Colby Wildfire, Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department

Several homes have been destroyed, 1,800 acres have been scorched, two firefighters and a civilian have sustained burns, three suspects are in custody at the Colby wildfire above the cities of Azusa and Glendora. A massive response and engines from mutual aid are working the fire after a week long Santa Ana event. Fuels are at critical levels at the time of year southern California should be receiving rain. Photos Jeff Zimmerman

LAFD High Rise Fire, 11740 West Wilshire Bl.

Friday October 18, 2013 LAFD sent a massive response to a residential high rise fire at 11740 West Wilshire Bl. Upon arrival firefighters found a wall of fire and a towering column of smoke coming from the building at about the 11 th floor. Firefighters went interior to rescue trapped occupants and to make aggressive interior fire attack. Several firefighters became disoriented in the dense black smoke and emergency traffic was declared.

Several civilians and firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. Occupants are now being let back into the building after a massive salvage operation was completed.

Photos Copyright Jeff Zimmerman Please do not copy or redistribute photos.

Offshore Winds: Critical Fire Weather, Los Angeles, Ventura and San Luis Obispo County's

DISCUSSION...CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED AS
MODERATE TO STRONG SANTA ANA WINDS COMBINE WITH VERY LOW RELATIVE
HUMIDITY THURSDAY EVENING THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING AND A FIRE
WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT. CONFIDENCE IS RELATIVELY HIGH AS A
RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE GREAT BASIN THURSDAY NIGHT
THROUGH FRIDAY AND THEN SHIFTS EAST WHILE WEAKENING SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.

 THE SANTA ANA WINDS ARE EXPECTED PEAK FRIDAY MIDDAY AND THEN PERSIST
WHILE WEAKENING SLIGHTLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL WITH POOR TO MODERATE RELATIVE HUMIDITY RECOVERY. RELATIVE HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO FALL SHARPLY INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND MID TEENS THROUGH FRIDAY MIDDAY AND BY SATURDAY WIDESPREAD SINGLE DIGIT HUMIDITY WILL EXTEND FROM THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS TO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OVER THE ENTIRE AREA AND WILL PERSIST THROUGH SUNDAY. ONSHORE WINDS WILL RETURN TO THE NEAR COASTAL AREAS BRIEFLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN INCREASE AND POSSIBLY PUSH INTO THE COASTAL VALLEYS SUNDAY AFTERNOON. A SLOW RELATIVELY HUMIDITY RECOVERY IS EXPECTED WITHIN THE INCREASING ONSHORE WINDS AND CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PERSIST SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.

AREAS OF MODERATE OFFSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER
SAN LUIS OBISPO AND SANTA BARBARA COUNTIES FRIDAY EVENING AND CONTINUE AT TIMES THROUGH SUNDAY. WIDESPREAD RELATIVE HUMIDITY LESS THAN 10 PERCENT IS EXPECTED SATURDAY AND SUNDAY WITH POOR TO MODERATE RECOVERY. WEAK ONSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED BRIEFLY SATURDAY AND RETURN STRONGER AND BECOME LOCALLY GUSTY SUNDAY AFTERNOON. ELEVATED FIRE DANGER IS EXPECTED WITH THE OFFSHORE AS WELL AS WITH THE ONSHORE WINDS WITHIN THE VERY DRY AIR MASS FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY.

Red Flag Warning Thrursday-Saturday Santa Ana Season

Red Flag warning Thursday-Saturday. Be prepared.

Southern California Wildfire Update

Moderate offshore winds with low relative humidity are predicted for Friday night into Saturday. Temperatures may hit 90 degrees in the Santa Clarita area, near red flag conditions for Saturday. 

The Madre fire in Azusa was looking good today with line construction progressing on steep hillsides just west of Highway 39. Warm, dry conditions were a serious concern at the onset of this fire. Super scooper aircraft did a great job knocking down flames on day two of the fire. A DC 10 made several drops as well as a C-130 and an older PTV with retardant. Approximately 500 personnel are working the blaze which has been checked at approximately 200 acres.

Yesterday in San Bernardino another blaze broke out near Highway 15 and Sierra, the last reports I heard was approximately 150 acres. I will try to get more information soon.

Photos Copyright  Jeff Zimmerman, Madre Fire

Fire Weather Urgent Information: So Cal Interstate 5 Corridor Off Shore Wind Event

...GUSTY NORTH WINDS THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND
    SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST...

...WEAK OFFSHORE WINDS WITH WARMING AND DRYING CONDITIONS ON MONDAY...

.DISCUSSION...GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS PORTIONS OF
SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA THROUGH TONIGHT. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL REMAIN
FOCUSED ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS (INCLUDING THE SANTA MONICAS) AND SANTA
BARBARA SOUTH COAST...WHERE GUSTS BETWEEN 35 AND 45 MPH WILL BE COMMON.
ISOLATED GUSTS OVER 50 MPH WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 5 CORRIDOR
OF THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MOUNTAINS AT TIMES THROUGH THIS EVENING.
THERE WILL BE SOME DOWNSLOPE WARMING AND DRYING TODAY ACROSS THE VALLEYS
AND SANTA BARBARA SOUTH COAST...WITH HUMIDITIES FALLING TO AROUND 20
PERCENT IN DRIEST LOCATIONS.

BY LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY...WEAK OFFSHORE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS OF LOS ANGELES AND VENTURA
COUNTIES...AS WELL AS THE CENTRAL COAST. THIS WILL LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT
WARMING AND DRYING ON MONDAY...WITH HUMIDITIES LOWERING TO BETWEEN 10 AND
20 PERCENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. AN UPPER TROUGH WILL BRING A RETURN OF
ONSHORE FLOW WITH COOLING TEMPERATURES AND HIGHER HUMIDITIES TUESDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY. THERE IS THEN THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER WEAK OFFSHORE WIND EVENT
AT THE END OF THE WEEK WITH A POSSIBLE WARMING AND DRYING TREND.

Wildfire: Hasley Canyon and Burlwood, Los Angeles County

Los Angeles County and United States Forest Service Firefighters worked to quickly extinguish a fast moving brush fire today in the Hasley Canyon area of northern Los Angeles County. The fire broke out late this afternoon in area that looks like it has been used for target shooting at the dead end of Burlwood drive. Air and ground crews were able to halt the fire and beat back flames as it crested the ridge top on a steep south facing slope lined with dense brush. An armada of helicopters and fixed wing super scoopers dropped thousands of gallons of water from the air which helped to quell the flames before the fire could become a major inferno.

 Los Angeles County and Forest Service Fighters worked cooperatively to construct fire line and had the fire contained at approximately 4:30 PM. Please contact los Angeles County Fire Department PIO for further information.