On the afternoon of September 11, sparks from power tools used by a Golden State Water Company Crew started a fire in the Foothill Boulevard Parkway that quickly spread into the field station. Approximately 17 acres along the Foothill frontage between Dartmouth and Mills Avenues were burned before the fire was extinguished. Los Angeles County Fire Department responded quickly with an impressive aerial assault as well as trucks and fire crews. No structures were damaged, and no one was injured.
The photos below show a partial timeline of the fire. Articles in the Claremont Courier and the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin also have some great photos.
Although a fire like this can seem scary, fire is a natural part of the coastal sage scrub ecosystem, and the fire-adapted plants should recover quickly. In fact, the fire has created an abundance of exciting research opportunities. For more information, please read Char Miller’s excellent article on his KCET blog, Golden Green.
4:35 PM – Firefighters douse hot spots in the Foothill Blvd parkway. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:36 PM – A Bell 412 water-dropping helicopter drops its load on the BFS. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:36 PM – Area west of the entry drive still smoldering. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:37 PM – A Sikorksy Skycrane S-64 helicopter equipped with Erickson Air-Crane’s proprietary 2,650-gallon detachable water tank releases aload of water over the BFS. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:40 PM – A firefighter checks the Foothill Blvd parkway for hot spots. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:43 PM – The entry drive is filled with smoke as flames lick at what’s left of the entry kiosk. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:45 PM – The Sikorsky Skycrane helitanker drops another load of water. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:49 PM – A Canadair Super Scooper dumps a load of water on the fire. If you look closely through the smoke, you can see a second Super Scooper in the background. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:53 PM – A Sikorsky S70-A water dropping helicopter, seen through a eucalytus tree, dropping water on the south edge of the BFS. ©Nancy Hamlett.
4:51 PM – Fire crews work to dowse hot spots in the area west of the entry drive. ©Nancy Hamlett.
6:48 PM – Fire crews work to put out hot spots in the East Field. ©Nancy Hamlett.
6:48 PM – Firefighters smother hot spots by the BFS fence along Mills Avenue. ©Nancy Hamlett.
7:06 PM – A firefighter packs up his hose. ©Nancy Hamlett.
7:08 PM – Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles along Foothill Blvd. ©Nancy Hamlett.
7:23 PM – Fire engines in the BFS entry drive. ©Nancy Hamlett.
7:32 PM – Firefighters start packing up their gear. ©Nancy Hamlett.