After months of preparation and more than $300,000 expenditures in the aftermath of the Santa Anita II fires that diverted a wall of mud from homes, the fire-ravaged hillside seemed to be holding despite the rain storms.
Calmer winds helped firefighters battling the 538-acre Santa Anita Fire yesterday as crews focused on protecting homes and stopping a creeping western edge of flames that forced evacuations in neighboring Pasadena. Also see two accompanying articles on the front page.
Heavy rains triggered a mudslide along Santa Anita Canyon Road, blocking access to the Angeles National Forest and prompting city officials Thursday to declare a local emergency. Recent storm-related problems caused an estimated $1 million in damage to private and public property.
Firefighters have gained the upper hand on the Santa Anita Fire yesterday after it had burned a total of 584 acres. Officials lifted mandatory evacuations throughout the area. A timeline of the fire is on page 11.
Several cities including Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre and Los Angeles County are coordinating efforts to repair damage from heavy rains on Chantry Flat Road. Arcadia owns two stretches of the road. Arcadia and Monrovia are asking FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, for funds.
Arcadia Fire Department's recent reconfirmation of being a "Class 1" department by the Insurance Services office may result in lower insurance premiums for area businesses.
A brush fire that started Saturday in Santa Anita Canyon is being referrred to as the Santa Anita Fire. The fire is still raging in the mountains above Sierra Madre and Arcadia. It has destroyed 400 acres, forced the evacuation of 1000 people, and forced Sierra Madre to close its schools. Officials say it could take 4-7 days to contain the fire.
The city's efforts to save homes beneath the fire-ravaged hillsides from a flood of mud and debris have been praised, but mud and debris are still flowing onto Highland Vista, Monte Place, Vista and Santa Anita Avenues.
This month's heavy rainstorms triggered as many as 18 mudslides. The first major slide deposited 6000 cubic yards of mud on a section of road in Arcadia. The road to Chantry Flat is closed until further notice.
Hikers and scouts were briefly trapped by flames, and homeowners in Sierra Madre were given the option to evacuate, due to a brush fire which started in a wooded area about one mile north of Arno Drive in north Arcadia around 3pm yesterday. The fire has burned more than 100 acres.
A brush fire caused by a suspected arsonist broke out at 1:42 PM in the Santa Anita Canyon right on the Sierra Madre and Arcadia border last Monday. Flames reached within 100 feet of homes in Arcadia, but no structural damage was reported.
Due to heavy smoke from the Williams Fire in the Angeles National Forest, schedules at schools were cut back including the postponement of the tennis and water polo matches at Arcadia High School.
The Arcadia and Monrovia police departments have been forced to increase overtime spending and reduce dayside patrol staffing because of the recent transfer of criminal cases from the Santa Anita Courthouse to Alhambra.
Chantry Flat Road, also known as Santa Anita Canyon Road, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, April 16, despite unfinished repairs. Fire in the Santa Anita Canyon had forced a 6-month closure of the road.