Los Angeles: Fire Forces Evacuations, Burns Homes in Sylmar Area

FOX News ^ | 15 November 2008

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Fire Forces Evacuations, Burns Homes in Sylmar Area

Sayre Fire is near the 210 Freeway in Northern Los Angeles.

A dangerous, fast-moving brush fire in the Sylmar section of the San Fernando Valley, spread by gusting 50 mph winds has now burned at least five homes and is threatening several more, City Fire Department spokesperson Melissa Kelly said today.

So far there are no reports of injuries to residents or fire personnel, said Kelly.

The blaze ignited about 10:30 p.m. in the dry, brushy hills above 13000 W. Sayre Street near Shablow Ave, and has so far consumed more than 500 acres.

[Pelham]

I spoke with a woman this morning who said that she had been evacuated from Carbon Canyon. She said they had 15 minutes to clear out. Just enough time to grab the kids, the pets, and some family photos.

The Nixon library is in old Yorba Linda, it isn’t near any hillsides covered with brush like the neighborhoods that burned. The building is largely brick and stone and glass so I don’t think there’s much to worry about from flying embers.

[Yaelle]

Oh my, oh my. Watched the whole thing. How close the FF and the photog got; I’d flip out to see a wall of fire like that over my head.

And those homes... I feel so bad for those families.

Thank G-d for our brave fire fighters. G-d protect them please.

[spectr17]

From Kate on Shotgunworld.com

Did Prado make it?

Yes it did, my husband and I shot there today. The fire stayed on the west side of the 71 and all the smoke was driven by the wind westward. One thing about shooting in the wind those targets go where ever they want 5 stand was fun kate

[CindyDawg]

I hope your friend's house is spared. It's a pain to put everything back but better than the alternative. Someone had expressed a concern about the library. If there was even a chance of fire I just mentioned they had probably already packed up or moved valuable irreplaceable.

[do the dhue]

These fires could be my fault. One day, Smokey Bear was on TV and he gave me a huge responsibility. Smokey said, 'only you can prevent Forrest fires". At the time, I thought it was a huge responsibility for a guy like me. So, may I defer to the savior:

IT'S OBAMA'S FAULT!!!!!!!

[La Enchiladita]

This Yorba Linda fire you linked on YouTube, came very close to my cousin’s home. The house across from them burned down; his was saved, and now they clean up smoke damage. It was a touch-and-go weekend for them.

[La Enchiladita]

Al Baby, we are in Palms/Culver City, at least 20 miles ??from the nearest fire, and everything covered in ash by yesterday afternoon.

[al baby]

I blevie it i was working in la on sat and it was smoky as hell

[al baby]

Hey go to Titos for me and have some tacos

[La Enchiladita]

Well....if you insist..... OKAY!!!

[Issaquahking]

“they escaped with only the shirt on their backs....I wonder..was there time to pack up the car

Each forest/ground fire is different. Fires that crown in the timber, can run a 100 yards in thirty seconds. Given the odds, it is better to to get out alive, with only the shirt on your back, than to be dead in the riches of a burnt out place.

As an armchair quarterback, I have to ask why people in the area don't use fireproof materials in the design of the house?

[BurbankKarl]

Just for kicks I created a GeoMac picture of the Sayre Fire Perimeter, with past burn area perimeters included to show you why the fire stopped where it did. The yellow is the SAYRE fire, while the gray are the SESNON and MAREK fires from 2008, with other past perimeters shaded different colors. Note: The large green area without a border to the right is the Angeles National Forest area....

[ArmstedFragg]

Yep, it’s all about the fuel. There’s a guy down here who’s done similar maps on San Diego County’s fires for the last sixty years. They look a lot like yours. Yet every time there’s a major event, the unions and the politicians announce they have a new suppression oriented solution that will solve everything and the gullible public buys it.

We’ve had the unions claiming that San Diego County’s fire losses are caused by the presence of non-union volunteer fire departments in the back country. Funny thing is, the guys who lost control of those fires weren’t the volunteers. And here we had over 800 homes in three different counties go up in flames and every one of them was protected by “paid, professional, firefighters”.

I’ve been pointing that out, hoping they’ll finally have to admit that wildfires are massive acts of nature that will never be solved by suppression alone. I’m not holding my breath, though.

[BurbankKarl]

http://lafd.blogspot.com/2008/11/sayre-fire-hallowed-ground-for.html

Interesting story.....history repeats itself.

[ArmstedFragg]

That’s funny, (no, not the story) I’d just gotten it from the LAFD e-mail list and was about to send it to you. Just as a matter of interest, the average fuel age in these major wildfire events is roughly forty years. So, 1966 was pretty much on the nose.

[lainie]

BK, that’s a great map.