SoCal wildfire surges in size, threatens thousands

[pinto]

SoCal wildfire surges in size, threatens thousands
John Antczak And Christopher Weber, Associated Press Writers

LOS ANGELES – A wildfire in the mountains above Los Angeles has surged in every direction, going in a single day from a modest threat to a danger to some 10,000 homes.

The blaze nearly tripled in size in triple-digit heat Saturday, leaving three people burned, destroying at least three homes and forcing the evacuation of 1,000 homes and an untold number of people.

A slight drop in temperatures and an influx of fire crews from around the state were expected to bring some relief Sunday.

Mandatory evacuations were in effect for neighborhoods in Altadena, Glendale, Pasadena, La Crescenta and Big Tujunga Canyon.

The flames crept down the slopes of the San Gabriel Mountains despite mild winds blowing predominantly in the other direction.

"Today what happened is what I call the perfect storm of fuels, weather, and topography coming together," said Captain Mike Dietrich, the incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service. "Essentially the fire burned at will; it went where it wanted to when it wanted to."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090830/ap_on_re_us/us_california_wildfires

[LiberalAndProud]

1. Wow. What if the winds weren't blowing in the other direction?

Stay safe left-coasters.

[pinto]

2. If they'd had a strong Santa Ana, likely one of those infamous fire storms. Hopefully today will see

cooler temps and more onshore (moist) winds to help the containment effort.

[dgibby]

3. According to CNN,

the real problem is the fuel available to feed these fires. Some of these areas haven't burned in over 70yrs.

[pinto]

4. Update. Fire 5% contained, moving on all fronts. (aside) Wind driven

wild fires tend to have a clear front-line that crews can work to hold back in a relatively contained area. Apparently this one, with the lack of a steady wind, a lot of fuel, hot temps and low humidity is expanding all around it's perimeter. That stretches crews availability to be massed at any one location.

(from Nat Forest Service rep via CNN)

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. all of LA has a red hue, the air is smoky. awful.