By Charly SHELTON

It has been eight years since the Station Fire scorched its way through the Angeles National Forest. The blaze, which was begun by an arsonist on Aug. 26, 2009, quickly grew out of control and many neighborhoods across the Crescenta Valley, Tujunga, Sunland, Pasadena, Acton, Altadena and La Cañada were evacuated as nearly 12,000 structures were threatened by the fire. The blaze consumed 160,557 acres of land, including 89 homes and 120 other structures, and claimed the lives of two Los Angeles County firefighters, Capt. Tedmund “Ted” Hall and Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones. In all, the fire was fully contained on Sept. 19, but it wasn’t actually extinguished until Oct. 16.

Due to hazardous terrain, getting containment was challenging enough without having to push in to extinguish the blaze. In the final Station Fire update on Sept. 28, 2009, the U.S. Forest Service said, “Full containment may not occur until the San Gabriel Wilderness has received significant precipitation,” which it finally got on Oct. 16. The resulting floods of the winter of 2010 were the first of many repercussions, both negative and positive, the Crescenta Valley would experience from the massive fire.

On the positive side, interagency cooperation through programs like California’s Master Mutual Aid System, which brings other fire departments in to coordinate efforts in times of need, have been shown to work well in battling large-scale blazes. More efforts were made to keep this kind of training fresh in the minds of the firefighters who may have to respond to a similar incident. Glendale Fire Dept. was brought in through just such a program.

“The Station Fire was a great example of how the MMAS works effectively to handle large-scale incidents,” said Anita Shandi, public safety business coordinator for GFD. “The Station Fire was one of the largest wildfires in the history of Los Angeles County and agencies from all over the region were able to protect most of the properties threatened by these fires. Glendale Fire Dept. personnel consistently train every day in order to be ready to safely serve the community when incidents like this occur.”

But there were also negative repercussions from the Station Fire that are still being felt today, many of which are exacerbated by climate change. Following a fire, the vegetation that grows in after is not usually what was burned out at first. This was seen in 2011-14 with the heavy influx of poodle-dog bush, a pretty purple flower that likes ashy soils and can cause a rash or even blisters for those who come in contact with it. Reports were plentiful of hikers and search and rescue team members coming in contact with the dreaded poodle-dog bush. Eventually the forest began to run out of fresh, ash-laden soil and traditional plants were welcomed back. But with climate change raising temperatures, extending the warm months later in the year and, thanks to the Station Fire, a lack of shade from trees and larger bushes, a different type of plant is moving in. And LA County Fire is watching out for these plants and the way they can change the overall scope of fighting fires in these areas.

“I don’t know if someone [with the fire department] is following climate change, but we are following the terrain,” said Kathryn Barger, LA County supervisor for the Fifth District. “The new vegetation that comes in is far different [than what was there before the fire], so you have to understand the whole geography.”

International interagency help has been extended as well, with Canadian teams of “super scooper” planes – water-dropping airplanes used to fight wildfires – being brought in at the request of the California state government to be on call in case another fire breaks out.

“In the last few years, the [California state] government has asked us to come early … Usually we come in the first weeks of September, but we have been asked to come earlier,” said Elizabeth MacKay, delegate, Québec Government Office in Los Angeles. “Clearly the climate is changing, and there are less fires in some areas and more in other areas.”

To read more about the super scooper program, read Mary O’Keefe’s article on page 4.