Bobcat Fire continues to wreak havoc. Nearly 24,000 acres burned above foothill communities, north of Monrovia, and still spreading out of control yesterday as firefighters contended with powerful winds. The fire has burned 23,890 acres of pristine forest lands. It was 6% contained. Evacuation warnings are still in effect in Monrovia, Arcadia, Azusa, Sierra Madre, Duarte, Pasadena, Altadena & Bradbury.
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.
San Gabriel Mountains: Bobcat Fire grows, but Arcadia lifts evacuation warning. The fire has burned more than 19,796 acres. as of yesterday evening. It was 0% contained.
Bobcat Fire, on its 9th day in the San Gabriel Mountains, continued to grow north of the San Gabriel Valley. It had charred 38,299 acres Monday with containment at 3%. The fire has crossed to west side of Santa Anita Canyon. On Sunday, residents in Arcadia and Sierra Madre who live north of Elkins Avenue and east of Santa Anita Avenue were ordered to evacuate. About 305 homes were in the evacuation zone. Most are in Arcadia and 32 are in Sierra Madre.
Foothills threatened as Bobcat Fire swells. Santa Ana winds lead to San Gabriel Valley evacuation warnings. The fire started on Sunday, September 6 near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. It had grown to 10,344 acres with no containment by Tuesday evening. It is moving slowly toward the residential areas of Monrovia, Arcadia, or Duarte, but an evacuation warning has been issued for Arcadia.
City of Arcadia asked residents north of Foothill Boulevard and east of Santa Anita Avenue to voluntarily evacuate as strong winds forecasted overnight could fuel the Bobcat Fire. American Red Cross Los Angeles has opened an evacuation point at Santa Anita Park.
Some evacuation orders lifted-Bobcat Fire. Sierra Madre and Arcadia residents okayed to return to their homes starting yesterday (Wednesday) at 4 PM. By Wednesday evening the fire had grown to 46,263 acres with containment still at 3%.
Damage saps fun from Angeles forest. Angeles National Forest's Chantry Flat Road remains closed after suffering damage from the 2020 Bobcat fire and subsequent fires. Storms and fires force closure of trails, roads and campgrounds, some for years. The forest's second-most visited area, Chantry Flat, in the section north of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre, has been closed since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. A sign in Arcadia (photo) advises motorists of the Chantry Flat Road closure.
Looking north toward San Gabriel Mountains at devastating Monrovia Peak fire on first night. It was to eventually burn more than 13,000 acres and be out of control for five days.
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.
Nearly all of region's national forest areas, including the Angeles, Los Padres, San Bernardino and Cleveland national forests, reopened yesterday, one week after the expiration of the California regional closure. The forests also lowered their fire danger level from critical to extreme, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The closure order was issued August 31 in response to statewide wildfires. Although the majority of the Angeles National Forest will reopen, a significant part will remain closed due to the 2020 Bobcat fire. The closure order for Angeles National Forest has been in place since September 2020 and remains in effect until April, to allow for affected areas to recover from the 100,000-plus-acre Bobcat Fire. Still closed are Chantry Flat Picnic Area and Buckhorn Campground.
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 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.
Don Decker announced he is seeking the Republican nomination for Assemblyman in the newly created 61st Assembly district. The new district includes Arcadia, Azusa, Bradbury, Duarte, Irwindale, Monrovia, San Gabriel, San Marino, Temple City and Sierra Madre.
Twenty-six modular structures at the United States Forest Service (U.S.F.S.) site, located in the 700 block of North Santa Anita Avenue, were destroyed by fire on Wednesday, June 6, 2012 in the early morning. There were no reported injuries to civilians or firefighters. Preliminary findings indicate the cause of the fire was accidental.
Santa Anita Park to delay start of fall meet, due to poor air quality of Bobcat Fire, to September 25. The Red Cross is using Santa Anita Park as the evacuation zone for people, including many of our horsemen, whose homes are less than 2 miles from here.
New risk rises from wildfires. Smoke can make people more subject to COVID-19, experts say. Smoke inhalation can weaken the immune system and make people more vulnerable to respiratory infections, including the novel coronavirus. Smoke from nearby Bobcat Fire shrouds Foothill Boulevard in Arcadia (in photo).