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MT. WILSON FIRE THREAT?

oaktree said:
David - in time, maybe you and others can identify for the new viewers the tower properties and stations in this view. I know it would be appreciated. Thank you ... and good luck.

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~obs/towercam.htm#imagetop
Click to expand...

Here are many of the towers with ID notation as of 2005. Obviously not the exact same perspective as the UCLA solar cam but you can put together some of the sticks based on their unique look.

http://www.fybush.com/sites/2005/site-051216.html
 
Thank you very much. Quite helpful.
 
At 10:25 pm PST, KNX & CalFire report that Mt. Wilson tower farm area still "very active and we have crews standing by for fire protection."

Sky 9 Chopper from KCAL-TV just moved to the Mt. Wilson area.

Only "eye in the sky" from the media appears to be Sky 9.
 
Fire now 2 miles from Mt. Wilson - 10:49 p.m.
 
oaktree said:
Fire now 2 miles from Mt. Wilson - 10:49 p.m.
Click to expand...
It's been within 2 clicks pretty much since this afternoon but the flames and smoke within the past 2 hours seem to be drifting off to the right per the Wilson Cam. Earlier, the flames were lapping up the side of that background hill. If the fire crests that ridge then we have huge problems as far as the blowtorch farm is concerned.

I seriously think the only saving grace from a complete communications annihilation is there haven't been any Santa Ana winds this week.

Tomorrow is another day though and things could turn on a dime before they can get the water birds up there.

Other note: TV coverage has been far beyond abysmal. KCAL-9 was holding solo court from 8p-10:45p (because we needs our :15 minute sports coverage) but not once did I see a map overlay or anything about where exactly the hot spots were. They gave out shelter info but never once was I given a geographical location where everything was happening. Lazy reporting across the board I'm sorry to admit. I see pictures of burning timber but f--k if I know where the pictures are being shot.

When the big one comes, we'd probably get better info from KOA-Denver or KBOI-Boise if they turn the IBOC crap off long enough to key in a signal.
 
KCBS-TV is the orange/white stick on the right hand side of the Wilson Cam and the only one with warning beacon lights on at night.
 
Robnoxious said:
It's been within 2 clicks pretty much since this afternoon but the flames and smoke within the past 2 hours seem to be drifting off to the right per the Wilson Cam. Earlier, the flames were lapping up the side of that background hill. If the fire crests that ridge then we have huge problems as far as the blowtorch farm is concerned.
Click to expand...

Again, per the Fox engineer (who is also apparently a trained firefighter) who is still on the site the fire is moving away from Wilson. However, there are two of the best fire crews staged at Skyline Park, and the Mars and DC 10 have been approved to drop over the surrounding area tomorrow morning to prevent any creep towards Wilson.
 
Robnoxious said:
KCBS-TV is the orange/white stick on the right hand side of the Wilson Cam and the only one with warning beacon lights on at night.
Click to expand...

The lighting is needed because it is 1000 feet high, while the rest are from 100 to about 350 feet in height.
 
DavidEduardo said:
Again, per the Fox engineer (who is also apparently a trained firefighter) who is still on the site the fire is moving away from Wilson. However, there are two of the best fire crews staged at Skyline Park, and the Mars and DC 10 have been approved to drop over the surrounding area tomorrow morning to prevent any creep towards Wilson.
Click to expand...

David, has this been the closest call the Wilson farm has had in terms of a total wipeout or have there been even closer "whew" moments?
 
I don't know much about how fast fires can travel. But I do know that I now see three seperate areas all closing in on those towers. Is it possible that there will no longer be towers there in the morning?
 
Robnoxious said:
DavidEduardo said:
Again, per the Fox engineer (who is also apparently a trained firefighter) who is still on the site the fire is moving away from Wilson. However, there are two of the best fire crews staged at Skyline Park, and the Mars and DC 10 have been approved to drop over the surrounding area tomorrow morning to prevent any creep towards Wilson.
Click to expand...

David, has this been the closest call the Wilson farm has had in terms of a total wipeout or have there been even closer "whew" moments?
Click to expand...

The growths around Wilson are 40 years or more old. I can ask some folks in LA longer than me (only 17 years), but my assumption is that there has been no fire danger in more than half a decade. Remember, in the early part of the 20th Century, there was considerable logging up there by a guy named Wilson (thus the name) who also owned all the land of what became San Marino... he built the original Angeles Crest Hwy to bring logs down.
 
Skynet74 said:
I don't know much about how fast fires can travel. But I do know that I now see three seperate areas all closing in on those towers. Is it possible that there will no longer be towers there in the morning?
Click to expand...

The fire moved 7 miles in 4 hours this afternoon, towards Acton and Santa Clarita.

As I posted previously, the fire is moving away from Wilson as reported by all the authorities, as well as the Fox engineer who is acutally up on the mountain. At present, it is not moving towards the transmitter areas.
 
DavidEduardo said:
The fire moved 7 miles in 4 hours this afternoon, towards Acton and Santa Clarita.

As I posted previously, the fire is moving away from Wilson as reported by all the authorities, as well as the Fox engineer who is acutally up on the mountain. At present, it is not moving towards the transmitter areas.
Click to expand...


OK well that cam shot is deceptive then because it looks like it's getting closer to the towers
 
Lots of fuel up there for this fire. Like David said there hasn't been a major brushfire on those hillsides since the 1950's.
 
Skynet74 said:
OK well that cam shot is deceptive then because it looks like it's getting closer to the towers
Click to expand...

You need your 3-D glasses to get the right perspective. 8D
The background ridge is prolly a 1/2 mile to a mile behind the torches. The smoke (and fire) is dozing off to the right (North) which is all good as for as Wilson is concerned. Acton? Not so much.
 
Have the Mt. Wilson broadcasters been able to establish and keep
an ample clear zone between the towers/buildings and the forest?

Or...(bias alert!)...has a government bureaucrat or federal judge
prohibited such a zone because of some @#$% owl?
 
"They gave out shelter info but never once was I given a geographical location where everything was happening." This is a common problem in TV news for copter fire shots and car chases. No frame of reference. But now there could be a solution. Attach a GPS/magnometer to the back of the camera in the copter and transmit the data to a highspeed computer that would overlay a virtual map with street names and features... a cross between google maps with realtime images and the superimposition of the first down marker on NFL football. It can be done with current technology and would (and will) change things for aerial new photography.
 
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