Northern front of Station fire flares up; 56% contained

At Hansen Dam In Los Angeles – Winds and low humidity stoked flames on the northern front of the huge Station fire Monday, while the western flank from La Cañada Flintridge to Acton remained quiet. “I feel very good with the progress made today,” U.S. Forest Service incident commander Mike Dietrich said early Monday evening. ”I would like to see more. We’ll continue tonight and go after it tomorrow” reports the Los Angeles Times

The 157,200-acre blaze, the largest in the recorded history of Los Angeles County, was 56% contained.

Winds blowing 30 to 40 mph energized the fire in the Pleasant View Ridge area of the San Gabriel Wilderness, north of Mt. Waterman.

Hand crews cut firebreaks and fire commanders sent in air tankers to drop water and retardant on the flare-up.

“We’re hoping to hold it within the wilderness area, which isn’t a whole lot more, mileage-wise,” Forest Service spokesman Nathan Judy said.

Because they had to divert aircraft to the north, firefighters postponed a burnout planned Monday about a mile east of Mt. Wilson.

“We did not have the aircraft in place” to go ahead with the controlled burn, Dietrich said.

Crews are working hot spots above Little Tujunga near the western flank of the fire.

But for the most part the charred horn of the fire area stretching from La Cañada Flintridge around the San Gabriel Mountains to the Littlerock area in the high desert was under control.

More than 4,600 firefighters are battling the fire, which officials believe was set by an arsonist Aug. 26. The estimated cost to date is $57.6 million.

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