4,800-acre Bobcat Fire prompts evacuations, threatens
to destroy important seismic station at Mt. Wilson
Local News
by: Tracy Bloom
Posted: Sep 7, 2020 / 10:26 AM PDT / Updated: Sep 7,
2020 / 04:34 PM PDT
An evacuation order was issued for the Mount Wilson
Observatory and multiple campgrounds Monday due to
the Bobcat Fire, which has grown to 4,871 acres as it
continues to burn out of control in the Angeles
National Forest north of Azusa.
The fast-moving blaze erupted around 12:20 p.m.
Sunday near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use
area, according to the federal InciWeb site.
Containment remains at 0%, and incoming Santa Ana
winds are threatening to make the blaze much more
dangerous for nearby San Gabriel Valley communities.
About 100 personnel have been dispatched to the fire,
which is spreading rapidly through heavy brush and
timber, and in steep, remote and difficult-to-access
terrain, according to officials.
“The fire could experience explosive growth,” the
Crescenta Valley sheriff’s station said.
An unknown number of structures remain threatened.
All day-use and camping areas along Angeles Crest
Highway between Mount Wilson Road and Islip Saddle
are under mandatory evacuation, and the twisting
highway is also closed. Highway 39 has also been shut
down at San Gabriel Canyon Road.
In an apparently unprecedented move, at least in
recent years, the Forest Service is closing down
eight sprawling forests in California as of 5 p.m.
Monday — with the Angeles National Forest among them.
Mount Wilson Road, which leads to the observatory, is
also shut down.
The fire threatens to destroy Mount Wilson’s seismic
station, which is operated by Caltech and has
recorded every important earthquake in the state for
the past century, according to renowned seismologist
Lucy Jones.
“The building may be old but the instrumentation
inside is state of the art,” she tweeted.
A temporary flight restriction was in place over the
area as firefighters attacked the flames from the
ground and air. Five engines, three hand crews, four
helicopters, five fixed-wing aircraft and two water
tenders have been assigned to the blaze.
With the fire spreading smoke and ash over the
region, the South Coast Air Quality Management
District warned of unhealthy air quality in the San
Gabriel Mountains, eastern San Gabriel Valley and
Pomona-Walnut Valley.
Return of Santa Ana winds present challenge
Fire crews faced another day of challenging weather
Monday: more triple-digit heat coupled with low
humidity. But firefighters will face even more
difficult conditions Tuesday, when unpredictable
Santa Ana winds return to the region — a development
that could push the flames in the direction of six
nearby communities.
“The situation that we have right now is a life-
threatening situation with the weather forecasts that
we have for the next three days,” said Steve Goldman,
the incident commander for the Eastern Area Incident
Management Team.
Duarte and Monrovia are the two communities closest
to the fire, but Santa Ana conditions could also
potentially threaten Azusa, Bradbury, Arcadia and
Sierra Madre as well, according to Goldman.
“All of those six, because of the rate of spread of a
fire like that — they’re all going to be in a warning
or in an evacuation mode if you get a strong Santa
Ana push to that fire,” he said.
At the fire’s northern edge, the flames are burning
into an area that was charred by the 2009 Station
Fire.
That area has far less fuel than what’s on the south
side of the fire, along Monrovia Canyon, Santa Anita
Canyon and Little Santa Anita Canyon — canyons that
haven’t burned since the 1957 Monrovia Peak Fire,
Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia
said.
“That can give you some kind of idea of how many
years and decades of fuel loading and fire intensity
could be burning in that area,” Garcia said.
With erratic fire behavior possibly leading to
evacuations, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department is in planning mode with other agencies,
including the Sierra Madre and Monrovia police
departments, according to sheriff’s Cmdr. Chris
Marks.
He urged people in areas that could be impacted by
the fire to start preparing immediately.
“Please make preparations for what you want to take
with you if you do evacuate, and especially if you
have pets or any large animals,” Marks said. “Please
make those preparation now, so that we are not all
trying to leave and evacuate at one time.”
It’s still unclear what sparked the Bobcat Fire, and
an investigation is ongoing.
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Bobcat Fire
Update - Monday, September 7 at 8:48 p.m.
The Unified Incident Command Team, including the
Monrovia Fire Department, United States Forest
Service and the Los Angeles County Fire Department,
are directing Monrovia residents in the foothill area
below the Bobcat Fire to be prepared to evacuate.
There continues to be rapid fire growth. Be advised--
this is an Evacuation Warning which means there is
potential threat to life and / or property.
When Incident Command decides to issue an Evacuation
Order, residents must leave. Please make those
arrangements or plans to evacuate now in case an
Evacuation Order is issued. Delaying planning
arrangements may prevent fire crews from suppression
activities and compromise the safety of the public
and first responders.
If an Evacuation Order is issued, the City will
assist by coordinating the evacuation in two phases.
The First Phase will be all residents residing north
of Hillcrest Blvd. and north of Greystone Ave.
The Second Phase will be all residents residing
between Hillcrest Blvd. and Greystone Ave., south to
Foothill Blvd.
Residents will be notified of the evacuation order by
the emergency alert system. Additionally, the
Monrovia Police Department and supporting agencies
will be notifying residents in the affected
neighborhoods ordered to evacuate. The City will
continue to provide updated information on the City’s
website
Beginning Tuesday morning, September 8, 2020 at 7
a.m., the City will open the Community Center as an
“Information and Cooling Center” where up-to-date
information can be found. The number of the Community
Center is 626-256-8246.
Residents should make evacuation plans now, including
overnight accommodations. Evacuation sites for those
displaced are being prepared-- more information will
follow should an Evacuation Order be issued.
Those with large animals, horses and cattle, should
begin to move those animals now. Do not wait until
the Evacuation Order to begin moving them out of the
area. Accommodations are being made for animals at
the Pomona Fairgrounds and Santa Anita Racetrack
(limited capacity). To find out more information
regarding the evacuation centers, please call 1-800-
RED-CROSS (733-2767).
Those residents who need more time to evacuate,
please make arrangements or plans to evacuate now in
case an Evacuation Order is issued.
As a reminder, residents following Ready, Set, Go!
should have evacuation plans in place, organized
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 Go! Visit Ready
Set Go!
Fire Information:
Angeles National Forest Facebook page:
@angelesnationalforest
Angeles Twitter page: @angeles_NF
fire.lacounty.gov/rsg/
WEA:
The Bobcat Fire is burning in Angeles National Forest
near Bradbury, Duarte, and Monrovia. An Evacuation
Warning is in effect for parts of these cities. GET
SET for potential evacuation orders. Make ready your
preparations; gather loved ones and supplies. For the
latest information, monitor local news, social media,
and lacounty.gov/emergency
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