October 21, 2003 - Tuesday "A WEEK OF FIRE" - California's Worst Disaster On Tuesday at 1200 Hrs, at the request of the Hiking+ club where I work, I gave a lecture regarding my duty this summer at the lookout tower.  I had 32 Hiking+ club members and guests watch my slide show presentation. It was about 1330 by the time my presentation was over, and what was a relatively quiet summer was about to explode.   There were reports of small fires starting around the Los Angeles and San Bernardino County.
	Picture Time: 1605 Pasadena, California As I was leaving work I was still wearing my uniform from the lecture when I noticed this large fire in the hills above Glendale.  I pulled over to take some pictures.   On the back of my shirt it says, "Angeles Forest Fire Lookout" and a fellow employee driving by called out of his passing car, "Hey Fire Lookout!  Look... a fire!" I laughed and took a few more pics.  At the same time, there was a false call about a fire near the Wildlife Way Station and the Forest Service dispatched an army of resources to find it.  Later, they all had to be recalled. Some USFS units were sent to the Glendale fire to help out. Go Team!
	Picture Time: 1710 Hrs Pasadena, California on Interstate 210 Eastbound On the way home on the 210 freeway, I could see the first smoke from the "Grand Prix Fire". The Grand Prix Fire broke out just on the edge of the wildland/urban interface above Fontana around 2:20 PM. The cause is suspicious and there are conflicting reports about possible arson.  The fire was named Grand Prix because the initial dispatch was to Grand Prix and Shetland Lane in Fontana. The fire had consumed approximately 1800 acres by nightfall and had burned over some sections of the San Sevaine Truck trail.  This fire would later merge with "The Old Fire" and combined there would be over 625 structures lost by week's end.
	October 25, 2003 - Saturday Picture Time: 1205 Hrs Santa Ana on Interstate 5 Southbound High Noon in Santa Ana.  The Smoke from the Grand Prix Fire is drifting South.  This got worse and visibility dropped to about 1/4 mile with ash raining down like a light snow flurry. The Sun was blocked out and only an orange glow lit the sky.  All air traffic in and out of Orange county was halted.
	Picture Time: 1205 Hrs NASA Terra Satellite This shows the situation.  Vetter Mountain Tower is at "A", and I'm driving down to my girlfriend's home at "C".  The picture above is my present location at "B".   On the Radio, there are reports that a new fire has started called "Piru".  You can see the first wisp of smoke from the Piru Fire in the Satellite picture.
	October 26, 2003 - Sunday Picture Time: 1138 Hrs Carlsbad, California My girlfriend and I wake up to the smell of smoke about 0700 Hrs and we get up too see what is going on.  She jokes, "You are at my house you are not looking out for Fire, and see what happens!" This picture is out of her window and all day long we see fire smoke from Camp Pendleton "Roblar 2 Fire", the "Rincon Paradise Fire", and the "Cedar Fire". We were indeed in the middle of the eye of the firestorm.  There was concern for my girlfriends daughter because she was with her father down by the Cedar Fire.  I could see black wisps and I knew that was "house smoke" going up.
	October 26, 2003 - Sunday NASA Terra Satellite Here is the situation with the full Santa Ana winds blowing. "A" - Vetter Mountain "C" - My location "1" - Piru Fire "2" - Simi Valley Fire "3" - Grand Prix Fire & Padua Fire "4" - The Old Fire "5" - Roblar 2 Fire "6" - Rincon Indian Reservation Paradise Fire "7" - Cedar Fire "8" - Otay Fire "9" - Mexico Fire Sunday was very scary, but we kept in contact with family members to make sure everyone was O.K..
	October 27, 2003 - Monday Picture Time: 0730 Hrs Santa Fe Springs, California on Interstate 5 Northbound Heading to work in a smoked filled sky, I pass three emergency caravans.  The first is 4 Highway Patrol Cars.  The Second is this picture of about 6 Fire Engines, and the third convoy is about 12 Fire Engines.  All heading South and all with lights and sirens.  I wave at them and get big smiles and waves back. The next couple days are crazy and everyone from Oxnard to Mexico knows that this is a historic event.  With the supermarket and transportation strike, this just adds to the stress of living in California.
	Picture Time: 1615 Hrs Highway 2 - Angeles National Forest I knew this would be a crazy week, so when I left home on Saturday for my girlfriends house, I packed my uniform and supplies to head to the Tower. I follow this fellow up the mountain and must give this guy credit because he went up the mountain at the speed limit and looked like he was enjoying the trip.
