Alice Sarkisian Wessen

All Altadena, all the time

 

ON THE MEDIA
Courtesy, LA Times
  
All Altadena, all the time
A community blog was a lifeline when the Station fire threatened.                       
  By James Rainey                              

September 25, 2009
      
 

Tim Rutt became something of a hero to his fellow Altadenans during the Station fire, providing news of evacuations, road closures and deployments. (Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times / September 24, 2009)

 It would be easy to miss this newsroom of the future. It's disguised inside a graceful wood shingle home, just beyond the living room crammed with children's toys, tucked on one side of a modest kitchen.

From this modest perch in a woodsy section of Altadena, beneath the towering San Gabriel Mountains, Tim Rutt has created a blog that has made him the talk of his community and the latest star of the kind of hyper-local journalism that is sprouting around America.

Rutt's banner moment came a few weeks back, when the Station fire roared across the mountains above Altadena and his altadenablog.com <http://www.altadenablog.com> became the go-to destination for evacuation updates, road closures, firefighter deployments and, as one fan said, "the comforting sound of a neighbor's voice."

 "The blog was absolutely invaluable for a lot of people," said community activist Monica Hubbard. "His blog was the central gathering point. It was breathtaking, his level of commitment to the community."

"Breathtaking" in part because Rutt worked up to 20 hours a day for a week and because he did so while tending to his two special-needs children and to his wife, who had been hospitalized suddenly for open-heart surgery.

The fire expanded altadenablog's small but fervent audience and burnished Rutt's reputation as minder of the virtual town square for a quirky, unincorporated community that has sometimes lacked a focal point.

No one knows how many communities produce local blogs or whether they can extend their repertoire to, for example, investigative reporting.

So far, altadenablog and most of the local blogs have not found a formula for paying their operators a living wage. Subscription charges are virtually nonexistent, charitable donations tend to be modest and advertisers aren't beating down the door.

Rutt hopes in the coming year to devote more time to expanding advertising and making his blog more of a going business. In the meantime, he's been paid mostly with the thanks of neighbors and a sense that he's done right by his community of 45,000.

Rutt, 52, didn't really imagine he'd end up here. He studied journalism at the University of Colorado and worked for more than two years at a small weekly paper. When the economy soured, Rutt and a friend -- who together dabbled in radio sketch comedy in their college days -- decided to take their shot at a career in Hollywood.

Rutt tried to make it as a TV writer but didn't have much luck, unless you count his work for a cheesy cable program. He recalls that the producers focused mostly on luring the maximum number of bikini-clad girls to the set.

The Tinseltown washout set Rutt off on an odyssey of writing and public relations jobs. He wrote manuals. He produced ad copy. He became a spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Rutt married and had a daughter. He divorced, then a decade ago married Mary Herman, a doctor. Their life took a serious turn with the birth of a son who has muscular dystrophy and a daughter with Down syndrome.

Care and therapy for Jake, now 7, and Rosie, 5, became a nearly full-time job. So Rutt became a stay-at-home dad.

As the children got older and those responsibilities receded, Rutt itched to get back to writing.

He already had a fascination with Altadena, one that was sometimes thwarted as he could find no central information source for the burg.

Rutt had to trek to the library, community center, a popular coffee house -- even scan the marquee in front of Bryan's Cleaners and Laundry -- to gather even a fraction of the news he wanted.

About that time, he heard from his college friend, who was running a community blog in West Seattle that had become not only a community mainstay but also a money maker.

With that final inspiration, Rutt launched altadenablog two years ago.

Today, the blog maps burglaries and brown bear sightings. It memorializes the comings and goings of shops. It lists who's playing at the Folly Bowl, an informal backyard venue where a local couple features folk and world music.

Rutt wouldn't be a real journalist if he hadn't made some enemies, which he has managed to do occasionally with his coverage of the quasi-governmental Town Council. He rates the current group pretty highly, although in the past, he said, some leaders have "behaved like a clown college."

Still, he zinged a new council member a few weeks back for allegedly mischaracterizing a fundraising appeal as coming from the entire council, when it was a personal project. The council member responded by calling Rutt heavy-handed and accusing him of being in the thrall of other local politicos.

