Sylmar Wildfire Burns Homes, Jumps 210 Freeway (San Fernando Valley on fire -- again)

[villager]

Source: KNBC

Sylmar Wildfire Burns Homes, Jumps 210 Freeway

By Jack Noyes and Jonathan Lloyd


SYLMAR, Calif. -- A wind-driven wildfire that destroyed at least 10 homes and threatened Olive View Medical Center overnight remained out of control Saturday morning, while some 10,000 residents on both sides of the Newhall Pass were out of their homes.

The fire, which started about 10:30 p.m. Friday along Sayre Street north of the Foothill (210) Freeway, jumped from one spot to the other and grew to more than 2,600 acres by first light.

Glowing embers riding 70 mph gusts ignited clumps of trees and homes, as the fire crossed south of 210 freeway and moved south and west.

Around 2 a.m., Olive View Medical Center, which had already lost power, was surrounded by flames.

"The fire is close," said resident Darcy Thompson, who lives near Olive View Drive. "You can't see anything outside. It's so smoky. The wind is blowing so hard."

Some patients on respirators had to be tended to by nurses using hand-operated breathing devices, according to broadcast reports. Several infants and critically ill patients were transferred to other hospitals, but most of the 200 patients "sheltered in place," according to fire officials. The backup generators came on about 4 a.m.

An entire mobile home park went up in flames north of the 210 freeway and west of Yarnell Street. At least 30 trailers were lost there.

Strong winds drove the fire across the Golden State (5) Freeway, prompting evacuation in the Knollwood area, which was ringed by flames during the Sesnon Fire in October.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Large-Brush-Fire-Breaks-out-in-Sylmar.html

[Richard D]

1. I'm 30 miles away

and the smoke has been thick here since early morning. It's a monster fire.

[villager]

2. I'm at the other (western) end of the valley... there's already ash all over the place here...

Yow....

It's gonna be a long day in the valley...

[Hepburn]

3. I was in Burbank yesterday....

...hotter than hell and the air was dry like tinder.

This is gonna be one of the worst fire seasons EVER. I feel so badly for those who have lost their homes.

:cry:

[villager]

4. and it's been a *long* fire season, to boot...

n/t

[kestrel91316]

14. Somebody admitted on the TV or radio recently that it's ALWAYS fire season

anymore. We just don't seem to get a reprieve at all, except for during our rare rain storms in midwinter.

[uppityperson]

15. Glad you are ok. Beware, cynical and sarcastic post coming up...

Darn those rich people who continue to build in fire zones. You'd think the rich people living in these mobile homes would get a clue but noooooo, they are just too busy raking in money. :sarcasm:

Honestly, I hope people get out safely and the fires get under control soon. I'm concerned about people trying to recover with the economy like it is.

[uppityperson]

18. Sylmar fire destroys 600 mobile homes; LAPD declares crime scene

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sylmarfire16-2008nov16,0,4171399.story

[spinbaby]

26. Fill me in on geography

It's been years since I've been in the area, but I've flown into the Burbank airport and remember the San Fernando Valley being a very developed area--all housing and strip malls. Is this brush fires spreading to housing or is it house-to-house burning?

[Bette Noir]

5. Here's the link to the newspaper:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-sylmarfire16-2008nov16,0,4171399.story?page=1

I'm about 10 miles away. Can't see or smell smoke from here, just the sense of impending doom that always accompanies Santa Ana winds.

[kestrel91316]

6. Reporting in from Woodland Hills, which is SMOKE CENTRAL

right now. Cannot go outside AT ALL, very heavy choking smoke. The fire itself is miles away across the Valley, so we are in zero fire danger, but we're all gonna suffocate.

This has been kestrel with a special report from the San Fernando Valley. (cough, cough)

On edit: Haven't died yet. Here's a link to LAFD's page on this fire:
http://lafd.blogspot.com/2008/11/lafd-sayre-fire-evacuation-zone.html

[livetohike]

7. Stay safe kestrel

I lived in Van Nuys years ago, so I'm familiar with all these areas....

