Angeles Crest Highway after the Station Fire

[smokey1255]

Unfortunately, as more dead fuel builds up in areas that haven't burned in many years, the fires that eventually burn the area will burn much hotter than "naturally" occuring fires and the damage to the root system of heavier chaparral species will be worse. Consequently regrowth will take longer and flooding will be worse. Statistically, nuch less than 10% of SOCAL fires are natural. When humans were not part of the ecosystem, fires were few and buildup wasn't as important.

[Inyo395]

Oops, note to my post below, mustard is not a grass, it makes it look like i said it was. anyway, fires at the frequency of 10 years or less in chaparral result in the proliferation of annual invasive herbs. They burn more frequently than chaparral and also have shallow roots. So, if they take over, you can expect more fires AND more mudslides and floods. Unfortunately, this is what has been happening in many areas of chaparral.

[Inyo395]

TwoNuLator, sorry, but you are wrong about that. The fire return interval you refer to is for montane conifer forests, but the part of the San Gabriel Mountains that burned was predominantly chaparral vegetation. This area probably burned every 30-100 years or so before the 'adaptation of the fire department'. Also, back then the area did not have mustard, ripgut brome, and other invasive grasses.

[lcalarea47]

alot of wildlife killed . from fire and the smoke .

[birgitte333]

hello from Acton.

They're planning to replant part of the burnt out area. I don't know how you could be glad it burnt down. We don't get that much rain so it might never grow back the same.

[afrodDzee]

There needs to be an investigation into the Forest Services response to this fire. There needs to be a full accountability for all involved in starting this fire and letting it burn out of control. Thousands of acres of public property are virtually unusable to us for a decade or more.

[818LAL]

fck!

[teresamcgrath04]

im in a way glad it burned ... its part of nature... it helps the vegetation renew it self

[Inyo395]

it is true that chaparral is renewed by occasional fire but due to arsonists and invasive plants, fires are happening far more often than they naturally would in many areas. The 40 year old vegetation that burned will come back just fine, but in areas that have already burned in the last 10 years, native vegetation will be killed off and shallow-rooted invasive weeds will take over, which is a shame.

[twonulator]

That is not true of California. Due to the adaptation of the fire department, natural fires have been happening less and less frequently. They are almost completely controlled. This causes more and more build up of debris, making the fires that are triggered by arson even more intense and devastating. Natural fires should happen within more than 10 year intervals, nature controls it very well and we have altered the pattern that it had set for the area we live in.

[Haik000]

@teresamcgrath04 Ya i agree. I was sad when it was burning down, but it is good cuz now all the dryed up plants are gone and now theres gunna be much more green vegetation!

[kylie732]

Bull crap

[wildfan13PAJ]

Buckhorn Campground is good.

Much of this area will come back in a few years, but it is ugly for now.

Despite this being arson caused, smokers need to use their ashtrays, campers need to be more careful, and arsonists need to be monitored like sex offenders.

Wildfires are extremely destructive and costly.

[NelsonCWoodstock]

I was hoping to travel the entire Angeles Crest Highway from its start in La Canada Flintridge. I only managed to get up to just before CA 39, which is also closed just past the reservoir. I have a couple videos from my own travels up the road on my account.

[effects69]

This is so sad :( Some of my first memories of LA were up in them mountains. Does anyone know if Buckhorn camp ground survived? I filmed a comedy sketch up there as well last year. You can see some of the forest before the fires. The vids are on my wifes channel AleishaR Man V's WIld

[Onry1]

Holy cow I'm getting car sick........

[rancidcrackwhore]

i used to ride up there every day, its just not the same

[Gmaker202]

so sad, angeles crest will never be the same

[aboxofjosh]

for those who are wondering, a map of the area filmed here is at bit . ly / 5X57E (if you zoom in you can see the power lines they pass under). Also, bit . ly / 39HF7R is a satellite view of the area that's burned so far. What we see in this video is just a small part of some truly massive devastation.

[OnTheBoulevard10]

Eerie.