Rutt's friend and blog contributor, Alice Wessen, another council member, said political intrigue has been a near constant in a place without a formal government. "Altadena's a quirky place," she said. "There are lots of passionate folks."

When the Station fire erupted in late August, locals trained those passions squarely on the mainstream media, particularly TV stations, which many Altadenans thought ignored their community.

The news people argued that other communities were more seriously threatened, which they were. But that didn't mollify locals who were choking on smoke, watering their roofs and facing evacuation.

The crisis couldn't have come at a worse time for Rutt, with his wife's hospitalization and kids' needs. But he cobbled together church friends and family to help on the home front for part of each day, so he could plunge into fire coverage.

"I'd been building this trust with my readers for two years," he said. "I felt like I couldn't let them down."

Rutt's postings ran from early morning until late at night, but he made his most crucial decision a couple days after the fire started, when he loosened the controls on outside contributions.

He previously had moderated all postings, to assure that nothing untoward got on the site.

 But readers had too much to say about the fire, so Rutt took the nozzle off.

 "Suddenly," he said, "everyone in Altadena was my reporter."

Rutt's traffic ballooned, from roughly 400 page views a day to a high of 21,400 at the peak of the fire.

Today, viewership has settled down. But it still tops 1,000 some days. And Rutt's place on the local scene seems secure.

Said the novelist Michelle Huneven, a lifelong Altadenan: "He is having his moment in the sun. Well deserved."

james.rainey@latimes.com  

NASA Image of Fires in Los Angeles County

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=40118

This map shows the areas burned (gray) in the Station Fire.

You can pick out JPL--a little hunk of buildings just northwest of the area marked Pasadena, very close to a small tongue of burned area.

Fires in Los Angeles County

Two weeks after an arsonist ignited the drought-dry forest north of Los Angeles, the Station fire had become the ninth largest fire in California since 1933. On the morning of September 8, 2009, the fire had burned more than 250 square miles (about 650 square kilometers) of land, according to the Station Fire Incident Report from September 8. This image, captured by the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite on September 6, shows the extent of the burned area. The newly charred land is black in this false-color image, which was made with near infrared light. Plants are dark red, and man-made surfaces, particularly the dense urban centers of Pasadena and Burbank, are blue and white.

The burned area covers much of the San Gabriel Mountains, edging down into residential areas northwest of Pasadena. Smoke rolls off the eastern edge of the burned land. The fire was still burning, just over 50 percent contained when the image was taken. According to the incident report from September 8, the fire was pushing east into forest with no recorded fire history. The fire had previously burned through tall, thick forest that had not seen fire in the past 40 years.

The image also illustrates why fighting the Station fire has been so difficult. The fire burned over steep mountains riddled with canyons. The rugged landscape looks wrinkled, particularly in the burned area where plants no longer soften the ridgelines and canyons. The steep terrain and the fire’s extreme, unpredictable behavior led to the death of two firefighters. Nine other firefighters have been injured fighting the fire, reported the Los Angeles Times.

South and east of the fire, the Mount Wilson Communication Facility and Observatory was still surrounded by unburned forest. The historic, 105-year-old observatory hosts two large telescopes, once the world’s largest, and other instruments to study the Sun and the Universe beyond. Mount Wilson also contains communications towers that serve much of the Los Angeles region. The image shows that the fire approached the facility on two sides, but left the forest around the observatory intact.

1. References

2. Bloomekatz, A.B. (2009, September 6). Station fire, among state’s top 10, moves toward Littlerock, Juniper Hills. Los Angeles Times. Accessed September 8, 2009.
3. InciWeb. (2009, September 8). Station Fire. Accessed September 8, 2009.
4. Mount Wilson Observatory. Accessed September 8, 2009.

More images of this event in Natural Hazards

NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team. Caption by Holli Riebeek.

Instrument: 

Terra - ASTER

SHERIFF'S COMMUNITY MEETING ON OCTOBER 7TH REGARDING BURGLARIES

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE THE ATTACHED FLYER TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW IN ALTADENA.
Flyer Here: Download 459MtgFlyer

IT IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE ALTADENA SHERIFF'S COMMUNITY MEETING
ON OCTOBER 7, 2009, AT 7:PM.

THE MEETING WILL BE HELD AT THE DANIEL WEBSTER SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 2102
E. WASHINGTON BLVD., PASADENA.