[kestrel91316]

8. The winds appear to have shifted so it's not quite as bad now.....

but my lungs are starting to hurt and I am INSIDE and the AC is not on (to draw smoke in). It's supposed to be HOT today, and eventually the AC is going to come on. It mostly recirculates air from inside of course, but will draw some in around the doors/windows.

[aquart]

10. Would an indoor air purifier work on smoke?

[kestrel91316]

12. Probably. If I HAD one, lol.

[Shakespeare]

11. Glad they shifted a bit and gave you some relief.

I'm watching on Channel 7 right now, and the winds are just crazy. This is not going to be a good weekend. :-(

[aquart]

9. Glad you haven't died.

What have you got to filter out the smoke?

[Nikki Stone1]

21. Do you have a mask like the kind they sell at Home Depot?

I have found them to be somewhat helpful. Is is just my imagination or are we getting more fires than usual in the past few years?

[kestrel91316]

22. I'll just cover my nose and walk real fast out to the car.

I'm about to head out. No shopping today, just straight home.

[xenussister]

25. Boycott Home Depot

Yesterday at the Chicago rally one of the speakers said that Home Depot was on the list of businesses to boycott because of support for Prop 8. I haven't had a chance to look up the particulars, but I thought I'd let you know. Apparently Lowes is on the list too but I don't know if there are any on SoCal.

Stay safe everybody.

[Ellen Forradalom]

30. I'm just a bit west of you

and the whole area smelled like a giant campfire. Get out the marshmallows.

[kestrel91316]

13. The winds are whipping around so much now the smoke is less of an

issue. Now we have another fun problem: they had to cut off power transmission through the Newhall Pass because the big lines were endangered by the fire, so now Greater Los Angeles is in a POWER EMERGENCY. I turned off half the lighting in the clinic, warned my staff not to kick down the AC setting just because maybe they felt a little warmish up by the front windows, and am hoping for the best. I just have one client left to see, so hopefully we will get them out of here and then maybe just close early and go home.

[kestrel91316]

16. Woodland Hills update just before noon:

(cough cough cough)

I just stepped outside for the few seconds it took to walk nextdoor to the pizza place for a soda. Got hit by a faceful of ash, got some in my eye, and got a lungful of harsh smoke. The air is GRAY. My waiting room smells like smoke now.

My assistant left early to go fetch her little girl from the daycare place up by the evacuation zone to take her to the beach for the day, where hopefully the air will be safer for her. It's BAD outside. BAD BAD BAD.

(cough cough)

[uppityperson]

19. stay safe there kestrel.

[Hepburn]

17. South Bay, SoCal, Palos Verdes Penn

Strong smell of smoke and the sunlight is becoming tinged with orange.

For those not familiar with California, I am as much as 60 miles from the fires in LA and Riverside Counties. If the smoke is making it to me ~~ near the Ocean ~~ the fires are HORRENDOUS.

[villager]

20. The smoke is everywhere... and the fires are growing!.... yow....!

n/t

[Hepburn]

24. Today, there are ashes the heck all over the place.

And...I live MILES from the fires.

[villager]

27. there certainly are -- more than yesterday!

n/t

[Popol Vuh]

28. South Bay, SoCal, Southshores San Pedro.

Up half a mile along the cost from Royal Palms beach and inland a bit less distance. If you're familiar with the area I am somewhere just off Anchovy. Smoke here has been not that bad. Just a slight smell a couple of times during this fire.

[Hepburn]

29. Kind of know the area....but I am relatively new to South Bay.

Lived in Mar Vista before coming to South Bay about 4 years ago. Lots of ashes today and some smell of smoke, but not that bad.

[uppityperson]

23. Situation in Orange County worsening (article), fire jumped 91

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/
The fire that started at the Yorba Linda border has jumped the 91 Freeway and is burning toward Anaheim Hills.

At least 16 homes in Yorba Linda have burned, and officials say the blaze is moving west. Several homes were also burned in Corona.

A fire in Brea has surrounded Brea Olinda High School and is burning around the 57 Freeway.