Monday night, the Unified Incident Command Team — including the Monrovia Fire Department, United States Forest Service and the Los Angeles County Fire Department — directed Monrovia residents in the foothill area below the Bobcat Fire to be prepared to evacuate. With Santa Ana Winds expected throughout the day Tuesday and a red flag warning issued through Wednesday, officials anticipate erratic fire behavior.
If an evacuation order is issued, the City of Monrovia will coordinate evacuations in two phases. The first phase will include all residents north of Hillcrest Boulevard and Greystone Avenue. The second phases will include residents living between Hillcrest Boulevard and Greystone Avenue, south to Foothill Boulevard.
Residents will be notified of the evacuation order by the emergency alert system. The Monrovia Police Department and other agencies will also notify residents in the affected neighborhoods ordered to evacuate.
The Monrovia Community Center is now serving as an “Information and Cooling Center” where up-to-date information can be found. The number of the Community Center is (626) 256-8246.
According to the city, information on evacuation sites are being prepared and more information will be released if and evacuation order is issued.
Residents with large animals should begin moving them now. Accommodations are being made for animals at the Pomona Fairgrounds and Santa Anita Park but capacity is limited. To find out more information regarding the evacuation centers, call (800) RED-CROSS (733-2767).
Monrovia city staff received an incident update Tuesday morning. According to a written update from City Manager Dylan Feik, the fire continues to burn slowly towards Monrovia and teams will be working to build dozer lines, focused on the western and southern edges of the fire, in preparation for the Santa Ana winds. Air support has been requested and four to five helicopters and tankers are expected to be operational Tuesday.
“We have been told to plan for the fire to get worse and we are asking all residents to be prepared and ready if an Evacuation Order is issued. Even when we don’t see flames on the hill, the Santa Ana winds can change the fire conditions incredibly quickly. We are trying to give as much advance notice as possible and we will provide updates as frequently as we can,” wrote Feik.
Smoke from the fire has also caused unhealthy air quality in the area.
The Bobcat Fire erupted in the Angeles National Forest on Sunday at 12:21 p.m. The fire is located near the Cogswell Dam and West Fork Day Use area. The cause of this fire is currently under investigation.
As of Tuesday morning, the fire had burned 4,871 acres and remained at 0% containment. Currently, there are limited resources for the fire, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The City of Monrovia will provide regular updates at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. every day during the emergency.
The City of Duarte also issued an evacuation warning for the Duarte Mesa, the area off of Mt. Olive north of Woodlyn Lane in Bradbury.
The U.S. Forest Services has also announced that the Angeles National Forest will be closed to all activity until Monday, Sept. 14. The closure includes all USFS roads, trails, campgrounds and day-use sites.
