The first map is about the spread of the station fire from when it started to when it was controlled. The second map is about populated areas in Los Angeles County. The third map is about hospitals and major highways in Los Angeles County. The fourth map is about the fire threat potential in California. The second to fourth map include the station fire perimeter for reference.
The fire was caused by arson on August 26, 2009, around 3:30 PM. This was the largest fire ever recorded for the Angeles National Forest, it caused the death of two firefighters and the injury of 22 people. For this lab, I am going to analyze how the fire affected the surrounding areas. Looking at the second map, the fire did not start in a densely populated area and looking at the third map, the fire only spread to about one major highway.
Due to this station fire, many areas had to be evacuated to ensure the safety of its citizens. These areas include La Canada, Altadena, Glendale, La Crescenta, and the Acton-Palmdale area. Many roads were closed off and evacuation centers were set up both for people and for large or small pets. Some of the road closures include Highway 2, and Highway 39, while roads like Glendora Moutain Road can be accessed with ID. Many of the places affected by the fire are located in the Wildland Urban Interface. The Wildland Urban Interface is the boundary between the homes and the forest. One of the highways were closed off until 2010 because of the damage to the guardrails and signs.
The Station Fire had a major impact on the wildlife in the area. The rocks and debris could block streams harming the aquatic life. The fire burned through 250 square miles of land destroying several dozen homes along the way. Fire causes changes to the land, for example releasing sediment. The rain could wash the ashes into the watershed, which would affect streams, rivers, and reservoirs. Due to the fire, there are threats of flood, mud, debris flow, along with falling rocks, so only people living near the area are allowed to go near the fire perimeter.
Looking at the fourth map, the fire threat near Los Angeles County was already at a high level. Fire threat refers to the impact a fire will have on a community. When the fire threat is very high, fires start easily, burn faster and more intensely. It would take a great deal of time and effort to suppress the flames once they start. How quickly the fire spreads depends on the wind speed and the size of the fire that caused it.
References:
Archibold, Randal C. "After a Devastating Fire, an Intense Study of Its Effects." The New York Times. 2 Oct. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2012 <http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/03/science/earth/03fire.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0>
"Los Angeles County." GIS at UCLA: Mapshare DB. 2008. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 <http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm>
"Los Angeles County Hospitals." GIS at UCLA: Mapshare DB. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 <http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm>
"Los Angeles County Major Highways." GIS at UCLA: Mapshare DB. 2006. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 <http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm>
"Fire Threat." California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Web. 4 Dec. 2012 <http://frap.cdf.ca.gov/data/frapgisdata/download.asp?rec=fthrt>
"Graphical Hazardous Weather Outlook Fire Weather Threat." National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office. 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 4 Dec. 2012 <http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mlb/?n=wildfire_threat>
Greninger, Mark. "All Station Fire Perimeters (as of September 2, 07:02) - Complete set." Los Angeles County Enterprise GIS., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 <http://egis3.lacounty.gov/eGIS/2009/09/02/all-station-fire-perimiters-as-of-september-2-0702-complete-ste/>
"Station Fire." InciWeb. 10 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/>
"Station Fire evacuations." LA Daily News. 30 Aug. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2012 <http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13235058>
"Station Fire News Release." InciWeb. 28 Sept. 2009. Web. 28 Nov. 2012. <http://www.inciweb.org/incident/article/1856/9647/>