THE TOPIC WILL BE RESIDENTIAL BURGLARIES.

PRESENTATION WILL BE DONE BY ALTADENA STATION DETECTIVES.

CAPTAIN ROOSEVELT BLOW
ALTADENA SHERIFF'S STATION
(626) 798-1131

Desire to learn for the purpose of equipping yourself to be the best at what you do. Then equip others by imparting your knowledge upon them, making them the best at what we do.

Hotspots-One reason the forest remains closed

Still Smoking?

 

As an example of the danger still very much happening, my friend Mary sent this email yesterday:

Up in the Millard campground area, they just had two large rockslides directly across from two cabins that have buried some fallen burning trees. The slide is still smoking and every once in a while an area will flare up and catch the standing trees on fire.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNE14ojXujc&feature=email

 

Regarding Forest Closures: An area closure of the southern portion of the Angeles National Forest is in effect “until it is determined that that it is safe to reopen forest areas.” For additional information on the closure, go to www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/

 

More info from the USFS website:
“Individuals or organizations holding special use permits for sanctioned activities within the Forest are exempt from this order. While the closure is in effect, going into or being upon National Forest System lands, roads, or trails within the closure area is not allowed. The closure will affect the use of all national forest recreational facilities, roads and hiking trails. A violation of the closure order is punishable by a fine of not more than $5,000 for an individual or $10,000 for an organization, or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. The Station Fire Closure Area consists of all National Forest System lands within the Angeles National Forest south and east of California State Route 14 and California State Route 138. “

 

Tracks In The Ashes

Courtesy Nancy Steele
http://inthewatershed.org/

Nancy Steele and Alice Wessen walked up near Millard Canyon and saw several tracks in the ashes

Station Fire-Sept 15th, 2009

FIRE OPERATIONS SUMMARY:

At 600 am this morning Southern California Incident Management Team 3 assumed command of the fire.

 

Firefighters continue to hold the containment line around the fire.  The remaining work is extremely difficult due to terrain. 

 

The burnout operations in the area of Mt. Wilson accomplished the objective of removing extremely heavy fuel.  There is still smoke in the area generally east of Mt. Wilson to Devore as undergrowth burns away. 

 

Hot spots continue to smoke inside the burned area of Big Tujunga.  A containment line is completed between residences and the “smokes,” but some residents will continue to see smoke from their homes.

 

Crews are still mopping up hot spots along the 132 miles of  line that have been constructed around the fire.  The estimated containment date is September 19 to allow for additional mop up to secure the perimeter.

 

Commuters along Hwy. 138 and residents northeast of the fire will continue to see smoke over the next few days.

 

Fire suppression repair operations are ongoing.  Crews and equipment are improving drainage, pulling debris from drains, knocking down dozer berms and repairing roads.

 

A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is assessing the burn area to determine the current and potential future impacts of the fire.  Personnel have scouted the northern, western and southern areas. 

FIRE STATUS

 

Fire Name:                                  Station

Geographic Location:  Hwy. 2 North of

                     La Cañada – Flintridge, CA

Acres Burned:                          160,557

Start Date:                   August 26, 2009

Time:                                       3:20 p.m.

Percent Contained:                           91

Estimated Containment Date:  9/19/09

Cause:                                           Arson

Injuries:                                              22

Structures Threatened:                   170

Commercial Bldgs. Threatened:        0

Residences Destroyed:                     89

Residences Damaged:                      13

Commercial Prop. Destroyed:          26

Commercial Property Damaged:      22

Outbuildings/Other Destroyed:        94

Outbuildings/Other Damaged:         22

RESOURCES

 

Approximate Personnel Assigned:  984

Helicopters:                          3

Air Tankers:             Available

Engines:                              31

Hand Crews:                       16

Dozers:                                17

Cost to Date:       $93,779,000

FOREST CLOSURES: Angeles National Forest: An area closure of the southern portion of the Angeles National Forest is in effect until it is determined that it is safe to reopen forest areas. For additional information on the closure, go to www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/

 

ROAD CLOSURES: Road Closures are in effect throughout the fire area to protect the community.  Please  call the CHP for further information at (323) 982-4900.  For Little Rock Reservoir, call (661) 533-2424.

