High Risk Schools Threatened by LA Station Fire:
LA Station Fire
During the span of six weeks (8/16/2009 to 10/16/2009) the Los Angeles Station Fire burned through 250 square miles, 90 homes, and claimed the lives of two firefighters (Pringle). Although fires are not uncommon to Los Angeles, the station fire is significant because it was one of the largest recorded since 1933 (inciweb). The fire was also the largest recorded in the Angeles National Forest since its establishment in 1892 (inciweb). In addition, over 3500 personnel from around the state were activated to extinguish the fire (Pringle).
As seen by the reference map, the fire was centered in the mountains. Because the main area of the fire occurred in a steep sloped area, firefighters could not readily nor safely suppress the fire in key locations early on. In the fire’s premature stages, commanders erred on the side of safety, opting to keep firefighters away from these prone areas since fire is much more dangerous in high gradient areas (fire travels extremely fast uphill) (Pringle). However, the strategy allowed the fire to spread which drew public criticism.
The fire came very close to reaching nearby cities—most notably Altadena, Flintride, Tujunga, Sunland, and La Crescenta (William-Ross). In order to gauge how many people were affected by the fire, I looked at how many schools were nearby the fire perimeter. Schools are good indicators of populated areas because they would most likely be established close to neighborhoods (Mapshare, seamless). Many schools, including all thirty five in the Glendale Unified and La Canada School Districts, postponed school as a precaution (City News). The schools that were shut down closest to the fire are listed above.
Many of the Glendale Unified schools that were shut down were more than 5 miles away from the closest fire perimeter (William-Ross). Rather, the schools probably chose to cancel school because students and staff may have been affected by the poor air quality. Wind can transport ash and other small dust particles very far distances that were unaffected by the fire (Knoll). Although the exact quantity of particles from the fire cannot be measured, an index exists to measure air quality for the public health. Any number exceeding one hundred is said to be hazardous. In the area above La Canada, the measured index was a 398 (Knoll).
The station fire destroyed large amounts of chaparral, a native Californian shrub. When large amounts of chaparral are burned on a hillside, it increases the likelihood of flooding, mudslides, and falling debris (Daily News). Flooding occurs because, when burned, the chaparral releases natural oils that percolate into the ground and accumulate beneath the topsoil. When rain falls, the permeability of the ground is very low because the oil retards the water from soaking into the Earth. Thus, the water continues to flow down the slope increasing the risk of communities being flooded. Chaparral is also key in providing structural support to hillsides and rock formations. Therefore, when chaparral is burned hillsides and boulders can move around more freely resulting in more falling rocks and landslides (Daily News).
Bibliography:
1. City News Service. "Schools remain closed because of Station fire". L.A. Now. Los Angeles Times, 1 Sept. 2009. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/schools-remain-closed-because-of-station-fire.html.
2. "InciWeb the Incident Information System: Station Fire." inciweb.org. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://inciweb.org/incident/1856/.
3. Knoll, Corina. “Air Quality at Hazardous Levels in Foothill Cities.” Los Angeles Times Blog. 31 August 2009. Los Angeles Times. 24 November 2009 http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/air-quality-1.html
4. Mapshare. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm.
5. The National Map Seamless Server. Web. 23 Nov. 2009. http://gis.lacounty.gov.
6. Pringle, Paul. "U.S. Forest Service blames steep terrain for Station fire's spread." LA Times 14 Nov 2009: n. pag. Web. 27 Nov 2009.
7. "Rain after the Station Fire spells disaster for foothill residents." Daily News. 30 Aug 2009. Los Angeles News Group, Web. 12 Oct 2009. http://www.dailynews.com/opinions/ci_13546024
8. William-Ross, Lindsay. "Station Fire Update: Evacuations, School Closures & Other Info." Laist. 30 Aug 2009. Zach Behrens, Web. 27 Nov 2009.
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