Week 9 - The Station Fire

           Charring over one hundred sixty thousand acres in the Angeles National Forest, the Station Fire of 2009 was one of the largest fires in California history and claimed the title for largest wildfire known to have occurred in Los Angeles County (Bloomekatz September 02, 2009, “Cal Fire Incidents – Station Fire” October 16, 2009). The fire itself, believed to have been arson (Bloomekatz September 03, 2009), started on August 26, 2009 and was not fully contained until over a month later (“Cal Fire Incidents – Station Fire” October 16, 2009). The effect of the fire on the residents of the Los Angeles Metropolitan was dramatic, with several hundred families evacuated from their homes and ash falling all throughout the region (Los Angeles Daily News August 30, 2009). Sadly, it also claimed the lives of two firefighters who crashed their truck and were unable to escape the reach of the flames (Becerra August 30, 2009).

            Geographic information systems like ArcGIS allow us to analyze spatial events and processes like the Station Fire. In the first map above, the perimeter of the Station Fire as it burned over the period August 28, 2009 to September 2, 2009 is layered over a digital elevation model of the area. As is readily apparent by the single highway that bisects the burn zone, much of this fire took place in a very remote area with rugged terrain. These factors likely a contributed to the deaths of the two firefighters mentioned previously.

            Also visible in this map is that the fire started near the single highway in the region; implicit support of the notion that arson was the likely cause. This highway is locally known as Angeles Crest and the effects of the Station Fire upon it lasted longer than the fire itself. The loss of vegetation around the highway was cited as a primary factor when sections of the highway were washed out by the 2010 storm season. It did not fully reopen until June 2011 (Bloomekatz June 05, 2011).

            In the second map, the perimeter of the Station Fire on September 2, 2009 is layered in a yellow outline on top of a digital elevation model of the area. Instead of being for general reference though this map has a few thematic elements. First, a dataset and shapefile was retrieved from the Los Angeles County eGIS database displaying census tracts and population data from the United States Census Bureau. From this data set, only census tracts that were within five miles of the perimeter of the fire were selected and the number of elderly individuals living within their boundaries was graphed onto them. Once that data was selected, the highways bisecting or touching census tracts within reach of the fire were selected and labeled as possible evacuation routes.

            Given that the southern extent of the fire remained so close to its origin point, it is likely that the location of nearby population centers played a major role in determining the tactics used to contain the wildfire. Tools like ArcGIS allow us to visually represent decisions like these. They can also be of use in developing new policies. In the case of the thematic map above, a policy could be developed to help streamline the evacuation of a vulnerable population like the elderly who may not have access to personal transportation. Through applications like these, the adoption and utilization of geographic information systems has the potential to better the world around us. 




Bibliography

Becerra, Hector. Los Angeles Times, "Two Los Angeles County firefighters killed in vehicle accident near Station fire [Updated]." Last modified August 30, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/2-los-angeles-county-firefighters-battling-fire-killed-in-vehicle-accident-.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Station fire is largest in L.A. Count'ys modern history." Last modified September 02, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-is-largest-in-la-county-history.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Station fire was arson, officials say; homicide investigation begins." Last modified September 03, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/station-fire-was-arson-homicide-investigation-begins.html.

Bloomekatz, Ari. Los Angeles Times, "Fans can't wait to hit the reopened road." Last modified June 05, 2011. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/05/local/la-me-0605-angeles-crest-20110605.

Cal Fire, "Cal Fire Incidents - Station Fire." Last modified October 16, 2009. Accessed June 14, 2012. http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=377.

Los Angeles Daily News, "People, animals evacuating from Station Fire path." Last modified August 30, 2009. Accessed June 13, 2012. http://www.dailynews.com/news/ci_13239831.