Update: Tuesday Morning
With the weather moderating, firefighters have had some success battling what is being termed "the biggest fire in 100 years." Still, the Station Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest grew over the night. It's now consumed more than 140 thousand acres.
Lighting backfires as a strategy to create firebreaks, firefighters hope they will prevent flames from moving into heavily populated areas along the southwestern edge of the fire. To the east, crews are setting up defense lines to protect Juniper Creek and San Gabriel Canyon.
Other crews continue their work atop Mt. Wilson, doing their best to protect the Observatory and broadcast facilities there. They've constructed fuel breaks, brought in water drops, and covered many areas with fire retardant.
Finally, an armada of aircraft, both helicopters and fixed wing, have been brought to bear on the fire. They include a DC-10 that can drop 12,000 gallons, and the big 747 which holds some 20,000 gallons. More than 4000 people, including firefighters, air crews, engineers and support staff are currently working to bring down the fire, which is currently estimated to be 22 per cent contained.
The image used in this post was taken by Flickr user Kevin Dean. It was used under the Creative Commons license.