Cooperators and Agencies Assisting the U.S. Forest Service: Los Angeles County Fire Department, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles City Fire Department, California State Highway Patrol, Caltrans, American Red Cross, CAL FIRE, Southern California Edison, Office of Emergency Services, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, Dept of Defense, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the cities of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre.

What areas of the forest are affected?

I am getting lots of questions on what survived the fire.

Best map I have found is here: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/09/wildfire-mapping-times-photos-map-locations-new-icons-and-good-news-from-the-front.html

 

I also found the following which is a blog of Mt Wilson tollroad

http://mtwilsontollroad.swcamborne.com/general/the-station-fire

"The fire has not burned in the area of Henninger Flats or the toll road below there.  It is not clear whether it has affected the Toll road between Henninger Flats and the summit.  All trails in the San Gabriel Mountains are officially closed for recreational purposes."

 

Another report states that Henniger Flats is still standing.

 

Big trees surrounding the Switzer Picnic Area are still standing. But the fire burned far down along the canyon walls around Switzer.

Much of the other trails and recreation areas lower down in the forest are burned, with the exception of the Mt. Wilson area, where there is still a lot of surviving vegetation.

 

Local hiking areas near Pasadena have fared pretty well. Echo Mountain, Henninger Flats, Chantry Flats all left intact. The fire did burn trails in the Millard Canyon Campground area and in areas above Echo Mountain.

 

I live above Loma Alta, off of Chaney Trail facing Millard Canyon. The fire came to Sunset Ridge. But for the grace of god and lack of winds, my home would be gone. So when I see the deer eating my roses down to nothing, I am just grateful to see them.

Altadena Sheriff's Community Forum on BURGLARY, Wed. Oct. 7th

Altadena Sheriff's Community Forum on Burglary

 This is your opportunity to find out what the Sheriff's Department has been doing about burglaries, what they are currently doing and what is planned. It is also your opportunity to find out what you can do to HELP the Sheriff's Department and your neighborhood, including ways to better protect your homes without jeopardizing your safety.

WHAT:  Altadena Sheriff's Community Forum on BURGLARY
WHEN:  Wednesday, October 7,  7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
WHERE:  Daniel Webster Elementary School Auditorium 2101 East Washington Boulevard Pasadena

This forum will start promptly at 7 pm. The doors will open no later than 6:30 pm. Please make plans to attend.

Pasadena City College wants you to share ideas for higher education

Vision 2020

 

 

Pasadena City College wants you to share

your ideas for higher education

programs, services and facilities!

 

Join us at our next town hall meeting:

Wednesday, September 23

7 — 9 p.m.

 

Altadena Community Center

730 E. Altadena Dr., Altadena

Geoffrey Baum, Trustee, Area 1, and Dr. Jeanette Mann, Trustee, Area 2

 

For additional town hall meeting dates

and to register, go to

www.pasadenavision2020.org

 

PCC COMMUNITY MEETING IN ALTADENA

 

Pasadena Community College is in the process of creating a ten year Educational Master Plan.  The plan will be used to develop programs and direct resources in a manner that will allow the College to meet the future needs of students, employers and the community.

 

A series of community meetings have been schedule to get community input.  There will be a meeting at the Altadena Community Center next Wednesday September 23^rd beginning at 7:00 p.m.

 

This will by your opportunity to help focus this important institution on the programs and services that are most important to us.

 

I encourage your participation in helping this extremely important institution develop a meaningful plan for our community.

 

Gino Sund, Chair

Altadena Town Council

Station Fire Update Sept 14th, 2009

FIRE OPERATIONS SUMMARY

 

Firefighters continue to make excellent progress.  The remaining work is extremely difficult due to terrain. 

 

The burnout operations in the area of Mt. Wilson accomplished the objective of removing extremely heavy fuel.  There is still smoke in the area generally east of Mt. Wilson to Devore as undergrowth burns away. 

 

Hot spots continue to smoke inside the burned area of Big Tujunga.  A containment line is completed between residences and the “smokes,” but some residents will continue to see smoke from their homes.

 

Crews are still mopping up hot spots along the 132 miles of  line that have been constructed around the fire.  The estimated containment date has been changed to September 19 to allow for additional mop up to secure the perimeter.

