left our city," he said. It may not be as powerful as modern fire engines that can pump 2,000 gallons per minute, the Seagrave still has some life left in her. "This engine does still pump 750 gallon per minute … in case we need it, we'll put it in service," said Barile. For now, the Seagrave will spend its retirement participating in parades and fundraisers. It took 19 years and about $45,000 to get the Seagrave running and looking like her old self, but it still has a few things that need to be finished. One of these is adding gold leafing to the engine, so that it looks like it did when first purchased. The 1921 Seagrave can be seen at San Mateo Fire Station 23 at 120 S. Ellsworth St. The Seagrave will be attending the San Mateo Firefighters' Association fundraising golf tournament this Tuesday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. at the Poplar Creek Golf Course. The city is donating the green fees so the money raised goes to the restoration of the Seagrave. For more information contact Jeff Barile at 650-522-7925 or 650-533-5639 or check out the San Mateo Fire Fighters' Association Web site at www.smffa.net.

Historic fire engine nearly restored Posted: 12 May 2007 12:20 AM CDT San Mateo Daily Journal: By Colleen Watson Erik Oeverndiek/Daily Journal San Mateo fireman Trevor Kelly and Capt. Robert Davis, of Station 21, look at the books of the history of the restored 1921 Seagrave fire truck that resides at their station. San Mateo Daily Journal: Historic fire engine nearly restored By Colleen Watson After 19 years of restoration, a piece of San Mateo's history is finally starting to come to life. The 1921 Seagrave was San Mateo's fist fire engine, sporting wooden spoke wheels and hard rubber tires, it was the only pumping engine in the area. A year before the city's 1921 purchase, a huge fire destroyed the Peninsula Hotel and the fire department had to ask for assistance from neighboring cities. The city's leaders realized they needed to make a change. In April 1921, the Seagrave was purchased for $12,500 bringing San Mateo into the modern era of fighting fires. No longer using a motorized chemical wagon, the San Mateo fire department now had a state-of-the-art fire engine. Over the years, the engine was used to fight different fires, and helped save many lives. But it eventually became obsolete and in 1962 was sold to a man in San Jose who eventually sold the engine to a Los Gatos junkyard. After rusting away in the junkyard, San Mateo Fire Capt. Bill Mann bought the Seagrave for $6,000 in 1988. It sat in the fire station's drill yard for three more years before the San Mateo Firefighters' Association voted to buy it from the captain. While at the fire station many firefighters gave up their free time to help restore the Seagrave. They spent hours tinkering away at the old engine, cleaning it up or painting the undercarriage. The community also volunteered materials and money to the project, more than 35 organizations and 50 people donated to the restoration. From the silver bell that sits atop the engine to the nozzle on the water hose, "everything has a story of how we gathered it," said San Mateo Fire Capt. Jeff Barile, also secretary of the Firefighters' Association, a driving force in the Seagrave's restoration. "The oil can, that was donated by [former fire chief George] Cocconi, and George drove this engine," Barile said. Barile is quite dedicated to restoring the Seagrave. "It represents a watershed in our history at the fire department, how we became modernized. … It's a crying shame it ever left our city," he said. It may not be as powerful as modern fire engines that can pump 2,000 gallons per minute, the Seagrave still has some life left in her. "This engine does still pump 750 gallon per minute … in case we need it, we'll put it in service," said Barile. For now, the Seagrave will spend its retirement participating in parades and fundraisers. It took 19 years and about $45,000 to get the Seagrave running and looking like her old self, but it still has a few things that need to be finished. One of these is adding gold leafing to the engine, so that it looks like it did when first purchased. The 1921 Seagrave can be seen at San Mateo Fire Station 23 at 120 S. Ellsworth St. The Seagrave will be attending the San Mateo Firefighters' Association fundraising golf tournament this Tuesday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. at the Poplar Creek Golf Course. The city is donating the green fees so the money raised goes to the restoration of the Seagrave. For more information contact Jeff Barile at 650-522-7925 or 650-533-5639 or check out the San Mateo Fire Fighters' Association Web site at www.smffa.net.

