Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
| Subscribe to Newser's RSS feeds RSS | Follow Newser on Twitter Twitter


2

Calif. Wildfire Doubles Size to 85K Acres

10K evacuated as soot covers parts of Los Angeles

Share

(Newser) – A southern California wildfire almost doubled in size overnight, reaching a whopping 85,760 acres, NBC Los Angeles reports, calling the speed of the fire’s spread “staggering.” A blanket of soot covers parts of the city as locals are warned to stay indoors, and heavy winds are expected later today, potentially worsening the situation. “We are making progress, but it is very slow and very dangerous,” says an official.

A 25,000-foot “mushroom cloud” of smoke over northern LA was visible for miles. More than 10,000 people have been evacuated, with at least 21 homes now destroyed. Meanwhile, flames are nearing the site of the city’s communication towers, posing a risk to cell-phone, radio, and TV signals and threatening fire and police department communication. The towers “are extremely crucial to the infrastructure and public safety protection,” the official says.

Firefighters battle a wildfire in Acton, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.
Firefighters battle a wildfire in Acton, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Kevin Munson, right, Brittany Fryer, second from right, Francesca Scott, left, and an unidentified firefighter watch as the Station fire burns in the hills above Acton, Calif., Aug. 30, 2009.
Kevin Munson, right, Brittany Fryer, second from right, Francesca Scott, left, and an unidentified firefighter watch as the Station fire burns in the hills above Acton, Calif., Aug. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Dan Steinberg)
A firefighter watches a backfire burn as the battle with a wildfire continues in Acton, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.
A firefighter watches a backfire burn as the battle with a wildfire continues in Acton, Calif., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Golfers finish off the back 9, as smoke billows from the Station Fire in the hills behind the Angeles National Golf Coarse in Sunland, Calif., in Los Angeles County Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.
Golfers finish off the back 9, as smoke billows from the Station Fire in the hills behind the Angeles National Golf Coarse in Sunland, Calif., in Los Angeles County Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009.   (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
OFF THE GRID
11.24.09
Murdoch and Microsoft: The Mice Are Trying to Roar
11.23.09
Books Are Bad for You
2 comments
VIEWING:
 
guanlob
Aug 31, 09 3:51 PM CDT
"We are making progress" -wtf, the fire just doubled in size! Reply
Vote up! Vote down!
-1
IN RESPONSE:
Sauerkraut
Sep 1, 09 2:55 AM CDT
they mean they are starting to implement controlled back-burns to burn of dead vegetation before the out-of-control wildfire can consume it. They are also bulldozing dead brush in areas too combustible to use the back-burn technique. Our firefighters here in California are the best in the world, don't take them for idiots.
Vote up! Vote down!
+1
LEAVE A
COMMENT Comment Policy
Facebook ConnectPost this comment to Facebook?

After connecting you will have the option to post your comment on your Facebook profile.

 

Related Newser Stories

63 Stories

  California: Too Broke 
  for More Fires 

At least not without major help from Uncle Sam

Sep 8, 09 7:45 AM CDT
(Newser) - California’s wildfires haven’t just destroyed property and forestland, they’ve also scorched the state’s beleaguered budget, Time reports. Arnold Schwarzenegger didn't lay a finger on the state's forestry budget of $518 million, and more than doubled the state’s emergency fund for fighting wildfires this year... More »

MORE ABOUT:
California • FEMA • wildfires • California wildfires • California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection • Station fire

(Newser) - The fight to contain the deadly Los Angeles-area Station fire has so far cost more than $37 million, the LA Times reports, and that’s not counting property damage or the cost to the environment. The blaze is still burning through the San Gabriel Wilderness, but it’s 42%... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Los Angeles • arson • California wildfires • Station fire

 Lab Tests Substance 
 in LA Wildfire Probe 

Station fire, 42% contained, chars 148K acres

Sep 4, 09 6:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Investigators of a deadly Los Angeles wildfire are having a substance from the scene tested to confirm whether the blaze was man-made. “There was material that didn't belong there," a source tells the Los Angeles Times. "It was clear evidence that the fire was intentionally set.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Los Angeles • firefighters • arson • California wildfires • Station fire

63 Stories


US 
TwitterFollow @NewserUS on Twitter

 
Los Angeles • Southern California • evacuation • wildfires • California wildfires • disaster • soot • NBC Local

from our news partners

Associated PressAssociated Press