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View Winners → Aerial Firefighters Battle Massive Bobcat Fire above Monrovia
Monrovia Weekly Sep 10, 2020
As the sun sets Tuesday night, the orange glow of the Bobcat Fire is ever-present. - Photo by Terry Miller / Beacon Media News
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A C-130 Cargo plane drops PhosChek on the mountains above the city Wednesday afternoon. – Photo by Terry Miller
By Terry Miler
Residents’ concerns over the lack of air attacks on the Bobcat fire were quickly quelled when DC-10 jets and C-130 aircraft made an Aerial assault on the fire in the mountains above Monrovia Wednesday afternoon. Air quality was too dangerous in the early part of the day and firefighting aircraft were grounded due to poor visibility.
However, in the late afternoon, the pilots took the bigbirds to the skies and quickly extinguished flare ups on the ridges. Themountains were quickly painted with the colorful Phos Chek thanks to the expert piloting of Boing DC10’s,C-130 and other fixed wing pilots who coordinated several hours of a well-orchestratedand visually stunning performance – each and every time the pilot allowed theall too common sight of the bright red retardant out of the cargo hold.
Long-term retardant like Phos Chek is the ideal tool for slowing or stopping the spread of wildland fires. PHOS-CHEK®long-term retardants chemically alter wildland fuels to render them non-flammable. All PHOS-CHEK retardants are fully qualified by the USDA Forest Service. They are the safest, most effective, and environmentally friendly products available.
Overnight, the Bobcat Fire continued to grow, moving in a northeasterly direction but is also slowly burning towards the west. The forest area above Monrovia has not seen a fire in over 60 years. The city sent out a reminder that Bobcat fire is not an immediate risk to Monrovia residents and still not contained, the fire will continue to be visible from the City with plumes of smoke during the day. Firefighting crews have spent considerable time building defensive lines on the western and southern edges of the fire. Now, efforts are being focused on the east and northeastern edges of the fire. The goal is to keep the fire from jumping Highway 39.
Please note…the fire is burning at a high elevation, withfuels that historically have not burned, and is surrounded by defensible space,dozer lines, and even recently burned areas from fires in the past 3-4 years.The area will likely burn for several weeks until it is fully extinguished bycrews.
According to the South Coast Air Quality Management Districts, the Bobcat Fire is producing substantial amounts of smoke and falling ash. The Monrovia area will experience heavy smoke impacts. If you smell smoke or see ash due to the wildfire, here are ways to limit your exposure:
Remain indoors with windows and doors closed or seekalternate shelter;
Avoid vigorous physical activity;
Run your air conditioner if you have one. Make sure it has aclean filter and that it is recirculating the indoor air to prevent bringingadditional smoke inside;
Create a clean air space in your home by using a portableair cleaner instead of or in addition to your air conditioner. Use in oneor more rooms with both the doors and windows closed;
Avoid using a whole-house fan or a swamp cooler with anoutside air intake;
Avoid using indoor or outdoor wood-burning appliances, including fireplaces and candles.
We want to remind everyone that fire can spread quickly andresidents should be cognizant that the fire will continue to burn throughoutthe day.
