LA fires threaten cell phone, broadcast towers

Intense wildfires in Southern California are dangerously close to facilities atop Mount Wilson, threatening damage to cell phone and TV broadcast towers, as well as a famed observatory.

The blaze, which started August 26, has burned approximately 20,102 acres and as of Sunday was only 5 percent contained, according to the Web site of the California governor's office. Known as the "Station Fire," as it began about one mile above the Angeles Crest Fire Station, the inferno has spread throughout the San Gabriel Mountains in Northern Los Angeles County.

At an altitude of 5,715 feet, Mount Wilson houses a number of TV, radio, and cell phone transmitters known as the Communications Facilities, all providing service to the Los Angeles area, according to the LA Times. Also threatened by the fire is the historic Mount Wilson Observatory, home to critical astronomy projects and research.

Observatory Director Harold McAlister wrote of the situation in blog posts early Monday:

Monday, 31 Aug 09, 6:10 am PDT - Larry and Dave report that fire fighters are preparing to set more back fires below the broadcast towers, but otherwise things are calm on the mountain for the present.

Monday, 31 Aug 09, 5:50 am PDT - Sky and Telescope magazine posted this article in the last hour. Our reports on site are not presently so dire, but the "fog of war" certainly exists in a situation like this. Every preparation is being made for this scenario, and it may indeed yet happen. I remain optimistic for now.

On Friday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Monterey Counties due to the Station fire and other wildfires. Evacuations have been ordered, and two firefighers have already lost their lives.

The latest updates on the Station fire can be found at the state's Calfires site and at the Incident Information System Web site.

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[T_Hoff]

The fire has grown just a tad -- it has burned more than 85,000 acres as of Monday morning.

[Jonathan]

*shrugs* This is what happens when you have people hyper sensitive about cutting down anything. I'm not talking clear cutting, but there should be controlled burns, and intentional fire breaks where there are miles of space between trees. Oh and that undergrowth...ax it as well.
Yes such fire will happen because they have always happened even before people and drought came on the scene. However some of this heartache can be mitigated with more prevention.

[EvanSei]

thats what they should do but that would be to responsible.

[sciontcya]

I'm about 2-miles from it and it's doubled in size every day for four-straight days.
It's bad, and yes, a natural part of the forest rebuilding process that's long overdue.
I personally think that firefighters should NOT put their lives in danger when people build/live in the mountains.
We've pushed nature and she's pushing back.
If you want a home with a view, you live with the possible consequences.
RIP to the two firemen lost yesterday.

[billmajors]

Jonathan is on the right track. I am 78 and born in LA. I have never seen a summer and fall go by without wildfires in the adjacent hills and mountains. And, each year we wake up like ducks to a new day, without any memory of what happened before. Surprise, surprise, the fires are here! The problem has always been money and politicians with the "deer caught in the headlights" mentality, incapable of looking ahead and dealing with what will surely happen. Right now our fearless leaders are going to scream, "no money." Well guess why there is no money, look at their despicable actions on passing a state budget. These guys don't want to cut useless or poorly-drafted state programs (cut the unbelievably high pensions so many state employees receive, not worthy social programs where the money is spent on worthwhile causes) and they don't want to raise taxes on their wealthy friends in order to handle real-life problems like the annual brush (and in this case, forest) fires. Even in the past when California was in the black these same fearless ones did not give a damn about the seasonal fires in LA. So what if some homes on the edge of the brush country were destroyed. "No biggy. Let them eat higher insurance rates!! Except this year, as in some before, the homes of the wealth were seriously threatened (and, in the case of the Malibu fire some years ago, many were destroyed.) Jonathan is generally right, preventive action should be taken: controlled burns, more and larger fire breaks, more available assets to stamp out fires when they are small. It would take some serious thinking and planning, as well as money, to take care of a yearly problem. But, please don't hold your breath for this to happen. The fact is these politicians care about only two things: their plush jobs and the status and money it brings them. Wrong! three things, the third being their immense egos. In the meantime, LA no longer has a national forest - that went up in smoke!

[EvanSei]

well if the forest goes up in smoke their will be nothing to burn and the fires will stop ha problem solved, let it all burn because that would be the stupid way to go about it and we all know the government is good at doing stupid things

[Michichael]

I see a lot of similarities between our economy and California's forest fires. The more we battle/fight to preserve the existing stuff, the worse the eventual flames will be. Fires serve to clear out the dead and dying, and pave the way for new growth. The economy is the same way. The flames of recession burn up the dead brush businesses, paving the way for new businesses, innovation and growth. Or at least it would if the government didn't act as a firefighter.

[EvanSei]

I agree that forest fires help to clear out the old brush and help to keep the forest healthy but when people start loosing their homes that is bad and those fires should not be allowed to burn

[EvanSei]

well if the towers are AT&T it doesn't matter if they burn beings that they don't work half the time any ways, what t.v. towers in danger OH GOD DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES AHHHHHHHHH! or not. :) I do feel bad for the two firefighters that lost their lives and for all the people who lost homes.