The Burning Season

AP Photo / Michael Owen Baker

It would not be autumn in Los Angeles without wildfires.  Today, it is the northern San Fernando Valley and other communities across the region.  Those who have not been affected yet must remain vigilant.  God forbid, tomorrow flames could threaten Malibu, Calabasas, Griffith Park or San Bernardino. 

For some perspective, Griffith Park, a largely wooded wilderness, is only eight miles from downtown.  A fire there would cripple the city.  The last one in the park, in 1933, killed 29 people who tried to fight it, making it one of the deadliest firefighting disasters in history.  Ironically, those killed were part of a crew clearing brush and building trails and fire breaks within the park.

The burning season is exacerbated by a wet winter and spring followed by a hot, dry August and September.  By the time October, November and December roll around, the conditions are ripe for incineration.  And that creates the hellacious apocalyptic landscapes that glow on our TV screens in the dusky orange light.

Make no mistake, although these events are not unique in the city, they are made worse due to climate change.  It is a consequence of our warming earth that we have many more 100-plus degree days that bake the landscape and dry plant life into oblivion.  Santa Ana wind events are also to blame.  They, too, have always been part of the southern California weather pattern. 

They gust in gale force blasts of hyper-heated furnace breath.  Once the fuel is ignited, winds whip the flames into a kinetic frenzy, consuming every stick of wood or bit of brush as the fire rampages across the region.  Within the fire, the intense heat and wind create a microclimate of tornadic force, spiraling up and up into the hazy reaches of the upper atmosphere.  The resulting choking smoke can be seen from space.

Today’s fire, originating in Sylmar north of Los Angeles and spreading to Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and points north, has consumed close to 5,000 acres.  Homes and property have been lost, although it is too early for hard figures as the fire is zero percent contained—meaning a line carved around it eliminating fuel—however, one man has died of a heart attack, 13,000 people are under mandatory evacuation orders, and four major freeways were affected making for an incredibly bad commute across the basin.  The four closed freeways strangled the flow of traffic out of the affected communities.  If one could get away from the area, the other roads and freeways were a bit better.

Fighting the fires is made more complicated due to the variable terrain.  We have the downtown L.A. metropolis with skyscrapers and large buildings; suburban communities with tract homes and malls; distinct natural environments, including deserts, mountains, tropical and coastal regions, all very close to one another.  During these fires, deer, coyotes, even mountain lions often come loping through a quiet community of tract homes or businesses.  This makes for a strange and disconcerting sight.  It is sheer terror and panic for animals and people.  Because of horses and livestock that are stabled in the area, the city opens large animal evacuation centers as well as Red Cross Centers for residents who evacuate and cannot get back to their homes.  Many pets are left behind, and they, too, run in a generalized panic seeking safety.

A DC-10 Converted Tanker Aircraft

One of the major tools used by firefighters in the region are super-tankers, converted 747-400 series or DC-10 aircraft that come roaring over homes to drop pink Phos-Chek fire retardant to smother the flames and create that line around the blaze.  This retardant gel coats the brushy hillsides, the vehicles and homes in the fire area.  It is approved by the USDA Forest Service and is the safest and most effective environmental retardant product.  It is pink-red due to its iron oxide content, but it also comes in a clear formula and one with a disappearing color.  I have heard L.A. firefighters and Cal Fire like the pink-red because the drop line is clearly visible.

Despite aggressive measures like brush clearing, strategic planting of fire-resistance foliage, an effort to educate the public, and strenuous preparation to fight and control these fires, they continue to occur in alarming numbers.  Many are started by lightning in the region, or electrical transmission lines that run up and down the state to power homes and businesses.  Power companies have actually been shutting down lines due to the Santa Ana winds which have started cataclysmic fires in the past.  They have received the public’s ire for doing this; customers say they are facilitating these rolling blackouts to avoid multi-million dollar lawsuits when power lines cause fires that destroy lives and property.  Instead, customers believe they should modernize the equipment to prevent sparking a conflagration.

For this event, now called the Saddleridge Fire, there are other concerns beyond loss of life and property.  The Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility is in the fire zone.  This is the plant that had the leak that poisoned the neighborhood of Porter Ranch a few years ago.  If the fire encroaches on the plant, there is the danger of explosions and increased flammability.  There are also those high voltage power lines that supply energy up and down the state.  Should the fire come into contact with those, power to the region may be cut.

For now, though, firefighters are trying to keep the flames from moving west and south into Hidden Hills, Calabasas and Malibu.  California 118, the Ronald Reagan Freeway, is closed as firefighters make a stand to keep the flames from jumping over this natural concrete barrier.  If it does, they will look to stop it at US-101.  Officials hope the Santa Ana winds die down tonight but the danger of these wildfires will continue into the holiday season.  That is the reality.

Fox23.com