At its worst, the La Tuna Fire was fought by a battalion of firefighting equipment, including nine helicopters.
The La Tuna Fire was a hard-fought blaze that brought out the best in the community.
By Robin GOLDSWORTHY, Mary O’KEEFE and Charly SHELTON
As of 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the La Tuna Fire was 80% contained, with 7,194 acres burned. There were a total of 211 firefighters, six bulldozers, three helicopters, 10 fire engines, four crews and three ambulances still actively working the fire.
“At 10:30 p.m. last night, fire crews working in the Wildwood Canyon area of Burbank, took immediate action on a spot fire outside of the perimeter. The fire was quickly extinguished utilizing helicopter water drops and crews assigned to that area. There was no threat to structures, and the fire was held to less than a quarter acre. The brush remains extremely dry and the potential for spot fires outside the line will remain until all hot spots are completely extinguished. Firefighters will remain vigilant working to achieve that goal,” stated Los Angeles City Fire Dept. in an update yesterday.
The Foothill (210) Freeway in both direction remained open, although LA City Fire had asked those driving along that stretch of the freeway to be cautious of fire crews and equipment that continue to operate on the side of the freeway.
The fire that began on Sept. 1 at 1:26 p.m. would be battled by agencies including LA City, Burbank, Glendale, LA County and U.S. Forest Service. The temperatures were in the triple digits at times with winds and tough terrain that made the fire difficult to fight. By yesterday, there had been five single-family residences destroyed and five outbuildings also destroyed. There were a total of 10 injuries: seven were heat related and included six firefighters and one civilian, in addition to one minor burn, one allergic reaction and one eye injury.
As of yesterday, the firefighters were still on-scene watching and responding to any flare-ups. There continued to be soft closures, meaning that only residents with identification could enter the areas of Foothill Boulevard at Kagel Canyon and Foothill Boulevard at Osborne Street. All other evacuations had been lifted.
The area that burned along the 210 Freeway was dry due to years of drought and a 70-year-old growth of vegetation.
“The [first] day was about 105 [degrees Fahrenheit]. It was extremely hot for us. It’s difficult to do our job when its 85 or 90 degrees; when its 105, it really takes it out of you,” said Glendale Fire Captain Jeremy Frazier.
Frazier had responded to the Station Fire and although the La Tuna Fire was a lot smaller there were a lot more homes and structures at risk.
Knowing how difficult it was for firefighters and law enforcement personnel, the community came together to provide a place where these fighters could find respite from the blaze.
Once it was announced that the Crescenta Valley Park community center would be a command center, Margo Gonzales made her way there to help. Little did the 20-year resident know that she would be coordinating a valley-wide relief effort.
Under Gonzales’ direction, the cases of food and water that were being donated by the public were brought into the center, arranged by content and given to firefighters and police and sheriff personnel. Pop-ups were erected in the courtyard outside the center with tables of food and water that were easy for safety personnel to grab. Inside the center were tables and chairs where personnel could sit and rest – if they had the time.
In addition to her husband Ron and daughter Marisa, others came to help out. Among them was Victoria Escobar.
“I first came with water and other supplies,” said Escobar. But soon she realized that the Gonzales family could use her help and she went to work.
“The firefighters were in shock when they saw everything we had,” Escobar said with a laugh.
Pasta, sandwiches, water, sports drinks, snacks … the list of donated goods grew. Businesses were quick to donate, too.
Vons and Frank’s Famous were among those who donated goods.
“Trade Joe’s – Honolulu? Present. TOGO’s? Present, too. New Moon brought food. CVS Verdugo sent donations. Ralph’s did last, too. Joselito’s, Gio’s, Walgreens, Town Kitchen – all sent something,” Escobar said.
“No one had done anything like this before,” Gonzales added.
People came, too, to lend a hand, to help any way they could.
Looking ahead, Gonzales said that the goal is to send anything viable to Hurricane Harvey victims.
“We’ve got to help Texas,” she said.
Long before containment fire, city and county agencies began working on plans for the aftermath of the fire, including preparing for flooding.
LA County Board of Supervisors unanimously supported Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s motion to ratify the proclamation of a local emergency “which will be forwarded to the governor’s office to access state and federal assistance,” according to a release from Barger’s office.
“This proclamation will remain in effect until terminated by the Board of Supervisors and all county departments and agencies are directed to continue providing assistance and monitoring efforts as applicable.
“In anticipation of winter storm-related floods in the impacted burn areas, the Dept. of Public Works will continue to assess, repair and reinforce public infrastructure including roadway drainage facilities, drainage basins, and flood control facilities, and will construct temporary and permanent debris mitigation measures as necessary.”
“With the significant loss of vegetation, the risk of downstream flooding, debris flows, and mud slides will become sharply escalated during the upcoming rainy season,” said Barger. “Now is the time to prepare in order to protect life and property this winter.”
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