Catalina is on fire
I saw some dual rotor helicopters flying out to sea earlier, but I wasn't sure what it was about. According to the Times & the Breeze, 400 acres have burned and it's approaching Avalon. Some people are being evacuated to the beach areas.
The best and most up to the minute info is at the Times Breaking News Blog.
UPDATE - I rode out to the Point to see what I could see and there wasn't much to see. The above photo was about all I could get, given that there's both smoke and fog obscuring the fire, and we're about 30 miles away. There was a fair amount of helicopter and fixed wing traffic near the island, and when I was at the Point it was extremely windy, and I presume it's windy out on the island as well.
I was hanging out with a bunch of guys who work for the Catalina Express, and they saw the double decker boat go out to Catalina at about 8pm - definitely a sign of a serious evacuation. According to the news, buildings are burning at the outskirts of Avalon, and the whole island is being evacuated, with a shelter being set up in Long Beach.
The best and most up to the minute info is at the Times Breaking News Blog.
UPDATE - I rode out to the Point to see what I could see and there wasn't much to see. The above photo was about all I could get, given that there's both smoke and fog obscuring the fire, and we're about 30 miles away. There was a fair amount of helicopter and fixed wing traffic near the island, and when I was at the Point it was extremely windy, and I presume it's windy out on the island as well.
I was hanging out with a bunch of guys who work for the Catalina Express, and they saw the double decker boat go out to Catalina at about 8pm - definitely a sign of a serious evacuation. According to the news, buildings are burning at the outskirts of Avalon, and the whole island is being evacuated, with a shelter being set up in Long Beach.
Labels: brush fire, Catalina, LAFD
4 Comments:
From the LA Times story:
Standing outside a near-empty City Hall about 8 p.m., his hands on his hips, Joe Voci, 85, a resident of Avalon since 1956, shook his head and muttered, "The biggest mistake the Catalina Conservancy ever made was getting rid of those goats -- the goats kept the darn brush down."
Bring the goats to Peck Park Canyon!! Baaahh!!! Or watch it burn.
KNX said 4,000 acres had burned -- but the LA Times reported 400 acres.
any idea which one is correct?
It's over 4000 now. The town isn't being further threatened, but it sounds like it's completely uncontained in the interior. They're hovercrafting over fire engines and fire fighters - there are 500 on the job now, and they're expecting it to be over 700 by the end of the day.
perhaps local authorities should invest in an aircraft that could drop larger amounts of water. i heard the russians have a big one.
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