In
late August of 2009 a large fire burned through around 160,000 acres of
chaparral and forest land in Angeles National Forest. Called the Station Fire,
more than 2,800 firefighters, 12 helicopters, and 8 air tanks have joined
forces to battle the fire as it spread across the county. Though there was not
much wind, the dry conditions helped fuel the fire, making it difficult to
contain. The fire extended from the edge of metropolitan Los Angeles down
towards the Mojave Desert, forcing 6,600 evacuations and threatening roughly
12,500 homes.
The Station Fire had led to air quality
officials issuing smoke advisories due to really low air quality caused by the
smoke. Most of the pollution was concentrated in the valleys with a recorded
Air Quality Index of 398 as reported by the Los
Angeles Times. Officials have stated that any number above 100 is
considered unhealthy. The low air quality had caused several districts to close
their schools or postpone their first day back, including Glendale, Los
Angeles, Pasadena, and La Canada.
Based
on the maps provided, though some schools were close to the fire, none were in
its direct path. This is most likely due to how the city was planned out.
According to the California Chaparral Institute, wildfires in the chaparral
area are common and expected. For this reason, city planners made sure that no
schools were within close range. In addition, all public and private schools go
through an annual fire safety inspection in order to ensure that fires do not
start on the individual campuses.
The reason
schools were impacted this time was due to the drought conditions which led to a
bigger, more unpredictable fire. Though the fact that fires occur may be
predictable, the rest of the environment is not, which makes it difficult to
assess what is the best way to control the fire. In addition, according to
USGS, as reported by the California Chaparral Institute, “there are more than
140 miles of fuel breaks within the Station Fire Perimeter. Many of these areas
have been invaded by highly flammable, non-native weeds” (Syphard). The
Institute argues that rather than trying to clear the area of its native
vegetation, scientists should look into seeing what else is growing within the
region and the impact of the non-native greenery.
However, due to
city planning none of the schools were severely damaged and were able to open
back up once the air quality improved. Also, judging from the provided maps,
other than one, almost all the highways were also away from the fire. Even as
the fire spread, it did not reach the main part of Glendale. This demonstrates the importance of city planning, especially around areas prone to natural disasters. Many reports regarding damaged houses and injured citizens claim that they failed to follow regulations and/or refused to evacuate when ordered to do so. Wildfires are inevitable in Southern California, but as long as precautions are taken beforehand, their damage can be limited.
Works Cited
"53
Structures Burned in Station Fire." Los
Angeles News. KABC 7, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
"Department
of City Planning." Department
of City Planning. City of Los Angeles, 2010. Web. 4 Dec.
2012.
Garrison,
Jessica. "Station Fire Claims 18 Homes and Two Firefighters." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles
Times, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
Times. Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2012.
"Local
News." Daily News Los
Angeles. Daily News, 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 13 Dec. 2012
Syphard,
A. D. "California Chaparral Institute." Misconceptions about the Station
Fire
Corrected. California Chaparral Institute, 04 September 2009. Web. 4
Dec. 2012.
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