[43837388]

spent some peaceful days in these mountains.

a damn shame it is =(

[itstristanyo]

What a damn shame. Some dumbass teen who thinks it would be hilarious to light a forest on fire destroys the natural beauty surrounding LA. Both summer and winter drives used to be amazing since we residents of LA didn't have to drive very far to get to a forest. And they had just reopened the highway near Wrightwood a few months ago.

[aboxofjosh]

@itstristanyo : I agree with your sentiment, however the teen in question is believed to be responsible for the Morris Fire, which is at a different location (see: bit . ly / 12SEke and bit . ly / KULh0 )

[supernova87a]

As a public service, they should send the Google Maps imaging vans up there to document all this and let people see the situation, since you cannot drive up there any more.

[killerswami]

At least it is mostly landscape w/o houses, instead of all the melted houses we had to deal with up here in Santa Barbara.

[rubelcastle]

I remember the mud of 1969, and I don't look forward to this Winter.

[die4saleen]

What happened? I heard the mountain had a large mudslide! Do u think this could happen this winter!? This can be bad for la canada la crescenta tujunga and sunland!

[rainofthewinter]

i see this everyday.

 its awful

[autopow]

As an over-the-road truck driver. I have informed all team drivers who ride with me that they are not to throw their cigaretts out of the window. If caught throwing lit cigaretts out of the window, they will be reported.

The past four weeks I have been routed to the southen part of California, and only witnessed the devastation to the forest from watchng this video. It saddens me that someone could be so careless.

[joouyang]

dead man's creek...

[dukefan1ful]

love this

[hazbutler]

and when the rains come, mud slides galore.

[SexCyberGuideCom]

nice video

[secoxxx]

every year. next year the vegitation will be amazing after this burn.

[nil1230]

and every year it gets destroyed u stupid fucking idiot..

[secoxxx]

actually that area lasted a good 10 years before it burned, stupid fuckin idiot.

[nil1230]

i dont fucking care it happens atleast every year in Los angeles.fucking idiot,i hope ur house gets burned down.

[secoxxx]

ignorant fuck.

[nil1230]

i think i wont talk to you anymore,because your not smart. haha,LOL.

[secoxxx]

ok.

[zepedapaul]

i dont have any idea how arguments like this start on a video like this.

[r32adt3db]

You're the fucking idiot. He meant that forest fires in general happen every year, and every year people and the news talk about that shit like it's the end of the fucking world.

[secoxxx]

wop, learn how to read all posts before you reply.

[die4saleen]

yes I agree with you that fires happen every year in Los Angeles, but there was vegetation up here that hadn't burned for over 40 years! But your right we have fires in LA every year from August to October, whether its by Santa Anna winds and the heat or some freaken douchebag!

[Blackhawk9188]

That's terrible. :(

[brokenparadeprod]

holy swiss....watch my vid Zombie Apocalypse

[ManBearPig84]

pwned

[jesusismyth]

Man, I remember going down the 8 when the San Diego fire was going on years ago, it was pretty bad. But this is like 5 times worse, at least. I hope not all of the animals living up there died.

Silent Hill indeed. It's probably pretty silent now.

[iArchonius]

Silent hill in real life anyone ?

[ihmen]

the person filming this video has a vagina

[Eimhin1]

haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaHAHHAHAHAHH­AHAHHAHAHAHAHAH

[bluekarma4]

Wow, and all this from one numbnut arsonist.

[FamousOsito]

I live in Palmdale, and we go through Angeles Crest Highway all the time. Its such a beautiful drive, also fun. And now the whole place is covered in ashes and black. Only time can bring it back hopefully.

And yeah, it does look like a clip from Silent Hill, but its not. Its real.

[saleman101]

sirql8 I could not agree with you more. Mother nature has been cleaning and recycling itself with fires such as this from the begining of time. Also if mother nature and God intended for it to be left unpolulated is for a reazon.

[foolishx87]

it's like Silent Hill

[Vor360]

that games suck!

[Faulkenmind]

Thousands of animals died in that fire.

[FSCPanda]

Who cares? They dont have feelings.

[YobgodAbabua]

I've heard it since childhood, but Smokey still knows... "Only you can prevent forest fires"

[lotafunmitch]

Not only is it sad to see the devastation. Having the road close for how long it's going to take is a major inconvenience for people that used that road to get back and forth commuting.

