More than 900 firefighters continue to battle Powerhouse fire

[alp227]

Source: LA Times

More than 900 firefighters on Saturday continued to battle the 3,600 acre Powerhouse fire in the Angeles National Forest and Santa Clarita area on what officials said was the hottest day of the week.

The wildfire is only 15% contained, and firefighters are working with hot, dry conditions that could hamper their efforts, said Nathan Judy of the U.S. Forest Service.

“Today’s the hottest day of the week, we’ll have more favorable weather coming in tomorrow,” said Judy, adding that officials will have a better idea about when they’ll reach full containment once they get through Saturday.

Temperatures in the fire zone were topping 100 degrees, with relative humidity down in the single digits. “It’s going to be very hot and dry with not a whole lot of wind,” said National Weather Service meteorologist Scott Sukup in Oxnard.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-more-than-900-firefighters-battle-powerhouse-fire-20130601,0,2588615.story

[SunSeeker]

1. It was 90 degrees in the shade in LA today. Firefighters amaze me.

I don't know how they can fight fires in 100 degree weather with hot winds blasting at them while wearing heavy coats. I am amazed we can find 1 person like that, let alone 900.

[freshwest]

2. Action conquers fear. Such people are not cynics. They deserve our support and respect.

[Left Coast2020]

10. I worked a fire in Medford many years ago in about 90-95 degree heat.

The smoke alone is deadly. And you have to worry about staying hydrated.

[SunSeeker]

19. How do you even breathe, let alone put out a fire?

Good thing there's people like you out there!!

[Politicalboi]

3. It's raining ash here in Lancaster

I just washed my car after 7 months or more, and now I have ash on my car. I guess I'm lucky that's all I have to worry or bitch about. I saw that fire Friday when it was still small. The huge smoke clouds gave the Antelope Valley shade in some areas.

[olddots]

4. Forecasts say it will hit 100 degrees on Sunday

thirty miles from the fires. This is serious .

[pinboy3niner]

5. Now 5600 acres, more evacuations in Lake Elizabeth area

Per local 10pm news just now. Earlier erratic winds have now shifted to westerly. Current temp in Castaic now 84, but higher in fire area.

USFS provides updates, but they can be infrequent (and their latest doesn't reflect the newest info reported by news media): http://www.inciweb.org/incident/3399/

[Cha]

6. Such wonderful specimans of humankind!

Please let them put the fire out without anyone getting hurt bad.

thanks alp

[pinboy3niner]

7. "In the last hour or so this fire has really spread"

--Local CBS2 reporter on 11pm news. He reports fire now surrounding Lake Hughes/Lake Elizabeth area.

"Flames continue to move at a blistering pace to the northwest." CBS reports more than 1,000 homes now threatened.

Nathan Judy of the USFS just told CBS that the original projection of containment by midnight Wednesday is going to be pushed pack. It won't be contained by then.

[tofuandbeer]

8. I live near the ocean, and tonight the temps didn't drop as low as I'd thought...

I suspect another very warm day tomorrow. The humidity is up, so hopefully that will pull some moisture up that way.
A big nod to those the firefighters!!!

[pinboy3niner]

9. I can see the glow in the sky from my window right now (1st night I've seen that)

No danger for me, as I'm 14 miles due West of the fire and there's a big ridgeline and some small lakes in between.

Latest reports on local news say at least 5 homes now destroyed, possibly many more.

[midnight]

11. K&R

[pinboy3niner]

12. NBC: Powerhouse Fire Jumps to 5,561 Acres, Burns 5 Structures; 3 Firefighters Injured

By Jason Kandel, Reggie Kumar and Brandon Lowrey | Saturday, Jun 1, 2013 | Updated 11:04 PM PDT

The Powerhouse Fire grew to 5,561 acres in northern Los Angeles County on a hot and windy Saturday, burning structures and prompting evacuations in rugged areas between the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

At least five homes have burned in the blaze, said Los Angeles County Fire spokesman Keith Mora.

About 1,000 structures were threatened in the burn area, he said.

Three firefighters have been injured, and 960 firefighters, assisted by planes and helicopters, were expected to keep up the aerial and ground assault against flames on Saturday. The blaze was 20 percent contained, said John Wagner of the U.S. Forest Service.

...


Story and video:
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Powerhouse-Fire-Chars-3660-Acres-Santa-Clarita-209783801.html?_osource=SocialFlowTwt_LABrand

[pinboy3niner]

13. The fire has now spread to 19,500 acres

KABC-7 just gave a live update from the scene.

Right now there is a huge blanket of smoke over the entire area.

[maddezmom]

14. Yikes, just looked at the pics on KABC and most were from Friday

Stay safe.

[pinboy3niner]

16. A couple non-dramatic photos just to show the smoke haze here...

I took these about an hour ago from my location in the Antelope Valley, 14 miles due West of the fire.

Looking to the West, toward the fire. Notice how the ridgeline disappears in the haze toward the right. (This is a digital telephoto shot, so the ridge is not quite as close as it appears.)



Looking East, away from the fire.



Both CBS2 and KTLA5 today aired dramatic fire footage from last night and this morning.

[maddezmom]

17. Looks like people with breathing issues should stay indoors today

Also saw there is another raging wild fire in NM.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/06/02/wildfires-california-mexico-evacuation/2381805/

[fizzgig]

21. that got big, fast

it's scary when they do that. looks like it may be cooler tomorrow, but the winds are also supposed to be up.

i have always had the utmost respect for firefighters, but i respect them all the more after our monster fire last summer. i've suited up and gone through the burn building before, but i can't imagine what it's like to be in full gear in 100 degree heat fighting a raging fire.

[pinboy3niner]

22. I took this pic looking North about 30 minutes ago:

Live news footage at 4:30pm showed a hot spot two miles away from the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve; an hour later it was in the Reserve.

[byeya]

15. High humidities slow the spread of a wildland fire. People realize the importance of low winds and

lower temperatures, but a rise in humidity is something firefighters also welcome.
If a forest fire generates enough heat, the radiant heat can start material burning hundreds of yards away from the fire. It's not just wind borne flaming embers and brands you have to watch out for. Firefighters have to be very careful about not getting trapped between fire fronts and although they now carry expandable fire shelters with them, they don't won't to be in a position of having their lives depend upon them.

[pinboy3niner]

18. KTLA5 just reported # of firefighters has doubled to 2100 now on-scene. nt

[SCVDem]

20. Wonder what the SCV in SCVDem is?

Yep! That's Santa Clarita and we are in the news yet again.

In the morning you can see a defined mushroom but later those pics tell the story.

We joke about shake and bake but really don't need the shake part.

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[pinboy3niner]

23. This message is now displayed in front of one of the homes saved by firefighters:

--Photo by Art Barron, CBS2 News Los Angeles