Fire season is now upon us. A wildfire – now dubbed the “Williams Fire” – broke out at about 2 pm today in the Los Angeles National Forext approximately 10 mi northeast of the BFS, and the smoke from the fire was very visible at the BFS this afternoon.
Smoke from the Williams Fire seen from the BFS at 4:30 pm September 2. ©Nancy Hamlett.
By 9:00 pm tonight, the Williams Fire had grown to 3600 acres and was only 5% contained. Nine air tankers, 4 helicopters, 20 fire engines, 1 bulldozed, and 12 hand crews from Federal, State, and Local agencies are currently fighting the fire. The fire is moving north and currently poses no danger to the BFS or Claremont. The part of the Los Angeles National Forest south of the current Williams Fire burned in 2002 in the previous “Williams Fire”, so this area should have less fuel than the northern areas.
Although the BFS is not threatened by the Williams Fire, it reminds us to be extra careful about fire at the BFS, especially because the unusually hot summer has left all the BFS vegetation extra crispy. Remember – and remind others – that smoking is not allowed at the BFS by anyone at any time and refrain from any activities that might produce sparks.
The latest information on the Williams Fire is available on InciWeb, the US Government’s interagency all-risk incident information management system:
Williams Fire – http://inciweb.org/incident/3230/