Arson? I wish they would be more specific! Let me add this, don't throw lit cigarettes out your car window, plain and simple, if you don't have an ashtray or like to use it, use and old water bottle and toss it in the trash later.

[sirql8]

old growth loss is worst of all...but nature has been renewing itself in this way since the beginning of time. Even if it was intentional, this was bound to happen sooner or later...

[stearns62]

This is sooo sad. We spend our summers here, hiking, camping. This is where our school camp, HI HILL was spared but only for the kids to find this destruction(if we get a chance to re-open). Wildlife habitat will spring up again, but we'll forever mourn the lives lost of the TWO VERY BRAVE FIREFIGHTERS who died here. Our hearts and thoughts are with their families.

[Demongers]

Maybe all you sightseeers will stay home for a few years so that we who appreciate the road for its own sake, may ride and drive AC freely and without your slow, inattentive, and dangerous driving habits which place us in danger.

Most of you should move back where you came here from, never to return, and leave California to those of us who didn't move here from somewhere else...and you can burn down your own forests and leave ours and us alone!

[tjwxgirl09]

So sad :( As a three year resident of Tujunga, it's not easy seeing the hills I (and I'm sure everyone else) love seeing so much. I hope whoever did this gets found real quick. Soneone who does things like this doesn't deserve to have as much freedom as this person has

[Inyo395]

yeah... while the chaparral will resprout over time, some of the huge bigcone douglas fir trees and oaks were probably killed or severely damaged, and wold take 100s of years to return... and due to %%@#$@# arsonists like this one, that is unlikely to happen anyway. not to mention all the irreplaceable historic structures too. I left my home in southern California for Vermont recently, intending to come back after school.. things like this make me wonder if i will, though.

[vicecitystalker]

I would love to have 10 minutes alone with the person who set this fire. I used to go up there all the time when I was younger because I loved it so much and lived in Tujunga. I cannot bear to see it again in person because it would be too depressing.

I hope a vigilante finds this person. They don't deserve a trial and a free ride in jail. He should burned with cigarettes over and over until he slowly dies.

[applecounty]

News has dried up her in the Uk on the fires. I keep an interest because of my interest in Astronomy. Is it certain these fires were caused deliberately?

[vicecitystalker]

It has been ruled arson by the arson investigators. It is now a homicide investigation because of the 2 firefighter deaths.

[applecounty]

Very sad. Thanks for the update.

[uggligr]

Y'know, vicecitystalker, you might think you know what to do with these human rights violators, but you are left far behind by the other, certified, human rights violators he will be dealing with on a daily basis if he's ever caught.

It's against the rules, and the guards know this, but the "clever" and "resourceful" human rights violators will violate each other's rights anyway.

Remember who's rights were violated.

I'm sore about the attack on Mt. Wilson. I want experts on this...

[ClareHolzer]

I know exactly where you are, I have driven this stretch of road so many times. I am crying right now :(

[kikinchick]

The photos on the CHARA website, that were taken by Susan McAlister on Sunday afternoon, 6 Sep 2009, made me cry, too. Again, thank you for sharing.

I will return to Los Angeles. Next time, I'll visit when the Observatory is open. :-)

[kikinchick]

I am from Alabama, and I visited Los Angeles for the first time, in late March. I drove up the Angeles Crest Highway to go to Mt. Wilson. I stopped at just about every pull-out along the way and took pictures. It was so beautiful! When I got to the top, I read a sign that the observatory was closed for the winter. I missed it by a week! So I stayed for a bit and I took many more pictures from the top of the mountain.

This video made me cry. Such devastation. :-(

Thank you for sharing it.

[DockScience]

going to be a serious mud slide season this year

[Inyo395]

didn't get a view of the north slopes on this video and one of the things i am wondering most about is whether or not the fire was low-intensity enough that the bigcone doug-firs on the north slopes will resprout. They are amazingly resistant trees but in the most intense of fires they can still succumb. Also, I see close fire on the web cam again, I hope it is a controlled burn.

[enmih]

The devastation shown in this video is so great and to think that this is only a small part of the overall area claimed by this fire. When the rains come the landslide potential is going to be critical.