COMPLIMENTARY COPY
Santa Anita Postpones Opening Day Due to Bobcat Fire Impacting Air Quality P3
Arcadia High Students See Continued Success in National Merit Scholar Program P4
Go to AzusaBeacon.com for Azusa Specific News THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 - SEPTEMBER 23, 2020
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VOL. 9, NO. 37
UNPREDICTABLE BOBCAT FIRE EXPLODES TO 44K ACRES, COUNTY SUPERVISORS DECLARE LOCAL EMERGENCY
Very unhealthy air quality becomes a daily occurrence Terry MILLER tmiller@beaconmedianews.com
T
he Bobcat Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest continues to unleash its fury over a week since it first erupted, necessitating residents in parts of Arcadia, Sierra Madre, and within the area north of Angeles Crest North and between Clear Creek Station and Highway 39 to evacuate. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency as record-setting fires brought ash, soot and unhealthy amounts of smoke into our immediate atmosphere. As California battles another major health threat, COVID-19, in the wake of the massive fires the state is facing, “the smoke is now scarier than the pandemic,” claims Cynthia Gorney in a recent article for the National Geographic science team. “I am grateful for the collaboration of our cities and communities, including Sierra Madre, Arcadia, Monrovia, Bradbury, Duarte and Azusa, who have shown strong unity in support of our fire personnel to battle the ongoing fire,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said. “The Los Angeles County Fire Department is working in partnership with U.S. Forest Service Angeles National Forest and American Red Cross to manage this emergency and provide essential support to residents.” “As the Bobcat Fire spreads to more than 41,000 acres, with containment at three percent, I implore all residents in impacted areas to act quickly when receiving directives from our emergency personnel,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis said. “If you must evacuate your home, please follow through quickly. I thank the dedicated women and men of the Los Angeles County Fire Department for protecting our communities and families by working nonstop in attempting to contain this blaze.” On Tuesday, as the fire grew, containment was reduced to 3%, where it remains as of Wednesday morning. The fire’s growth is primarily in the north and west, but firefighters are still doing their best to stop the fire’s creep to the south. While Arcadia remains some distance away from the fire, a backfiring operation is underway to divert the fire away from Monrovia. Another backfiring operation was used to protect the Mount Wilson Observatory. Firefighters from Monrovia, Pasadena, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Ventura, City of Santa Barbara, as well as Glendale and Verdugo fire departments have done an outstanding job keeping the fire away from foothill communities. Firefighters are now breathing a cautious collective sigh of relief that the anticipated powerful Santa Ana winds will SEE BOBCAT FIRE PAGE 2
The charred mountains at Santa Anita Big Canyon and Dam get a series of water drops from helicopters Monday evening. – Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News