Written by AARON CASTREJON
​CityWatch Editor

REGION - Weather conditions and poor visibility are keeping firefighters from gaining an upper hand on the Bobcat Fire.

23,890 acres have burned in the parched and steep terrain of the San Gabriel Mountains since the fire’s inception four days ago. Firefighters have 0 percent containment, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

More than 530 firefighters continue to work on keeping the fire from spreading further south.

On the bright side, voluntary evacuation orders for Sierra Madre and Arcadia were lifted Thursday. However, Arcadia residents north of Foothill Boulevard and East of Pasadena remain under evacuation warnings.

Evacuation warnings remain in effect for Pasadena, Monrovia, Duarte, Bradbury and Duarte Mesa.

The Angeles National Forest remains closed for recreation.

Overnight, the Bobcat Fire jumped San Gabriel Canyon Road as it burned heavily northeast.

Angeles Crest Highway (State Route 2) is closed eastbound from Upper Big Tujunga Canyon Road to Big Pines. San Gabriel Canyon Road (Highway 39) is closed at Old San Gabriel Canyon Road, according to Caltrans.

The fire has cast a morbid orange haze over the Southland as the smoke mixes with cloud cover. An unending drizzle of ash and dirt from the burn site continues to sprinkle over the urban landscape.

Burning up is mostly old-growth chaparral and tall grass in areas with little to no fire record.

Firefighters have no estimate on containing the fire.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - The stubborn Bobcat Fire surpassed 10,000 acres Tuesday.

So far, 10,344 acres have burned. Firefighters have yet to set any containment figures on the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

A Red Flag warning, which went into effect at Noon Tuesday, remains in effect until 8 p.m. Wednesday, September 8 for the mountains and valleys of Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Cities that could face great danger should Santa Ana winds drive the fire further south now include Pasadena and Altadena, in addition to Arcadia, Bradbury, Duarte, Monrovia and Sierra Madre.

Arcadia officials announced Tuesday night that residents north of Foothill Boulevard and east of Santa Anita Avenue should consider voluntarily evacuating.

“Although there is no immediate threat of fire to Arcadia residences at this time, predictive modeling of both the weather and the Bobcat Fire suggests that circumstances could become more concerning overnight,” Arcadia officials said in a written statement.

Arcadia City Manager Dominic Lazzaretto has issued a Declaration of Local Emergency allowing for emergency provisions to be enacted in response to the fire.

The Red Cross has established a temporary evacuation point at Santa Anita Park, 285 W. Huntington Dr., Gate 5, in Arcadia. It is now open for anyone affected by the Bobcat Fire.

COVID-19 safety measures are in place & Red Cross volunteers are ready to help evacuees into safe lodging, the Red Cross announced.

A hotline has been established at 626-574-5463 for the most current and up-to-date information regarding the fire’s impact on Arcadia.

Fire crews in Monrovia performed preventative work Tuesday, cleaning hazardous vegetation, per-treating areas and improving access points in the event flames reach foothill neighborhoods, according to Monrovia city officials.

Containment has been made even more laborious due to poor visibility and the treacherous terrain.

The Bobcat Fire is burning in steep terrain of the West Fork area of the San Gabriel drainage. Flames continue to move north into the wilderness and south towards Mt. Bliss.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

REGION - Firefighters have yet to gain any containment on the stubborn Bobcat Fire burning in the San Gabriel Mountains above Duarte.

The fire, which began burning midday Sunday, has scorched 4,871 acres and remains 0% contained. The fire continues to make a push northbound deeper into the Angeles National Forest. A potential small Santa Ana wind event Monday could drive the southern flank of the fire westbound, according to the US Forest Service.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Several hours before the fire sparked Sunday, the US Forest Service noted a high volume of people enjoying the wilderness in the West Fork picnic area near the origin of the fire. A number of vehicles were illegally parked along West Fork Road and the US Forest Service was looking for assistance in ticketing those illegally parked, according to US Forest Service radio traffic.

Drifting smoke caused by the Bobcat Fire has created unhealthy air in the Pomona-Walnut Valley, East San San Gabriel Valley and San Gabriel Mountains, according to Los Angeles County Public Health.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

MOUNTAINS - A well-established fire is burning in the West Fork area of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The fire was observed by the US Forest Service just before 12:30 p.m. September 6. Forest Service firefighters are requesting mutual aid from the Los Angeles County Fire Department as well as a helicopter from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for search and rescue operations, according to the US Forest Service.

The fire is burning near the West Fork river area near Cogswell Dam, which rests well above the Duarte and Monrovia communities.

There are lots of people enjoying the wilderness in the West Fork area. Earlier in the day, the US forest service was busy ticketing people illegally parked along the roadway.

