Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor AZUSA - Unstable, humid air from Tropical Storm Genevieve may create flash flood hazards as firefighters make gains on the Ranch 2 Fire containment Sunday.
All flanks of the fire remain stable and acreage did not increase overnight. The fire has scorched 4,237 acres and is 63 percent contained, according to the US Forest Service. While the chance of rain in the fire area is only 10 percent, crews remain vigilant as heavy rain may impact trails, access roads and communities below the mountains, the US Forest Service said. Crews continue to work the rugged mountain terrain, seeking out pockets of heat. The western edge of the fire remains a challenge, with persistent heat generated by the weather and the terrain making containment difficult. 412 personnel remain on scene, along with four water tenders, one fixed-wing aircraft, seven engines, four hand crews and three helicopters, according to the US Forest Service. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - An aggressive attack kept the Dam Fire above Azusa from burning out of control Thursday.
Roughly 300 acres have burned near the Morris Dam along Highway 39. The fire scorched heavy brush as it moved north away from the foothills. People were evacuated north of Morris Dam up to Crystal Lake Road. Highway 39 into the Azusa Canyon will remain closed until Sunday, according to the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station. Non-residents will not be allowed up the mountain past El Encanto Restaurant, according to the Azusa Police Department. The fire was first dispatched just before 1:30 p.m. July 30. Firefighters from the US Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Department worked for suppress the flames. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Multiple agencies worked to suppress a brush fire that ignited in the mountains above Arcadia Monday. Firefighters from the US Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Arcadia Fire Department, Monrovia Fire Department, Pasadena Fire Department, Sierra Madre Fire Department and Glendale Fire Department held the brush fire to seven acres.
The fire was first dispatched just before 12:30 p.m. July 20. No structures were threatened. Sierra Madre firefighters were first on scene, according to the Sierra Madre Fire Department. There were a number of hikers in the area when the fire ignited near the restroom area at Chantry Flats. The hikers were asked to shelter in place during the fire fight, according to the US Forest Service. The cause is under investigation.
Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor
REGION - The California Highway Patrol continues to investigate a crash on a mountain road above Azusa that left a motorcycle rider with broken bones.
The crash occurred February 15 on Highway 39 south of North Fork Road just before 1 p.m. The rider was taken to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center for his injuries. Charges may be considered once the investigation is concluded. No one has been arrested yet, according to Rodrigo Jimenez of the California Highway Patrol Baldwin Park Office. The motorcycle rider was southbound on Highway 39 at mile marker 28.89. A black BMW was headed northbound when the driver pulled away at high speed from another vehicle recording it, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch. The BMW driver, a 19-year-old Los Angeles resident, sideswiped a Chrysler 300 while making a turn and slammed head-on into a Yamaha motorcycle as the BMW crossed into opposing lanes, Jimenez told SGV CityWatch.
In the video, the Yamaha is thrust backwards by the impact with the BMW, The Yamaha was hit from behind by a Hyundai Veloster, projecting it into the air just above the motorcycle rider who somersaulted in the air before hitting the pavement. The BMW then struck the front of the Ford Mustang.
Initially, medics determined the 25-year-old motorcycle rider from Santa Ana suffered a fractured right hand and a fractured right leg which also suffered lacerations and abrasions. “I’m very surprised he survived,” Jimenez said of the motorcycle rider. “I’m sure, had he not been wearing a helmet, it would have ended up being a fatality.” SGV CityWatch reached out to the rider, but he has not returned a request for an interview. The driver of the Veloster, a 21-year-old from Huntington Beach, received abrasions to his left shoulder and abdomen, Jimenez said, who cautioned about unnecessary driving habits on mountain roads. “Those roads are nice, right? The scenery is great, but at the end of the day it’s everyone’s responsibility to drive safe,” Jimenez said. “It’s not a racetrack, it’s not a closed course. If you leave your lane, you’re putting other lives at risk.” Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor REGION - 20 U.S. Forest Service firefighters who spent nearly one month suppressing the devastating wildfires alongside the Victoria Rural Fire Service will return home Wednesday. The 20 local firefighters deployed as part of an effort to assist in extinguishing the Australian wildfires, which to date have killed an estimated 1 billion animals, killed more than 30 people and burned more than 27 million acres. “All of us on the forest, and I know their families are proud of the hard work our dedicated firefighters have accomplished while in Australia,” said Angeles Fire Chief Robert Garcia. “We look forward to hearing and learning from their experiences abroad.”
After arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, the firefighters will be taken to Los Angeles Fire Department Station 5 where they will be reunited with loved ones. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor SAN GABRIEL MOUNTAINS - Firefighters transported a victim to an area trauma center after apparently hanging himself in the San Gabriel Mountains February 2. The incident occurred just before 9 a.m. near some cabins along Highway 39 at mile marker 24.51. The victim was cut down by people described by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s San Dimas Station Lieutenant Ed MacKenzie as friends.
According to U.S. Forest Service radio traffic, the victim fell and struck his head on a rock after falling. He was unconscious and exhibited labored breathing as U.S. Forest Service firefighters treated him. Patient care was transferred to Los Angeles County Firefighters who transported the victim by helicopter to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. The patient’s status is not known. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Firefighters report one person died in a crash that ignited a half-acre brush fire above Azusa Friday. The vehicle plunged about 200 feet over the side of Highway 39 near mile marker 34, north of Coldbrook Campground. The crash ignited in heavy brush, but the fire was kept to one-half acre due to the green vegetation in the area. The U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Department worked together to beat back the flames.
The heat from the fire kept rescuers from reaching the vehicle, but once the fire near the vehicle was quenched, rescue crews were able to find a fatality. The roadway is closed while crews remain on scene. Mile marker 32 to Crystal Lake Road is closed, but CHP officers will be escorting some drivers down the mountain, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - A collision on Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains has sparked a small brush fire Friday. The crash occurred on Highway 39 near Coldbrook Campground just after 9:30 a.m. The U.S. Forest Service has called for a full brush fire response for a 200-square-foot fire in oak underbrush burning uphill in steep terrain. A rescue crew from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has found the vehicle about 200 feet over the side and are checking for patients. Los Angeles County Firefighters are also en route to assist with ground crews and helicopters. It is unknown if there are any victims inside the crashed vehicle near Coldbrook Campground on Highway 39. The fire's heat is preventing Sheriff's tactical medics from reaching the crashed vehicle. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - The driver in the fatal crash over the side of San Gabriel Canyon Road five miles above Azusa remains unidentified Tuesday. The crash occurred at mile marker 23 November 19 around 5:11 p.m. The victim’s unknown-model sedan was found 200 feet down an embankment -- the body was found 80 feet from the embankment, according to the California Highway Patrol. It was unclear if the victim was ejected, or walked away from the vehicle before dying.
A driver witnessed the car go over the embankment and flagged down Sheriff’s deputies, the CHP said. CHP investigators determined the driver was traveling south at an unsafe speed and failed to negotiate a roadway curve, drove across northbound lanes, collided with a dirt embankment and descended into a ravine. The crash sparked a three-acre brush fire that was quenched with ground crews and helicopters from the U.S. Forest Service and Los Angeles County Fire Department. Fire personnel discovered the body while battling flames and the driver was declared dead at 6:56 p.m., the CHP said. The driver was wearing a seat belt, the CHP said. Written by AARON CASTREJON CityWatch Editor MOUNTAINS - Firefighters have yet to reach a victim inside a vehicle that crashed and ignited a small brush fire above Azusa Monday.
Los Angeles County Fire Department urban search and rescue personal are attempting to reach the crashed vehicle said to be as much as 150 feet over San Gabriel Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A driver apparently witnessed the vehicle go over the side of the roadway near mile marker 23.86 around 5:18 p.m., according to the California Highway Patrol. Deputies with the San Dimas Sheriff’s Station are redirecting northbound traffic at the base of the canyon. The fire’s progress is being allowed at the top of the hill by the asphalt road and at the bottom by the San Gabriel Reservoir. |
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