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.
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 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.
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.
Bobcat Fire - Most Chantry Flat cabins survived - 62 of 80 structures, historic Adams Pack Station did not burn down in massive Bobcat Fire which broke out September 6.
A cabin is lost, but memories endure. Greg Vanni of Arcadia, had a cabin among the 80 historic Chantry Flat cabins in Big Santa Anita Canyon. It burned to its foundation in the Bobcat Fire. It was a 350-foot cabin built in 1910 during "The Great Hiking Era," a time between the 1880s to the late 1930s in Southern California, when settlers from the city were drawn to the San Gabriel Mountains looking for adventure. The historic Adams Pack Station survived the fire.
What's next for cabins in Santa Anita Canyon affected by Bobcat Fire? Historic cabins dating from the early 1900s were threatened by the fire in September. The number of cabins decreased to 63 from 80. Most were built during the Great Hiking Era. The cabin owners still use the original hand-crank telephone system invented by Alexander Graham Bell. Includes more history and description.
On October 25, 2011 at 7:18 AM, Arcadia Fire Department responded to a structure fire with multiple explosions in the 1400 block of S. Mayflower Avenue. The flames engulfed a detached 4-car garage behind a single family home. The fire appears to be accidental. Estimated loss is $150,000 including two vehicles. No one was injured.
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.
Worker rescued after falling 22 feet into underground vault (hole). Firefighters rescued him at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia on Thursday. The man suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Huntington Hospital in Pasadena according to Chen Suen, Deputy Fire Chief for Arcadia Fire Department.
Ready to rumble. Two of the nation's best 4-year-olds, California Chrome and Shared Belief, will squre off at Santa Anita Park tomorrow. Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will ride Shared Belief. The two horses finished third and fourth in last fall's Breeder's Cup Classic. So this rematch is highly anticipated in tomorrow's San Antonio Stakes. See also Pasadena Star News, p. B1, B6, February 6, 2015.
Flames continue north to homes. Residents evacuate as Bobcat Fire jumps Highway 2, tops mountain ridge, menaces Antelope Valley. The 50,539-acre fire which once primarily threatened San Gabriel Valley foothill communities after it started on September 6, jumped Highway 2 overnight and continues to spread north, putting Antelope Valley under an evacuation warning. Evacuation warnings were still in place for parts of Monrovia, Arcadia, Duarte, Bradbury, Sierra Madre, Pasadena, and Altadena, though evacuation orders in parts of Sierra Madre and Arcadia were lifted Wednesday.
A massive hillside wild fire of "suspicious" origin raged into its second day Tuesday, consuming about 750 acres and forcing at least 500 Arcadia residents from their homes.
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 Chief Kurt Norwood announces his retirement. He began his career in Arcadia in March, 1987 as a firefighter. His last day will be July 9. See also Mountain Views News, p. 6, June 18, 2016.