	Picture Time: 1714 Hrs Vetter Mountain Lookout I pass through the gate at Charlton Flats and head up to the Tower. As soon as I get to the tower at 1800 Hrs, I call Angeles Dispatch and report "in service" and I also advise that I will be spending the night.  That is important because they will come get me if something happens in the middle of the night. The sun has just set and the sky is pink and blue.  The air is hot and dry and the rustle of leaves sound more like dry crackles.
	Picture Time: 1715 Hrs I take my safety walk around the tower and looking East, I notice that there is smoke rising from the West side of Cucamonga Peak on the Baldy Ridge Line. There is no smoke here, I must have the freshest air in Los Angeles, above the smoke and the winds coming from the North East where there is no fire.
	Picture Time: 1715 Hrs Looking East, the smoke plumes from both the Piru and Simi Valley Fires are clear to see.  I can just start to see the actual flames from the fires. Using my binoculars I can see the lights of the city just below the flames.
	Picture Time: 1719 Hrs I hear a radio call from "Rec-10" on my scanner, but not on my USFS radio.  I don't know what channel he called on so I contact Angeles Dispatch.  They contact Rec-10 and they advise me that Rec-10 has locked the gate at Charlton Flats due to the Forest being closed to visitors.  I notify Angeles that I understand and also advise them that I have a key.  They respond with acknowledgement and the present time. I take some time to view the fires to the East.  What a sight as you will see below...
	Picture Time: 1805 Hrs I'm glad I spent so many hours in Vetter Mountain in the dark.  I have developed techniques to work in the tower to make sure I have enough light and make sure nothing gets lost. This picture is from the North railing of the tower because I have to use a timed exposure in order to capture the light coming from the fires.  I use a combination of 13 seconds to 30 seconds exposure with the camera.
	Picture Time: 1806 Hrs Here is a zoom of the same area above of the Simi Valley Fire. The fire was very active, and the scene changed every 5 minutes something else was on fire.  The scanner buzzed all night long. I could see about 10 news helicopters that must have been broadcasting live pictures around the world. (All quiet in my neck of the woods!)
	Picture Time: 1821 Hrs Watching both East and West (and for that matter North and South), I take a look at the Simi Valley Fire from inside the tower. I had to put on my jacket because the Temp is 64 degrees with 21 percent relative humidity.  Wind is at 16 Mph from the North East.  Santa Ana conditions still. There is an exposure artifact on my jacket because I moved after the flash went off, but the camera continued to gather light from the timed exposure for another 20 seconds.
	Picture Time: 2200 Hrs I called Angeles and let them know I was out of service.  Time to put myself to bed because I am really tired. Nothing like sleeping in the woods, on top of a mountain under an orange fire-lit sky!
	October 28, 2003 - Tuesday Picture Time: 0147 Hrs tic tic tic tic Tic Tic Tic TIC TIC TIC Tic Tic Tic tic tic tic ping ping ping Ping Ping PING PING PING Ping Ping ping ping "AH! What is that noise?"  I wake up and look around the tower because the noise is coming from everywhere.  It turns out that the wind picked up in the middle of the night and the flag clamps where banging on the pole.  I fixed that and went back to sleep.
	Picture Time: 0454 Hrs This is strange.  A car is parked about two miles down on Short Cut Canyon.  Someone is walking around with a flashlight for about 10 minutes. The car leaves the spot and drives up the hill. I watch all this with my binoculars and when I see the tiny speck of light where the car was parked, I decide to get my camera and I take this 30 second picture.   The car makes the streak in the upper right (that looks like fire) and the spot is on the lower left of the picture. Could this be arson?  I don't know... the light does not seem to flicker or move so I decide to watch it while I work out the coordinates.  After 15 minutes it never changes so maybe the guy just dropped his flash light.  Sure was nerve wracking.
	Picture Time: 0458 Hrs It's getting light and the Padua Fire is really starting to take off.  With the binoculars I can see the lights of the fire trucks just to the North of the tower.
	Picture Time: 0617 Hrs Wow that Sun is bright!  I never did get back to sleep after the car incident. The Sun rose right above the Padua fire zone.
	Picture Time: 0617 Hrs Turning the camera out the other window, the shadow of Vetter Mountain makes a perfect pyramid where I am located at the very tip.  The shadow is strong due to the smoke particles in the air. The wind has shifted.
