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Flame War!
By TheRealZajac | May 9, 2008
[IMG_9045.JPG, Originally uploaded by The Real Zajac]
Damn. I step away from the blog for a few days to tend to personal matters and WOW. Y’all go bats*** insane.
First up, I deliver on what I promised: an overview of the wildfires we just had, along with my own personal story to go with it. If you just want to know what I think of the whole IP address thing, well, I weigh in on that at the end.
The fire began just off the hairpin curve less than half a mile from the gate on Chantry Flat Road (Santa Anita Avenue to you flatlanders). The exact time of ignition is unclear, reports vary from as early as 11am, all the way to 2pm. All I know is that by 3pm, I could see a copious amount of smoke rising from what looked like the top of Santa Anita Avenue. Despite the name of Chantry Flat Fire, the fire was exclusively on the south facing slope of Lookout Mountain. By evening the flames had built and were spreading north up the hillside, had jumped the road to the south, and were creeping west into Little Santa Anita Canyon. At 10pm the City of Sierra Madre ordered the first round of evacuations clearing out the homes north of Grand View Avenue, first in the east, then the west.
It was about this time, without knowing of the evacuation, I got the bright idea to drive up to Sierra Madre. So my girlfriend Allyson and I took her dog Tonya and got in the car and headed up Santa Anita.
The traffic going north towards the fire was crazy. It was bumper to bumper from Foothill all the way up to where the police and fire crews were turning folks around. The other side of the street was also crowded with cars going downhill. So I hung a left on Orange Grove and headed for Mountain Trail Avenue, unknowingly skirting the initial evacuation zone. Everywhere, on every sidewalk, on every street were gobs of people with cameras and cell phones, taking pictures. I saw big pickup trucks rolling around, windows down and passengers shooting pictures. I parked the car and we got out, going straight to the Mount Wilson Trail. When we got there, there was no one around: no crowds, no cops, no firefighters, nothing. So we set off on the trail, not encountering a single barrier except some already snapped caution tape.
After walking for a minute, waves of hot air began rolling towards us. We hesitated, but pressed on, two idiots wondering towards a wildfire armed with nothing but a digital camera and a Shetland Sheepdog. As we came to then end of the section wide enough for fire trucks, the cliff/ridge on the right dropped away, giving us a sweeping panorama of the flames, lighting up the night with a devilish red glow. I could tell right away that we were perfectly safe; the fire was still only on the east side of the canyon, billowing huge acrid clouds into the night air (and raining ash down on us). Even if the wind suddenly shifted, it would take quite a while to get near us.
So we pulled out the camera and immediately wished that one of us had brought a tripod. As spectacular as what we saw was, the best we could do was shaky, blurry snapshots. We hung around for an hour and went home.
The next day, Sunday, dawned smoky and hot. The winds continued to blow the fire up the mountainsides, away from the homes. The fire did however spread west, crossing Little Santa Anita Canyon and Bailey Canyon. The evacuation zone was extended to Michillinda, but this soon proved inadequate as the flames reached the upper portion of Hastings Canyon, prompting evacuations in Pasadena.
About this time, a guy named Dylan drove up into Sierra Madre (following on the heals of friends who I might have bumped into as I left the night before). Like me, he found no one in the area to stop him (though a fire crew was at the base of the mountain). So he went up a ways, roughly to Orchard Camp, taking fabulously Gonzo shots as he went. I went up and watched the fire from a safe ridge. He ran straight into the burn zone.
Now if anyone remembers rightly, I promised to bring a new picture of avocados every day. That was in January and I got about a week before I stopped. Well, my camera unexpectedly broke and I had to send it in to Canon for warranty repairs. Fortunately, I expect to get it back by the end of the month and will resume regular posts over at The Arcadia Avocado.
And if anyone lays a finger on Miss Havisham (and I know her real name!), Frazgo, Aaron Proctor and I will hunt you down. We are not as hung up on anonymity as some. That and she’s a “dem fine woman” who knows how to throw a party.
Last 5 posts in Pasadena
- On Mark Leon's Passing - May 9th, 2008
- The Souvenirs of Mt. Lowe at Pasadena History Museum - May 9th, 2008
- The Proctor Is In: The Doctor Is In - May 9th, 2008
- Friday Linkfest: 10 Reasons to Remember - May 9th, 2008
- The Affordable Housing Bunny Hops Into Pasadena - May 8th, 2008
Topics: Pasadena, POTD, Arcadia, Monrovia, What Are We Doing Here?, Sierra Madre |
May 9th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Aw.. (swoon) such gallant protection, sweetness and light!
I can’t wait for the avocados.
May 10th, 2008 at 8:47 am
No kidding, Ms H we got your back covered.