The Flames Are Getting Very Close to JPL

By Keith Cowing on August 31, 2009 11:01 AM

Keith's note: These photos were sent in by a reader who works at JPL. You can clearly see how close the fire has gotten to JPL. You can see larger photos here.

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Status for Monday, Aug. 31

"Fire conditions around JPL have continued to improve throughout the day, and the Lab is no longer threatened by the Station Fire. However, there has been heavy smoke in the area. To ensure acceptable air quality for the health and safety of employees, JPL will be closed to all except mission-critical personnel on Monday, Aug. 31."

Calif. fire to reach mountain's TV transmitters, AP

"Authorities say flames from a major wildfire north of Los Angeles are about to reach Mount Wilson, home to a historic observatory and transmitters for every major television and radio station in the area."

JPL Update August 30, 2009 9 a.m. "The fire situation around JPL has improved considerably. The lab is not in danger at present. However, JPL's Oak Grove site remains closed today except for essential personnel. Non-essential personnel are not allowed on-Lab. Facilities at the nearby Woodbury complex, buildings 600, 601, 602 and 605, are open. A decision will be made later today regarding whether employees should report to work on Monday. For updates, call (800) 303-4575 or (818) 354-8601, or visit this site, the JPL home page, at www.jpl.nasa.gov. Updates will also be communicated to JPL personnel by JPL e-mail; through the State of the Lab call-in numbers; and the Emergency Communication System. JPL employees who have been evacuated from their homes are asked to check in with Rick Roessler at 818-354-0805, 310-422-9853 or richard.m.roessler@jpl.nasa.gov. JPL staffers needing assistance are urged to call the Employee Assistance Program at 818-354-3680."

Live Webcam from Mt. Wilson

Keith's 29 Aug update: Thanks to Kevin Parkin, we now have a link on Google Maps that shows the extent of the fire. According to a JPL reader "at 12 noon PDT a report on the local NPR station now puts the hillside fire only about 500 m above JPL."

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10 Comments

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RNP | August 29, 2009 6:13 PM | Reply

This is unfortunate. It's a beautiful place.

Kevin Parkin | August 29, 2009 8:22 PM | Reply

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=117631292961056724014.0004720e21d9cded17ce4&ll=34.244446,-118.200188&spn=0.141903,0.205994&t=p&z=12&source=embed

Dave | August 29, 2009 11:32 PM | Reply

Just to let everybody know, JPL has banned all non-essential personnel from JPL through Sunday.

Also, while the flames look close, there is a valley between that mountain on fire,and the upper hills of the lab. Hopefully, that will act as an effective buffer.

Mike | August 30, 2009 11:05 AM | Reply

Half of the sky was smoke and it was snowing ash at DFRC, about 55 miles to the north. This fire is pretty nasty, I hope they can get it under control soon. Good luck JPL!

TF Smith | August 30, 2009 1:55 PM | Reply

I work in the San Gabriel Valley and the plume from the fire is and has been huge over the last few days; we are actually very fortunate that as bad as this is, the winds that could have turned it into a true firestorm have not been present.

One of the lessons learned in this, as in all natural disasters in California, is how important the state-wide Incident Command System, the OES, the mutual-aid agreeemnts and exercises, and professional, civil service disaster managers and firefighters are - something to keep in mind when it comes to privatizing operational missions.

Mike | August 30, 2009 9:30 PM | Reply

Mt. Wilson observatory is threatened now. Forrest service expects the fire to reach the observatory between 7PM and 9PM PDT. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/08/station-fire-approaching-historic-mt-wilson-observatory-fire-officials-say.html

View from the observatory webcam
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop

The antennas in view are for public safety organizations, radio, and TV.

AstroBoy | August 30, 2009 11:34 PM | Reply

I tried to come up with a joke involving Steve Cook and the term "fire retardant," but I couldn't come up with anything that wouldn't result in a lawsuit.

Anyway I hope everyone in the danger zone gets out okay.

GA | August 31, 2009 4:46 AM | Reply

here's a photo from Friday night:
http://i30.tinypic.com/k3mg3.jpg

Jim | August 31, 2009 10:59 AM | Reply

The fire *is* close, but the picture makes it seem worse than it is, because it's very foreshortened. The ridgeline in the middle is the top of JPL (the Mesa antenna range), and the hillside with the fire is about a mile away behind it, across a fairly big canyon with several hundred feet elevation change. If you look at the linked map, the fire in the photo is burning on the slope behind Brown Mountain.

Pasadena | August 31, 2009 5:10 PM | Reply

For those who like to argue about how close the fire came, if it weren't for the heroic efforts of the firefighters and pilots, JPL would now be toast - literally. Saturday afternoon I witnessed an all out air assault with amazing acrobatics and choreography. Well worth any air show I've seen. The fire bombers would show up like clock work at about 15-minute intervals, would follow a smaller lead plane, circle the terrain one or two times and then make a nose dive into the Arroyo Seco, drop the retardant with pinpoint precision and pull up as fast as they could. This went on nonstop until well after sunset. The most amazing of those planes was the DC-10 which came incredibly close to the structure on the mesa top as it pulled out. Big thanks to the brave men and women that risk their lives and are doing such a fabulous job!

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The Flames Are Getting Very Close to JPL

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