Catalina wildfire air advisory Posted: 11 May 2007 10:36 PM CDT Unhealthy air alert Catalina Island fire - South Coast Air Quality Management Smoke from the Catalina wildfire is creating unhealthy air conditions on the island and for those on boats nearby, air regulators said today. People with asthma and heart or lung disease should minimize outdoor activity. If conditions grow worse, sensitive people should avoid outdoor activity completely, and everyone in the area is advised to discontinue prolonged, vigorous outdoor exercise lasting more than an hour, said South Coast Air Quality Management spokesman Sam Atwood, who said updates would continue as necessary. Particulate matter in wildfire smoke can be harmful to lungs and respiratory systems.

Los Angeles Times: Breaking News Posted: 11 May 2007 10:26 PM CDT Los Angeles Times: Breaking News: "'It was pretty wild' Tonya Saleda, 42, was operating on just three hours of sleep as she returned home to Avalon with her 7-year-old daughter, Emily, who has asthma, husband Jim and their dog, Honey. 'It was pretty wild. ... It looked like it was snowing, there was so much ash,' said Saleda, who manages a hotel on the Catalina waterfront. She described streets filled with people carrying their pets to safety and covering their faces to protect against the smoke. Saleda grabbed a backpack and small suitcase crammed with clothes, birth certificates and Emily's stuffed baby hedgehog. Judee Myers, 61, and her husband Rick, a 62-year-old doctor, both from Sacramento, had to cut their honeymoon short when they were evacuated from their waterfront hotel. 'It was like Dunkirk,' said Rick Myers of the evacuation from Avalon, referencing the Allied flotilla that evacuated troops from mainland Europe as the Nazis advanced. His wife's escape plan was for them to jump out of their hotel room window into the ocean. He had other ideas. 'We've got the bar and we've got the water,' he said, adding that he opted to 'have another cocktail.' -Susannah Rosenblatt 12:34 PM, May 11 2007 TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/t/trackback/816965/18418730"

CA-LAC-Island (Catalina) Photo from fireline "China Wall" Posted: 11 May 2007 05:01 PM CDT Every Picture tells a story..pictures from Catalina Island web cams... Interesting picture from a web cam on Catalina Island Called "China wall" Today, May 11, 2007, 2:55:53 PM It appears that a couple Cal Fire type 3's are trying to use this aptly named road/area as a fire break. A few minuted later as I write this story the picture changes. Just 25 minutes later the fire blows up putting those crews in danger. This one was taken last night very dramatic black and white same web camera system different view. Santa Catalina Island Interior (View 46) 09:19 hours- Overlooking Avalon and the East End. And then same view (View 46) this afternoon at 15:15 hours- Overlooking Avalon and the East End. Santa Catalina Island Interior (View 46) - Overlooking Avalon and the East End. [5/11/07 2:55 PM] Taken just minutes later this same area below(View 46) that has burning since last night seems to really get going Inversion layer lifting? Santa Catalina Island Interior (View 46) - Overlooking Avalon and the East End. [5/11/07 3:20 PM]

