October 12, 2008
Angel Island Fire
The U.S. Coast Guard and San Francisco/Marin firefighters are battling a blaze on the eastside of Angel Island, which was reported at 9 p.m. tonight. At about 9:50 p.m., the "huge fire [is] about 25 acres wide," SFist reader Jay Rodriguez reports. (ABC7 reports "10 acres" have burned so far.) Read more about the island fire, here and here.
Angel Island -- a "hilly, grass and forest-covered island, the largest in San Francisco Bay," which used to house a the Nike Missile base in the '50s -- covers 740 acres, reaching 788 feet high at its peak atop Mount Livermore.
Update (10:35 p.m.): Also, you can check out live cam views of the fire as it happens at cams.exploratorium.edu and abovephotos.com.
Update (11:00 p.m.): Campers have been carried form Angel Island to Tiburon. One engine is at the island now. People if four counties can see it burning from four counties, says KGO reporter. And with that, we're turning the channel to a "Law & Order: SVU" block. Will update again if anything update-y happens.
Update (11:28 p.m.): According to Wildlandfire, "Evacuations!
Island Campsites and non-firefighting and non-essential State Parks personnel are asked to evacuate Angel Island or shelter in place at Ayala Cove."
Also, "50 acres reported" torched thus far, "significant cultural and historical resources threatened. "
Update (11:48 p.m.): Oh, and here's some YouTube footage of the blaze, shot from Yerba Buena Island looking North toward Angel Island.
Update (12:26 a.m.): As many as 200 firefighters are expected to help fight the blaze overnight.
Update (6:30 a.m): Fire still going strongly! Zero percent contained. 250 acres burned.
Update (7:55 a.m): 20% contained
Update (10:45 a.m): Still burning, firefighters still fighting. Red-flag warning still in effect.
Update (11:05 a.m): ABC 7's Anne Makovec tells us the fire is 75% contained. Ta-da!
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It's a scary thing to be approaching the Bay Bridge and having your passenger say, "Is that a huge fire?"
F*cking brutal. Angel Island is one of my favorite places on Earth. This next drink is for the firefighters who are taking on that gnarly fire on a hilly, windy island. Good luck, guys and girls. Please save our island!
Man, I'm suddenly more emotionally invested in this fire than I am in the election, the economy, and the war combined.
*** GREAT NEWS CAST ON THE FIRE***
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CEwUcVdcXc
My cat just woke me up to the smell of smoke . . . in the Sunnyside. That must be a huge fire! (That's also a good cat to have around.)
I can't help but wonder how the deer and other critters on the island are doing.
Pictures from my deck in Sausalito
http://dean.smugmug.com/gallery/6228484_WS2bW#393112059_4MAe7
Deer are smart enough to avoid fire and fast enough to get away.
If they're slow and stupid, roasted venison is delicious.
A Nike Missile Base?
Sad. The pictures, however, are really cool-looking.
@Arizenheimer:
"From 1910 to 1940, the island processed hundreds of thousands of immigrants, the majority from China. During World War II, Japanese, and German POWs were held on the island, which was also used as a jumping-off point for American soldiers returning from the Pacific. In the '50s and '60s, the island was home to a Nike missile base.
Today, there are two active Coast Guard stations - at Point Blunt and Point Stuart - on the island (these area are off limits). Angel Island became a State Park in 1954."
from the Parks website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=468