	Picture Time: 0647 Hrs As the Sun comes up, the air dries out and the winds pick up.  Fire needs Fuel, Air, and Heat in order to burn.  The wind increases the Air, pushes the fire into more Fuel, and the Sun provides even more Heat so the fires pick up in strength in the mornings. I make note to keep my eye on the car spot from earlier this morning just in case there was something smoldering there.
	Picture Time: 0720 Hrs I see a new puff of smoke from behind Mt. Baldy near the ski resort.  I know this is part of the Grand Prix fire that is in Lytle Creek so there is no need to report it, but it is another example how fire "wakes up" in the morning.
	Picture Time: 0720 Hrs I go outside to get a better picture.  The new Padua Fire also is flaring up and word is given to evacuate Mt. Baldy Village just below.
	Picture Time: 0721 Hrs Wow!  Looking back at the Simi Valley Fire it has really woke up.  Compare this picture with the one from 0747 Hrs. I must admit that with the hot winds and the dry brush, it is pretty spooky sitting up on the top of this mountain during these conditions.  But the Forest means so much to me, and the Angeles has so much to offer, I enjoy knowing I'm doing a small part to keep an eye on these mountains.
	Picture Time: 0737 Hrs The winds are blowing about 16 Mph in the morning, but it's time to raise the colors.  "And our Flag was still there!" I notice a change in the wind direction.  This is good and bad.  Good in that the cooler air will come now (which will lead to rain a week later) but bad in that the new winds will push the fires into new vegetation and the fires will travel in another direction.
	Picture Time: 0737 Hrs I take a moment to feed the birds and this guy grabs his favorite seed and keeps on eating.  This is the only wild life picture in this log entry but there were the usual suspects hanging around the tower.  I didn't put out the hummingbird feeders.
	Picture Time: 0739 Hrs Way off in the distance the Simi Valley Fire has grown very large and now sports it's own anvil cloud.  The fireline is 20 miles long. It's time for me to lock up the tower and drive down to Charlton Flats and let James in who will relieve me for today. I still have to report to work by 1000 Hrs.
	Picture Time: 0827 Hrs Yeah!  I like a guy that is right on time.  James is waiting for me at the gate and he is ready to begin his shift.  James and I were classmates and we have both taken to this program. Just like Angeles Dispatch said, Rec-10 locked the gate as it should be locked.
	Picture Time: 0828 Hrs I open the gate for James and take a moment to brief him regarding present conditions.  James tells me about the Forest Closure and new procedures regarding the gate. Below is a "file" picture I have of James when I visited him while hiking during the mid week.  James often works mid week during the day and puts in a lot of time.
	Picture Time: 0909 Hrs Instead of turning right, and going down the hill, I go left and head to Newcomb's Ranch for some breakfast.  Afterwards I stop on Highway 2 and stop to see if Jim has the tower open.  With my binoculars I can see that Jim is doing just fine so I give him a salute and head off down the hill. I get to work by 1000 Hrs and I really do feel better knowing that Jim is up there keeping an eye out during these stressful conditions. My heart goes out to all those that lost their homes and loved ones during this "week of fire".
	Angeles National Forest Announces Closure ARCADIA, CA: October 27, 2003 As a result of extreme fire activity, limited firefighting resources and the continued threat to life and property, Angeles National Forest officials are implementing a forest closure. The Forest Closure Order is effective immediately and will last until the current extreme conditions subside. Wildfires have consumed over 250,000 acres and over 1,100 homes in southern California over the past two days. Forest Supervisor Jody Cook feels the action is necessary to protect public health and safety. "Right now, we're seeing the kind of extreme fire behavior we did last year," Cook said. "Unfortunately, the most immediate and effective method to reduce the potential for more losses is this kind of closure. Our goal is to prevent more catastrophic losses in and around the Angeles." The closure will affect the use of all national forest recreational facilities, roads and hiking trails. Violators are subject to fines and/or imprisonment. County roads and state highways, such as the Angeles Crest Highway (Hwy 2), will remain open to through traffic. However, drivers are urged to use extreme caution and adhere to posted fire prevention regulations. Residents and organizations holding Special Use permits for sanctioned activities can contact their local Angeles National Forest district office to obtain a pass for temporary access: Los Angeles River Ranger Station — (818) 899-1900 San Gabriel River Ranger Station — (626) 335-1251 Santa Clara-Mojave Rivers Ranger Station — (661) 296-9710

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