CA-LAC-Island (Catalina) Morning 209 - 0600 Posted: 11 May 2007 11:31 AM CDT CA-LAC-Island (Catalina) From the 0600 209: 1: Date 05/11/2007 2: Time 0600 3: Initial | Update | Final| XX | 4: Incident Number CA-LAC-102481 5: Incident Name ISLAND 6: Incident Kind Wildland Fire 7: Start Date 05/10/2007 Time 1231 8: Cause Under Investigation 9: Incident Commander Osby / Hoeffs 10: IMT Type 2 11: State-Unit CA-LAC 12: County Los Angeles 13: Latitude and Longitude Lat: 33° 28´ 44" Long: 118° 25´ 34" Ownership: -SRA 14: Short Location Description (in reference to nearest town): 4 miles west of Avalon (Catalina Island) Current Situation 15: Size/Area Involved 4,000 ACRES 16: % Contained or MMA 10 Percent 17: Expected Containment Date: 05/14/2007 Time: 1800 18: Line to Build 19: Costs to Date 20: Declared Controlled Date: Time: 21: Injuries this Reporting Period: 1 22: Injuries to Date: 1 23: Fatalities: 24: Structure Information Type of Structure # Threatened # Damaged # Destroyed Residence 700 threatened 1 destroyed Commercial Property 100 threatened Outbuilding/Other 100 threatened 6 destroyed 25: Threat to Human Life/Safety: Evacuation(s) in progress ---- XX No evacuation(s) imminent -- Potential future threat -------- No likely threat --------------- 26: Communities/Critical Infrastructure Threatened (in 12, 24, 48 and 72 hour time frames): 12 hours: City of Avalon 24 hours: 48 hours: 72 hours: 27: Critical Resource Needs (kind & amount, in priority order): 1. None 2. 3. 28: Major problems and concerns (control problems, social/political/economic concerns or impacts, etc.) Relate critical resources needs identified above to the Incident Action Plan. Santa Catalina Island is located 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. All ground resources will need to be ferried over to the island via barges and USMC hover craft from Camp Pendleton. Steep and inaccessible terrain is hindering efforts of ground resources. 29: Resources threatened (kind(s) and value/significance): City of Avalon and historical structures 30: Current Weather Conditions Wind Speed: calm mph Temperature: 59 Wind Direction: Relative Humidity: 61 31: Resource benefits/objectives (for prescribed/wildland fire use only): 32: Fuels/Materials Involved: Brush, fuel model 6 33: Today's observed fire behavior (leave blank for non-fire events): Extreme fire behavior with spotting 1/4 to 1/2 mile in advance of the head of the fire was observed. The fire behavior was influenced by low RH, high erratic winds and low fuel moistures 34: Significant events today (closures, evacuations, significant progress made, etc.): 3808 people were evacuated off the island via the Catalina Island Express over to the City of Long Beach. Voluntary evacuation orders remain in effect for the residences of the City of Avalon. Trigger points have been established for the mandatory evacuation for the residence of the City of Avalon. Mandatory evacuations are in effect for all non-residence and tourist. Outlook 35: Estimated Control Date and Time: 36: Projected Final Size: 37: Estimated Final Cost: 38: Tomorrow's Forecasted Weather Wind Speed: 10-12 mph Temperature: 69-72 Wind Direction: west Relative Humidity: 25-30 39: Actions planned for next operational period: Continue structure protection and perimiter control.Establish effective logistical support for large fire organization. 40: Projected incident movement/spread during next operational period: Moderate spread toward the City of Avalon from multiple directions. 41: For fire incidents, describe resistance to control in terms of: 1. Growth Potential - Medium 2. Difficulty of Terrain - Extreme 42: How likely is it that containment/control targets will be met, given the current resources and suppression/control strategy? It is very likely that the containment / control targets will be met. 43: Projected demobilization start date: 44: Remarks: LA County IMT 2 (OSBY) and City of Avalon Fire Department (Hoeffs) have entered into unified command and will assume command of the fire at 0600 5/11/2007 45: Committed Resources (Supplemental Committed Resources follow the first block) Agency CRW1 CRW2 HEL1 HEL2 HEL3 ENGS DOZR WTDR OVHD Camp Crews Total Personnel SR ST SR ST SR SR SR SR ST SR ST SR SR USFS 2 2 1 91 CNTY 5 5 4 2 79 301 LGR 2 3 12 ST 6 4 1 9 340 Total 7 11 0 0 0 0 0 6 8 0 1 0 92 0 744 Total personnel by agency are listed in the first section of committed resources. Agency HELTK FIXW TRKCO RESMD LGTAIR SR SR SR SR USFS CNTY LGR ST Total 0 0 0 0 0 7 T1 handcrews, 11 Strike Team T1 handcrews 0 helicopters 6 SR engines 8 ST engines 1 dozers 92 overhead 744 personnel total (91 FS 301 CNTY 12 LGR 340 ST) 46: Cooperating and Assisting Agencies Not Listed Above: Southern Calif Edison, LA Sheriffs Dept, Orange County Fire Authority,USFS, Long Beach Fire Dept, Avalon Animial Control Approval Information 47: Prepared by: Nick Duvally 48: Approved by: John Tripp 49: Sent to:South OPS by: Nick Duvally Date: 05/11/2007 Time: 0641

