LAFD Engine 47 Comes Under Attack, Gun Fire Strikes Windshield En-route to Wildfire, Driver Operator Narrowly Missed

On Halloween evening a fast moving wildfire was reported in the 500 block of Avenue 28 near the intersection of Johnston in Mount Washington Are of Los Angeles. Engine 1 reported that they had at least 1 acre of grass moving up hill and ordered additional firefighting resources including 5 additional engines and a water dropping helicopter. While responding to this incident engine 47 came under gun fire on Mission Blvd, with a bullet narrowly missing the driver operator. The bullet came in from Engine 47 side window and exited out the front windshield. Remaining calm, engine 47 personnel continued into the fire and proceeded with fire attack.

During fire attack, a structure fire was reported down the street. Engine companies were re-assigned from the grass fire to assist with the structure fire. Two male subjects were questioned for starting the new fire by LAPD, it is unknown if any arrests were made.

Downed Power Lines: 70 MPH Winds Strike Los Angeles

Winds played havoc in Los Angeles on the evening of October 25, 2009 as 70 mph winds snapped power poles and loosened power lines from their moorings sparking small fires across a wide portion of the San Fernando Valley and Hollywood Hills. Hundreds of calls were received for downed power lines and downed tree calls across the City and County jurisdictions.

The strongest wind gust were recorded above Castaic near Warm Springs at 70 MPH with sustained gust at nearly 50 MPH. Van Nuys recorded gusts of 55 mph, while Santa Monica reported gusts of 41 mph late Tuesday.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a windblown dust and ash advisory for sensitive people in the Coachella Valley in Riverside County. Wildfire-ravaged areas in the San Gabriel Valley were also expected to reach unhealthy levels for sensitive people, the agency said.

In Los Angeles, 23,100 customers were without power as of 9 p.m., according to the city's Department of Water and Power. The DWP serves a total of 1.4 million electricity customers.

Among the hardest-hit Los Angeles neighborhoods were Hyde Park, where 3,441 customers were without power, and Northridge, where 2,947 had no electricity, the utility said.

The DWP said crews were working to restore power in affected areas.

In areas served by Southern California Edison, about 16,000 customers were without power as trees and wind-blown debris snapped power lines, the utility said. The power outages ranged from beach communities in the South Bay and Orange County to foothill neighborhoods in the San Gabriel Valley.

In Huntington Beach, about 4,300 customers had no electricity, and 3,500 more were without lights in Arcadia, said SCE spokesman Gil Alexander. He said crews were trying to restore power.

"They expect to be working much through the night," Alexander said.

At LAX, strong winds this evening forced one arriving flight to be diverted to another airport, said Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

He said the winds, which were gusting up to 35 knots, forced two other flights to use "missed approach" procedures, meaning each had to make two attempts to land. Both flights landed without incident.

Vehicle Plunges 300 Feet Over Steep Cliff, Fatality

Los Angeles County Fire Department Paramedics and units from the Angeles National Forest responded to a vehicle over a steep cliff at mile marker 1.71 on Spunky Canyon Rd, near the north side of Bouquet Reservoir early this morning. Paramedics who had to hike down a sheer cliff found the car upside down and pancaked on its roof. Crews began searching the steep canyon for the driver and was reportedly found about 20 feet from the wreckage at the bottom of the drainage. Angeles National Forest sent 2 fire engines, 1 chief officer and a fire prevention/investigator to assist LA County Fire Department Engine and Patrol 78, Squad 84 and Battalion 11 with the incident. Personnel had to use chain saws to cut away brush to gain access to the vehicle. Upon searching the area, the driver was found deceased at the base of the steep cliff. Fire Department personnel assisted by Forest Personnel used a Z- rig hoisting rope system to extricate the body from the steep brushed line canyon.

It was preliminarily reported that the driver was missing for some time before the accident was reported and it is possible that the accident occurred late last night and was discovered this morning. The accident is being investigated by Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department Homicide Department.





Photo Credit: Jeff Zimmerman, Zimmerman Media LLC

Car Fire Explodes into Ball of Flame, LAFD 46

LAFD firefighters from Engine 46 attempt to knock down a car fire at 51st street and Figueroa in South Los Angeles, Photo by Tod Sudmeir EPN.

Remembering the Cedar Wildfire, 2003

On This Date In California Weather History...

2003: Santa Ana winds started on this day and ended on 10.27.
Gusts of 56 mph were measured at Descanso, 46 mph in Anza, 45 mph in Ontario, 43 mph at Fremont Canyon, 41 mph in Beaumont, and 40 mph in Campo.
Unprecedented wildfires, including the Cedar, Paradise and Otay Fires consumed hundreds of thousands of acres, killed over 20 people and caused over one billion dollars in damage.

