In 2009 there were 63 wildfires in California. These fires burned more than 300,000 acres of land and lasted from July until November. They destroyed hundreds of structures and lead to the death of two people. In Southern California august was full of noticeably severe and large fires. The most notable of these was the Station Fire.
The Station Fire started in the Angeles National Forest near highway 2. It was the largest and deadliest wildfire in 2009 and the 10th largest in California history, burning over 160,000 acres and killing two firefighters who were trying to put it out. The fire is remembered by many from the towering clouds of smoke that loomed over Los Angeles for days. Investigators discovered a substance where the first started that they believed accelerated the flames and thus was an act of arson.
The flames reached part of the Angeles Crest Highway, melting road signs and leaving burned debris in the road. The fire lead to neighborhood evacuations as the flame was uncontrolled and spread in three different directions. This put many communities and neighborhoods at risk of losing their homes or worse, their lives. As my theme map shows, two hospitals were located very close to the fire and were at risk of burning: Verdugo Hills Hospital and Villa Oaks Hospital. Evacuating a hospital is a hard and potentially dangerous process for patients that are serious ill. Verdugo Hills Hospital was the most at risk. Workers could literally see the flames from the hospital.
A year after the Los Angeles house members questioned the U.S. Forest Service officials if costs concerns had hampered their response time to the fire. The U.S. Forest Fire denied these allegations. A Forest Service commander overseeing the firefight claims that there was a window of opportunity that wasn't taken. This lost opportunity left these communities and hospitals in these communities at serious risk. The house thinks that a desire to control the costs slowed the arrival of vital resources that could have stopped the fire before it rapidly augmented. These concerns are important because of the proximity and potential danger the fire posed to local hospitals.
At the end of the fire more than 12,500 homes were threatened and 6,600 were ordered to evacuate. It took more than 2,800 fire fighters, 12 helicopters, and 8 air tankers to contain the fire. Urbanization has fragmented the landscape and helped facilitate fast and powerful fires like the Station fire. After the fire, the Angeles National Forest turned into a research site as scientists studied the environmental aftermath of the burned forest. Scientists studied bugs, fish, tadpoles as well as vegetation because loose soil could produce huge mudslides. They also analyzed the effects the fire retardant used to contain the fire had on the eco-system. The chemicals it contained could affect vital water sources that could be harmful to patients in nearby hospitals.
Bibliography:
1. "L.A. County fire doubles in Size; more homes destroyed; Mt. Wilson Threatened." L.A. Now. Aug. 31. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/la-county-fire-doubles-in-size-more-homes-list-mt-wilson-threatened.html>
2. 'Angry Fire' roars across 100,000 California acres. CNN U.S. Aug. 31. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://articles.cnn.com/2009-08-31/us/california.wildfires_1_mike-dietrich-firefighters-safety-incident-commander?_s=PM:US>
3. "2009 California Wildfires." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 1. Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_California_wildfires>.
4. "After Devastating Fire, an Intense Study of Its Effects." The New York Times. Oct. 2. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/science/earth/03fire.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1>
5."Station Fire's lost Window of Opportunity Recounted." LA Times. Oct. 13. 2009. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/13/local/la-me-station-fire-20101013>
No comments:
Post a Comment