The quickly spreading Station Fire of La Cañada in Los Angeles County posed major structural threats to local hospitals and roads. Mapping data from the area overlaid on the map above indicates the magnitude and scope of the fire. This area of California is especially prone to fires because it is a mountainous region. Warm Santa Ana winds gust through the sloping hills and create a perfect fan for a fire in the drought-ridden brush of the foothills of Los Angeles County.
The multiple, transparent colors on the map detail the vast expansion of the Station Fire in a matter of days. The map shows the spread in just the days from August 29th to September 2nd, 2009. It paints an all too real picture of the dangers of wildfires. For houses up in the outskirts, the speed of the wildfire causes harsh threats as the map indicates only few major roads in and out of the fire zone.
GIS has allowed for the analysis of roads in the area. Although the fire poses danger to the homes up in the mountain regions, the blaze comes disturbingly close to the clusters of road that indicate a more populated area. For example, the south and southeastern edges of the fire boundary come into contact with areas of Flintridge and La Cañada, these are regions of Los Angeles near the populated area of Pasadena. The major roads indicate that structural damage was inevitable.
A denser population means more important structures reside in the area. Hospitals are a major concern because evacuations are complicated and risky, not to mention the threat of injured people looking for an emergency room. The map indicates the hospitals close to the fire boundaries that had to shut down and evacuate. The Verdugo Hills hospital was closed during the fire and many others were on high alert. Hospitals are indicated on the map as the universal red cross symbol.
The Station Fire in Los Angeles County came very close to densly populated regions within the city. The fire spead quickly through the drought laden brush of the mountainous foothills and was fueled by hot orographic winds. Roads are a good indication of housing density of the area and the fire boundary came very close to the major city of Pasadena. Hospitals are among the most important structures effected in fires because evacuation is tricky and injured civilians and firefighters must have a close emergency room to go to. The fire has been over for months now and California has seen more rains this year than in the last five years, and that poses more naturalthreats in the form of mud and debris flows as this region struggles to resprout its previous vegetation.
GIS at UCLA: Mapshare Los Angeles County http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm
GIS data of Los Angeles http://gis.lacounty.gov/eGIS/?cat=15&paged=2
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection http://www.fire.ca.gov
Homes Lost in Big Tujunga, 3 People Injured. August 30. 2009. http://cbs2.com/firewatch/Fire.Watch.Angeles.2.1152024.html
Verdugo Hills Hospital (La Cañada Flintridge). Wikimapia. 2010. http://wikimapia.org/100123/Verdugo-Hills-Hospital
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