West End Catalina Fire

Those of you in SoCal have probably heard about the recent fire on the west end of Catalina.

I wrote an article for The Catalina Islander about the fire. What I submitted is below.  I've inserted some of my pictures in the text -- some of these ran in the paper as well.

Fire Pushed Back from Banning House Lodge
6 May 2011
by Lori Nelson

A fire broke out on the hillside below the Banning House Lodge near Catalina Harbor in the afternoon on May 2. By the next morning, the fire had scorched 117 acres, narrowly missing the 101-year-old Banning House Lodge.

The fire around 3:00 PM

The wildfire was reported to authorities at 2:46 PM by a 911 call, triggering the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s “Catalina Plan”. The LA County Fire Department keeps fire-fighting rigs stationed year-round on the island. These rigs and firefighters from Avalon were dispatched to the fire immediately. Firefighters from the mainland were flown over by helicopter and additional resources were shipped to the island by barge.  A barge departed the mainland with a load of four-wheel drive engines and arrived early in the morning of May 3.

Local residents, however, were among the first on the scene, alerted to the fire by David McElroy, who drove through town yelling, “Fire!” Josh Jensen and Patrick Rollins, USC employees, sped to the site and used a fire extinguisher to put out a small fire around a piece of equipment. They then joined other community members and ran a fire hose up the hill toward the Banning House to battle the growing blaze. Additional volunteers, including members of the Two Harbors Fire Department, were also on the scene within minutes.

The Banning House Lodge
showing the smoldering fire

The Catalina Island Conservancy, Two Harbors Enterprises, and David McElroy loaned their water trucks to the firefighting effort.  Two bulldozers, one from the Conservancy and one from THE, were used to build firebreaks to contain the flames.

At the peak of the fire, more than 150 firefighters battled the blaze on the ground and in the air. Most of the professional firefighters were flown from the mainland to Catalina on LA County helicopters. Three Fire Department helicopters were dispatched to the wildfire to drop water and to spot flames. By Tuesday one of them remained on the scene to monitor the fire and to put out flare-ups.

The smoldering grass caught fire,
threatening the Banning House Lodge

Helicopters used the USC Wrigley Marine Science Center to refuel and reload water.  Karl Huggins, Director of the Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, and his chamber crew coordinated helipad traffic, while LA County personnel supervised helicopter operations.  The helicopters can take on a full load of water (360 gallons) in about twenty seconds.

The fire came very close to the Banning House Lodge, but was pushed back by firefighting crews on the ground and in the air. The Isthmus Yacht Club, located just below the Banning House Lodge, was also close to the burn area, but flames moved up the slope and away from the historic Civil War era structure.  Contrary to other published reports, Catalina Yacht Club, located farther out toward Ballast Point, was never seriously threatened.

Fire Department helicopter drops a
load of water on the flames

Winds cooperated with firefighting efforts, staying intermittent and light while crews struggled to control the fire. In particular, the “Isthmus Fan”, winds that blow through the isthmus from Catalina Harbor toward Isthmus Cove, was weak on Monday. A strong Isthmus Fan would have blown the flames directly toward the Banning House Lodge.

Fire crews had the fire 30% contained by 8:00 PM on May 2. Ground crews worked throughout the night to control the fire, extinguishing flare-ups as they occurred. By early the next morning, the Fire Department reported that the fire was 50% contained; by 11:30 AM it was 85% contained. The Fire Department expects to have full containment by 8:00 PM on May 4.

Fortunately no injuries were reported, nor did the fire damage any structures or buildings. The cause of the fire is unknown.

Helicopter dropping water on the
western edge of the fire

This fire and the 4800-acre fire of 2007 both occurred before the official start of fire season, June 1, when all brush is supposed to be cleared. When asked if the LA County Fire Department might reconsider the brush clearance deadline, Inspector Quvondo Johnson indicated there were no plans to revisit this regulation. He added that, to the Fire Department, “brush season is all year.”

Inspector Johnson said that the LA County Fire Department is hopeful that above-average rainfall that we received this winter will help reduce the number of wild fires in Los Angeles County this year.

Catalina’s remote location makes wildfires especially dangerous, but a quick response from the community and the Los Angeles Fire Department helped reduce damage from this fire.  “I’m so glad our community stepped up like that. It was awesome,” said Patrick Rollins.