The Cedar Fire itself consumed more than 280,000 acres, making it the largest wildfire in California history, and killed 16.
This is the also the second costliest fire in U.S. History (the costliest fire was the Oakland Fire of 1991).

Wildfire: Santa Cruz Mountains

Hundreds evacuated as wildfire destroys home, threatens 100 others in Santa Cruz Mountains
By Joe Rodriguez

San Jose Mercury News

Posted: 10/25/2009 09:40:28 AM PDT
Updated: 10/25/2009 02:38:48 PM PDT

A wind-whipped fire that broke out early this morning has burned 800 acres west of Mt. Madonna in Santa Cruz County, forcing the evacuation of up to 100 households in the area.

The fire has already destroyed one home and two outbuildings, said Jim Crawford, a Cal Fire battalion chief at the emergency command center set up at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds on Hecker Pass Road.

The area burning is the Maymen's Flat area, where last year's devastating Summit fire began. An armada of Cal Fire aircraft is dropping fire retardant and water on the blaze.

More than 800 firefighters are battling the fire, now spreading west and away from Mt. Madonna. Another 1,000 firefighters are expected to arrive to battle the blaze by Monday morning.

Crawford said the winds got up to 40 mph after the fire broke out. "It was hard enough to stand up, let alone fight a fire,'' he said. "It was pretty incredible.''

And the conditions today were not expected to be favorable. The fire is only 5 percent contained, and the humidity is down to single digits, Crawford said. Winds are expected to be 5 to 15 mph, with gusts up 35 mph.

Colleen Baxter, a Cal Fire spokeswoman, said the high winds during the morning grounded a tanker plane, but Cal Fire resumed dropping water before noon. About a dozen other aircraft and 100 fire engines have been brought in, according to Cal Fire.

County sheriff's deputies have issued a mandatory evacuation for people

living or working near Ormsby Cutoff and Highland Way.
Baxter said firefighters have not yet determined the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters are trying to use the burned-out area of the May 2008 Summit fire as a buffer, Crawford said.

Road closures include Loma Prieta, Mt. Madonna, Spanish Ranch, Ormsby North, Highland Way and Soquel San Jose Road at Summit Road.

An evacuation center has been set up at Gilroy's Mount Madonna High School, 8750 Hirasaki Court, Crawford said.

Diane Zulliger, who has lived in the mountains for 33 years with her husband, two cats and a dog, said they were alerted to the fire by a neighbor at 4 a.m. They had just returned home from a nine-day cruise two hours earlier.

"It's not something you want to come home to," she said.

Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/top-stories/ci_13639221

EPN Alert: Damaging Winds Predicted Tuesday and Wednesday

EPN Alert for Damaging Winds:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Damaging Winds Coming To So Cal

...STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WINDS POSSIBLE ACROSS THE
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TUESDAY INTO
WEDNESDAY...

A DEVELOPING PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO MARCH INTO THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST TO START THE WEEK AND FORECAST TO QUICKLY

PLUNGE SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN ON TUESDAY. THE TRACK OF
THIS STORM SYSTEM IS NOT ONE TO PRODUCE RAIN FOR SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA BUT IS THE KIND OF STORM THAT BRINGS A LOT OF WIND TO
THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERT REGION.

NORTHERLY WINDS GUSTING TO AS MUCH AS 70 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS
THE MOUNTAINS AND DESERT BEGINNING ON TUESDAY AND CONTINUING INTO
WEDNESDAY. IF THIS STORM CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AS FORECAST...THE
STRONGEST WINDS WILL LIKELY OCCUR TUESDAY NIGHT AND EARLY

WEDNESDAY MORNING. HIGH WIND WATCHES AND WARNINGS WILL LIKELY BE
ISSUED IN THE NEXT 12 TO 24 HOURS.

WIDESPREAD WINDS OF THIS STRENGTH HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE
DAMAGE TO UNSECURED PROPERTY AND ADVERSELY AFFECT HIGH PROFILE

VEHICLES THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. EXPECT REDUCED VISIBILITY IN
SOME AREAS...ESPECIALLY THE ANTELOPE VALLEY...DUE TO BLOWING DUST
AND SAND. BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN GUSTY CROSS WINDS WHICH CAN CAUSE
VEHICLE LOSS OF CONTROL.

IN ADDITION...THE PASSAGE OF THE DRY COLD FRONT ON TUESDAY WILL
RESULT IN MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES. HIGHS ON TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
MAY BE AS MUCH AS 20 DEGREES COOLER THAN THOSE RECORDED ON MONDAY.


Source: http://forecast.weather.gov/wwamap/wwatxtget.php?cwa=lox&wwa=special%20weather%20statement