LOS ANGELES - A 21-year-old woman was named as the victim of a multi-vehicle wreck on the 210 freeway December 15.

Jennifer Gainer Goldsbury was identified by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.

Four vehicles were involved in a colossal collision caused by an unknown driver who abandoned a black Ford Fusion after hitting a guardrail on the westbound side of the 210 freeway east of Buena Vista Street at 2:45 a.m.

The drivers of a 2016 Toyota Highlander, 2006 Chevrolet Malibu, 2010 Ford Mustang and 2015 Ford Escape could not brake in time to avoid the Ford Fusion due to the oil, coolant, transmission fluid and brake fluid spilled across lanes of the freeway, according to a California Highway Patrol collision report obtained by SGV CityWatch.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A 51-year-old Commerce man was arrested Tuesday, hours after allegedly stabbing to death an Azusa man aboard a westbound Gold Line train.
 
Peter Munoz was booked on suspicion of murder and is being held without bail, according to Deputy Trina Schrader of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
 
Munoz was officially arrested at 11 p.m., according to Los Angeles County booking records, nearly 12 hours after the attack occurred.
 
“The arrest comes after investigators conducted interviews of witnesses and viewed surveillance video in the area,” Schrader said.
 
A motive for the killing is unknown.
 
62-year-old Xuezhong Bao was named as the victim by the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
 
Bao was stabbed at least once in the upper torso at or near the Irwindale Station, 16017 Avenida Padilla, some time before 11:30 a.m. November 27. It was unclear if he was stabbed on the platform, or inside the train.
 
Bao and the suspect made their was westbound in a train that arrived at the Duarte/City of Hope Station. The suspect was detained. Bao died after attempts at CPR failed.
 
Munoz is being held in the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station jail and is awaiting a scheduled appearance in Alhambra Municipal Court Thursday, November 29.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A 44-year-old Pasadena man was identified Friday as the person found dead in a car in Duarte.
 
Todd Strithongkham was found dead inside a vehicle Thursday night, according to Sarah Ardalani of the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner.
 
An autopsy has not been scheduled.
 
Strithongkham may have died of natural causes.
 
Deputies were called to the parking lot around 9:16 p.m. August 9, according to Lt. Frank Ruiz of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station.
 
The vehicle was located in the eastern portion of the Target lot, 1050 Huntington Dr., closer to the Sonic Drive-In. A passerby approached the man who was initially described as unresponsive and cold to the touch, according to Sheriff’s radio traffic.


 

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A Du Roc Crips gang member will spend the rest of his life behind bars after being convicted of opening fire on a group of people last year.
 
Apple Valley man Marquis Duran Turner, 29, was convicted April 2 of one count each of conspiracy to commit murder and shooting at an occupied motor vehicle and seven counts of attempted murder, the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said.
 
Turner was sentenced May 8.
 
Deputy District Attorney David Ayvazian of the Hardcore Gang Division said the jury also found true gang allegations and allegations of a principal discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury, the DA’s office said.
 
Turner and accomplice Anthony Deon Edwards, 26, conspired to open fire on rival gang members in Pasadena. Armed with an AR-15 and a handgun, the two men fired upon a group of people at Garfield Avenue and Buckeye Street January 16, 2017.
 
The group targeted was not affiliated with any gang, the DA’s office said.
 
One of the seven victims suffered irreversible damage to her fingers as a result of the gunfire.
 
Edwards, a Duarte man, was convicted of the same charges by a separate jury March 28 and sentenced to 246 years to life April 26.

Written by AARON CASTREJON | CityWatch Editor

LOS ANGELES - A man convicted of seven felony counts, including first-degree murder, was sentenced to 91 years and eight months to life in prison for fatally shooting a man two years ago in Duarte.
 
Luis Santillan Valdes, 42, was convicted of first-degree murder, attempted murder, fleeing a pursuing peace officer’s motor vehicle while driving and four counts of assault with a firearm, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
 
Jurors also found true special allegations that the defendant personally and intentionally discharged a firearm, which caused great bodily injury and death during the crime, the DA’s office said.
 
Victim Gabriel De La Torre invited Valdes and two other men to his house August 19, 2016 for a night of drinking. At some point during the night, Valdes became offended by a remark and became angry when the group continued laughing at him, said Prosecutor and Deputy District Attorney Vanessa Alfaro.
 
Valdes left and returned with a handgun, which he used to fatally shoot De La Torre, 32. Valdes turned the gun at the two other men, firing at one of them. As Valdes left to the front of the home, he pointed the gun at three other people, Alfaro said.
 
De La Torre’s family called 9-1-1 and provided deputies a description of Valdes’ vehicle, which deputies were able to intercept. Valdes refused to stop and fled west on the 210 freeway before he surrendered on the Azusa Avenue off ramp.