 

Commuters along Hwy. 138 and residents northeast of the fire will continue to see smoke over the next few days.

 

Fire suppression repair operations are ongoing.  Crews and equipment are improving drainage, pulling debris from drains, knocking down dozer berms and repairing roads.

 

A Burn Area Emergency Response (BAER) team is assessing the burn area to determine the current and potential future impacts of the fire.  Personnel have scouted the northern, western and southern areas. 

FIRE STATUS

 

Fire Name:                                  Station

Geographic Location:  Hwy. 2 North of

                     La Cañada – Flintridge, CA

Acres Burned:                          160,557

Start Date:                   August 26, 2009

Time:                                       3:20 p.m.

Percent Contained:                           87

Estimated Containment Date:  9/19/09

Cause:                                           Arson

Injuries:                                              22

Structures Threatened:                   120

Commercial Bldgs. Threatened:        0

Residences Destroyed:                     89

Residences Damaged:                      13

Commercial Prop. Destroyed:          26

Commercial Property Damaged:      22

Outbuildings/Other Destroyed:        94

Outbuildings/Other Damaged:         22

 

RESOURCES

 

Approximate Personnel Assigned:  1,192

Helicopters:                          9

Air Tankers:             Available

Engines:                              32

Hand Crews:                       22

Dozers:                                17

Cost to Date:       $92,637,805

FOREST CLOSURES: Angeles National Forest: An area closure of the southern portion of the Angeles National Forest is in effect until it is determined that it is safe to reopen forest areas. For additional information on the closure, go to www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/

ROAD CLOSURES: Road Closures are in effect throughout the fire area to protect the community.  Please call the CHP for further information at (323) 982-4900.  For Little Rock Reservoir, call (661) 533-2424.

Station Fire Update-Sept 12, 2009

FIRE OPERATIONS SUMMARY

 

“It’s a good night to put this fire to bed.”

Shelly Crook, Fire Behavior Analyst

 

Firefighting operations on Friday concentrated on the east flank in the San Gabriel Wilderness and in the Mount Wilson area. 

 

Over 400 firefighters camped on the line over two nights to cut hand line around a large, unburned island of fuel near the Loomis Ranch / Alder Creek drainage.  This area is an especially important resource to protect in the district watershed. Hand crews in the wilderness anticipate completing line construction from Hwy 2 to Cogswell Reservoir on Saturday.

 

Burnout operations on Mt. Wilson were successful, with most of the fire being in patrol and repair status.  

 

As suppression efforts wind down, fire managers continue to demobilize crews and equipment resources.   

 

Remaining crews will patrol and continue repair work.
This work will improve areas impacted by firefighting to reduce future erosion.

 

Today at Dodger Stadium, a Memorial Service will be held for the two Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters who lost their lives during the Station Fire. For more information, please call 323.890.4280 or
email: firefightermemorial@fire.lacounty.gov.

FOREST CLOSURES: Angeles National Forest: An area closure of the southern portion of the Angeles National Forest is in effect until it is determined that it is safe to reopen forest areas. For additional information on the closure, go to www.fs.fed.us/r5/angeles/

 

ROAD CLOSURES: Road Closures are in effect throughout the fire area to protect the community.  Please call the CHP for further information at (323) 982-4900.  For Little Rock Reservoir, call (661) 533-2424.

 

FIRE STATUS

 

Fire Name:                                  Station

Geographic Location:  Hwy. 2 North of

                     La Cañada – Flintridge, CA

Acres Burned:                          160,557

Start Date:                   August 26, 2009

Time:                                       3:20 p.m.

Percent Contained:                           84

Estimated Containment Date:  9/15/09

Cause:                                           Arson

Injuries:                                              20

Structures Threatened:                1,850

Commercial Bldgs. Threatened:      50

Residences Destroyed:                     82

Residences Damaged:                      12

Commercial Prop. Destroyed:          14

Commercial Property Damaged:        4

Outbuildings/Other Destroyed:        92

Outbuildings/Other Damaged:         34

 

RESOURCES

 

Approximate Personnel Assigned:  2,819

Helicopters:                        16

Air Tankers:             Available

Engines:                              98

Hand Crews:                       80

Dozers:                                33

Cost to Date:       $88,368,000