Wildfire Threatens a California Resort town Posted: 11 May 2007 11:28 AM CDT Wildfire Threatens a California Resort Island - New York Times: Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Smoke rose over Avalon on Thursday. JOHN HOLUSHA Published: May 11, 2007 Firefighters struggled early today to prevent a wildfire from reaching homes on the edge of Santa Catalina Island's main town, as residents and visitors fled the resort island off the Southern California coast. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press A wildfire approached Santa Catalina Island's main city, Avalon, on Thursday. Enlarge This Image Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press People wait to be evacuated from the town of Avalon, Calif., as smoke from a wildfire rises in the background on Santa Catalina Island. At least 160 firefighters, aided by four water-dropping helicopters and three retardant-dropping air tankers, battled flames through most of Thursday. The helicopters flew into the night and were back in the air at dawn today. Dozens of fire engines from as far away as Fresno arrived through the night aboard giant military hovercraft from the Marine Corps base at Camp Pendleton. The high-speed hovercraft can carry 60 tons of cargo over land or water, and are often used by the military on humanitarian missions. The blaze broke out Thursday afternoon on the island, which is more than 20 miles off the coast. Flames threatened the city limits of Avalon, where hundreds of people lined up at the harbor Thursday night to board ferries back to the mainland. Many covered their faces with towels and bandanas as ashes fell around them. A few homes on the island were burned, but firefighters worked to protect other properties late into the night, said Steven Hoefs, the chief of the Avalon fire department. Some 1,200 homes were under voluntary or mandatory evacuation orders. "We're hanging in for now," Chief Hoefs said. The blaze, which began five miles east of the island's airport, grew to cover 4,000 acres, feeding on dry brush and scrub as winds steadily blew throughout the day and into the night on Thursday. Winds later calmed and the air grew more humid, although the threat of fire remained. An orange inferno loomed behind the quaint crescent-shaped harbor, the landmark 1929 Catalina Casino, and the homes, restaurants and tiny hotels clinging to slopes above the Avalon waterfront. A commercial building and several warehouses burned, and 175 utility customers lost electricity when power poles caught on fire. Overnight, Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters were ferrying in firefighters, 32 at a time. Crews were being positioned at the city's edge to protect homes. "We're on defense mode for now," Chief Hoefs said. In Avalon, authorities used a bullhorn to urge people to evacuate the city and head to the beach. Visitors to the island were directed to the historic Art Deco-style Casino building until it lost power, while residents were sent to another site along the harbor. The Catalina Express ferry service added several night departures of 400-passenger vessels from Avalon. Hundreds of residents and visitors boarded the ferries to reach the mainland. A family of eight said they had just enough time to pack some clothes and personal papers before fleeing. "I'm scared," said Angelica Romero, 30, holding her 7-month-old daughter. "But what's important is I have my children. The rest doesn't matter." At the mainland port of Long Beach, Kathy Troeger, a Santa Catalina resident, arrived by ferry with her three children and a friend's daughter. Her husband, a fire captain, stayed behind to help fight the blaze. "It was like a nightmare when we left," she said. "You couldn't breathe, and ash was falling like snow." An evacuation center was set up at Cabrillo High School, where about 85 people had checked in, according to the Red Cross. Santa Catalina has been left parched by the same lack of rainfall that has made the Southern California mainland particularly susceptible to wildfires, like the one in Griffith Park in Los Angeles earlier this week. Firefighters were still working there today to surround what remained of the fire, which briefly chased people from adjacent homes and threatened the park's landmark observatory and its zoo. Los Angeles officials had expected the Griffith Park fire to be fully contained by Thursday, two days after it peaked, and no visible flames remained, but fire crews were still building containment lines around the fire's perimeter late into the night. Only 2 inches of rain have fallen on Santa Catalina since January. The island is long and fairly narrow, covering a total of 76 square miles of land area, most of it owned and kept as a preserve by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy. various wildlife. The populated areas are served by helicopters and ferry boats from Los Angeles, Long Beach and other mainland harbors. Avalon, the main town, has a year-round population of 3,200, but swells to more than 10,000 on weekends and in the summer, according to the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau.

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