Hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate their homes this morning after an estimated 7,500-acre, quick-moving brush fire came dangerously close to communities.
La Cañada officials issued mandatory evacuations at noon today for residents in the communities just west of previous evacuations, which were ordered Friday night. More than 150 residents were ordered to evacuate Friday.
Station Fire photo galleries (Glendale News-Press)
Station Fire photo galleries (La Cañada Valley Sun)
“Do not risk your life to save your home,” county Supervisor Mike Antonovich said in a news conference today. “Save your life and let the public safety save your home.”
The Station fire started at 3:20 p.m. Wednesday near the Angeles Crest Highway just north of La Cañada in the Angeles National Forest. Firefighters lost control of the fire when it jumped a main ridge Thursday night.
The fire remained 5% contained this morning, but 1,800 homes and 52 building are still threatened.
“Our strategy right now is to kick the fire when it’s down and fall back to a defensive mode when we need to and go back after it again,” said Mike Dietrich, the fire’s incident commander.
So far, the blaze’s intense heat has resulted in one firefighter being rushed to a nearby hospital for dehydration and renal failure, officials said. The firefighter was going to be released from the hospital today.
While the fire is shifting east into Altadena, fires continue to burn locally, city representative Kevin Chun said.
Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station closed streets along Oceanview Boulevard in La Crescenta today. The streets include Bristow Drive, Derwood Drive, Manestee Drive and Highrim Road.
A 24-hour American Red Cross emergency shelter set up at La Cañada High School has been home for some residents who left their houses and belongings Friday night and early this morning during mandatory evacuations.
Three evacuations were ordered between 10:30 p.m. Friday and 2:30 this morning, said Lt. David Fender, sheriff’s incident commander.
Most residents left their homes, but a few opted to stay, he said.
At that time, sheriff’s officials asked those who stayed for information regarding their next of kin, Fender said.
“If it’s mandatory, it means it’s very dangerous,” he said. “We want them to leave.”
About 50 residents and their pets went to the emergency shelter overnight, said Linda Mayer, Red Cross spokesperson. The Pasadena Humane Society was at the center to take care of pets, she said.
Large farms animals that need to be evacuated can be taken to Hansen Dam Equestrian Center.
Residents who were asked to evacuated received calls from La Cañada’s reverse 911 system, warning them that they had two hours to gather their valuables and leave their homes.
Phoebe Von Migula, who lives in Alta Canyada Road, was caught off guard by mandatory evacuation, especially because she hadn’t really packed any valuables. She packed important documents and vintage photographs.
“They didn’t say, ‘We’d like you to leave,’” she said. “They said, ‘Leave, the flames will be here in two hours.’”
Von Migula got to the shelter at 4 a.m., but she didn’t sleep because she was concerned about her rescue cat, Suzy.
She had to leave Suzy at home because she refused to go inside a crate.
“She fought and screamed and yelled,” Von Migula said. “I couldn’t fight with her any more because I didn’t want to hurt her. She’s guarding the house.”
Though Von Migula is concerned about her home being damaged in the fire, she is more worried about her cat.
“It would be the biggest thing on my mind, except for Suzy,” she said. “It’s silly to see a little kitty worries you more than a house, but she doesn’t know and I couldn’t explain it to her.”
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena will also be closed until Sunday evening due to the fires.
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