Power House Fire Reaches 25,000 Acres

As predicted hot dry weather helped to spurn on a large wildfire in Los Angeles County near the town of Green Valley. Started near the Department of Water and Power Plant 1 on San Francisquito Canyon Road, the fire has covered a lot of ground since its ignition.

Approximately 25,000 acres have burned in the past three days, hundreds of firefighters are working the lines and half a dozen or so homes have been razed to the ground. Numerous evacuations have occurred in the fire area.  Dense dry fuels, steep slopes and very aggressive fire behavior have required the County and the Forest to request large firefighting aircraft to help slow the rate of spread.  

Today the DC -10 with a vast storage capacity came in and painted the ridges on the west side of the fire stop its advances before it entered into Kings Canyon, a densely populated and steep canyon along 205 Street west. The tanker flew in low and precisely laying in a drenching line with retardant along 190 Street west and Ave G. It was a very impressive site to behold. 

Firefighters also had to allow horses some freedom today as fire threatened barns and corrals along Lancaster Road. Another glorious site to see horse coming full throttle to you in the midst of a fire storm.  The horse ran free for about 2 hours until animal control arrived and rounded up them up. 

More hot weather is on the way later in the week but hopefully the fire can be contained soon.  The Forest Service is investigating the fire to see if a faulty power line may have sparked the fire.  

 

 

 

Information and photos Copyright: Jeff Zimmerman