Posted on 09/01/2009 12:54:39 PM PDT by La Enchiladita
The so-called Station Fire, which now covers more than 120,000 Southern California acres and is burning largely uncontained, continues to threaten the century-old Mount Wilson Observatory, home to astronomer Edwin Hubble at the time he made his landmark observations of the universe's expansion.
The observatory is currently unmanned due to the fire threat and the attending smoke, but a webcam atop Mount Wilson's 150-foot solar tower has provided observatory managers and concerned observers with a view from the scene. At 12:55 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time) the camera showed a great deal of smoke but no flames.
...According to the Los Angeles Times, authorities had cleared the top of Mount Wilson of fire personnel Monday amid unpredictable conditions but today allowed them to return to fight the fire from the ground.
Fire agencies expressed optimism this morning that the fire would become significantly better contained today, the newspaper reported. Officials were "hoping a concerted effort to hack away tree limbs, cut fire breaks and lay down fire retardant would spare the Mt. Wilson Observatory and a key complex of communications towers used for over-the-air broadcasting by nearly 50 radio and television stations," according to the Times .
(Excerpt) Read more at scientificamerican.com ...
I thought Mt Wilson was out of danger... is the fire still going up?
Ping for updates, continuing coverage, photos.
Weather developments are encouraging.....
I’m listening to live transmissions via the internet. I haven’t heard any references to Mount. Wilson.
12:58 PST Firefighters gain on blaze near Los Angeles (AP)
AP - Firefighters set backfires and removed brush with bulldozers across a huge swath of Southern California forest on Tuesday to try to contain a 190-square-mile wildfire that has destroyed 53 homes and threatened thousands more in foothill suburb.
They put a ton of drops on it all day and seem to think it will be OK.
I have heard and seen conflicting reports. Here is another: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-10323008-94.html
My guess is Mt. Wilson will be spared. It has been threatened in fires before and didn’t go up.
Mt. Wilson Webcam Keeps an Eye on the Adjacent Station Fire
http://laist.com/2009/08/30/mt_wilson_webcam_keeps_an_eye_on_th.php
Meanwhile, countless hundreds of ‘retired’ aircraft sit in California and Arizona deserts, any ten of which could be converted to water/fire-retardant dropping planes for next to nothing. Have them sitting in a hangar at Burbank airport until needed, and none of these very regular California wildfires would ever cause a problem again. These fires would be snuffed out before they even get going. But thanks to the firefighters union lobbying efforts, this never happens, and we get this devastation, every year, multiple times. But they’re ‘heroes’.
Lots of smoke here today. Can’t see the foothills. It’s coming from Utah and W. Colorado, but we might be getting smoke from California by now. That’s one big fire.
It makes better news to threaten Mt. Wilson.
I wholeheartedly agree with your tagline, have been saying the same for the duration.
I brought up the webcam a few minutes ago, now I can’t. Will keep trying.
Gotta get the sensational angle. Even Doug McIntyre this morning didn’t get it. He thought he saw smoke outside, when actually there were rain clouds.
They’re starting to talk about the Mount Wilson Observatory.
Also, see link in post #6 from the observatory director’s blog.
Thanks for pinging me to the thread, LE. I’ve been looking all over for breaking news on the fire.
My old house is on Grove Street, one block away from the edge of north Sunland, and only a few blocks from the “border” of Tujunga. The fire front is very close to there right now.
I may not live there anymore, but I’ve got a brother still living in Sunland, and loads of neighbors and friends still there.
This fire is very personal to me.
Sure we can! Zero is finding out blaming Bush for the present economy is wearing real thin. I can understand Slow Joe being dumb enough to claim Porkulus would stop unemployment from falling, but Bammie and his advisers are supposed to be brilliant.
Thank you for the ping.
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