Corralitas Drive: Maybe He Was Just Looking For A Better View Of The Creek Fire

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, December 5, 2017.  A neighbor followed the source of a small concentrated pile of leaves falling from the Jacaranda tree.  Who was way up in the tree?

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, December 5, 2017.  The cat who likes to climb trees was way out on a narrow branch.  (No need to worry, he came down without incident.  He climbs trees, because he can.)

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, December 5, 2017.  Maybe he was just trying to get a better view of the Creek Fire in Sylmar.  

LAFD Declares First Red Flag Day In 3 Years

Photo: Diane Edwardson September 9, 2009.  LAFD declared a Red Flag Day starting at 8AM Tuesday, Oct 24, 2017.  LAFD's website has become difficult to sign up for or change how you receive notices.  Some of us, who've been signed up for alerts since the program began, got notice, others did not.  I got a call and email but not a text.  I used to receive all three. I recommend following @LAFDtalk on Twitter.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor June 19, 2016.  The Silver Lake Fire illustrated why Corralitas Drive is a Red Flag Day No Parking street.  There is only one access road, Rosebud Ave, to about 52 homes on Corralitas.  If you didn't drive out before the Fire Dept arrived, you could not drive off the hill.  June 19, 2017 was not a Red Flag Day.  Neighbors a half a mile away reported 6" embers blowing past their homes.  

The recent fires in Orange County, Napa Valley and Santa Rosa were wind driven fires.
  
9:15 PM: Typos were corrected.

Reminder: Keep A Fire Lane Open*

*Post originally published July 2, 2015.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014. Last October's fire on the slope between Lake View Ave and the Red Car Property (caused by a blown transformer), showed just how tricky it is for the LAFD to navigate our narrow winding streets.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Luckily, there was no wind and the damage was confined to the brush on a slope where homeowners had done their brush clearance.  A lot of neighbors on Lake View got a wake up call about the importance of keeping a lane of traffic open for emergency vehicles.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  Most neighbors on this part of Lake View already  took brush clearance and tree trimming seriously. 

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, August 13, 2010.  Riverside Place is one of the narrowest streets in the neighborhood.  Many of our streets have only one access point.  It's not just the 4th of July when we need to keep a lane of traffic open to for emergency vehicles, but all year round.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 22, 2012.  LAFD Company 56 is our local fire station and they are about the only crew with a small truck who really know the intricacies of our often substandard hillside streets, as seen above on Peru and Walcott in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists Tract. 

Some of our narrow streets and "corners" have hairpin turns and steep grades and only one means of access.  Don't block the street because you couldn't walk a few hundred feet.  If it's too far for you to walk, it might be time for you to clean out your garage and park in it.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 12, 2015.  The short end of Corralitas is the widest and flattest part of the street.  It's also only part of the street where people can park cars on both sides. 

A few minutes before the above photo, I watched as a LAFD ladder truck, responding to the same call, made several attempts at a left turn from Rosebud onto Corralitas.  It could not make the turn.  This compact fire engine LAFD 220 was already on scene of the car accident.

Since record drought and 4th of July fireworks (that started in May) have hillside homeowners a little more on edge than usual this year, we remind you to take responsibility for your own neighborhood, beyond just doing your own brush clearance.  

If you see someone blocking the street, fire hydrant or red curb, politely ask them not to park there.  If they're "unloading their car," offer to help them, so they feel compelled to move their car faster.  If you're having a party, ask your guests to carpool, wear walking shoes, park legally and don't block anyone's driveway.  We actually a sign on our front door for parties "Did you park legally? Are you blocking neighbor's driveways?"  Inevitably, a handful of people turn around and move their cars before coming in the door.  

LAPD and LAFD are telling people, if you see someone shooting off fireworks, call 1-877-ASK-LAPD. If you see smoke, safely investigate.  If you see fire (not a BBQ) call 911.

Red Car Canyon: Silver Lake Fire Could Have Been Worse

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 25, 2016.  The large palm tree in was among the the once dense overgrowth of trees and shrubs on the Lake View side of Red Car Canyon.  Some neighbors routinely cleared and removed brush 10' back from their fence on the Red Car Property. (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Over the years many eucalyptus trees went down in this part of the canyon. The dead tree on the ground here, went down in 2010.   Eucalyptus also seem to go down or drop large branches in the summer months throughout the neighborhood too.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  In 26 years I had never seen so much daylight through the Lake View side of Red Car Canyon. You can see just how close the fire came to homes on Lake View.  LAFD was able to stop the fire before it reached homes on Lake View with a combination of precise water drops from helicopters, crews on the ground both on Lake View and on the Red Car Property.

Photo: Lake View Neighbor, June 19, 2016.  Wildland fire crews armed with shovels, pick axes and chainsaws went in after  helicopter water drops to reduce the vegetation.  It seemed these crews were everywhere the day of the fire where the temperature before the fire was already 106 degrees.

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 8, 2016.  Like the trees throughout the Red Car Property near the fire, almost all the trees are brown, but many are showing signs of life with fresh growth.  Neighbors are wondering when the Red Car Property owner will do brush clearance which should include trimming trees and brush. 

A check of the LAFD Brush Unit's website indicates, somehow, the two Red Car Property lots that were on fire 6-19-16 were both inspected a few days before the fire and were somehow in compliance? Everyone who lives nearby had been asking me when the lots would be cleared.  Nothing was done prior to, nor after the fire. If you live adjacent to the Red Car Property and are concerned about the dry brush, report the hazard to LAFD.  It often helps to send photos.  Be sure you include your address & phone so they can find which part of the property you are talking about: http://www.lafd.org/fire-prevention/brush/report-hazard 
 

Red Car Property: Lots Of Tree Activity Today

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, July 21, 2016.  One month after the Silver Lake Fire, It appears someone the DWP may be trimming trees around above the power lines on the Lake View side (left side of photo) of the Red Car Property.  Neighbors were unable to confirm.

We  received word from CD13 yesterday that DWP was in the area and would be assessing the poles on the slope above the Red Car Property.  DWP will be replacing at least one.  Neighbors expressed increasing concern to CD13 regarding the power lines in the trees that were now drying out after the fire.  Some neighbors have also had difficulty in getting answers from the DWP, when attempting follow up with DWP regarding trees and powers lines.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  This photo was taken the day after the fire, compare it with today's photo.  Many of the trees on either side of the canyon did not catch fire, but are suffering from the extreme heat of the fire.  Almost all are now exhibiting new growth.  The California Black Walnuts in particular are coming back quickly.  (We will be following the trees' recovery from fire.)

Red Car Canyon: Eucalyptus Drying Out Fast

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, July 8, 2016.  A huge Eucalyptus tree that went down in during a storm in the 1990s and continued to grow, is not looking so good a month after the June 19, 2016, Silver Lake Fire. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  One day after the fire it was a little toasted but still had a lot of green on it.  

We've seen the same pattern with all the trees either in or very close to the fire.  It is as if they've suffered burns from the extreme heat, and a month later they're dropping their leaves.  Yet, at the same time they're sprouting new growth and even flowers.  

Native trees are drought/fire/deluge adapted, but I've not researched the non-natives.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, January 3, 2003.  It's easy to forget just how big the trees are when no one is in the pictures.  Considering how long this tree has persisted in Red Car Canyon, despite its non-native status, it would be a shame to lose such a survivor.  

The kids in the 2003 photo still live in the neighborhood and are in high school and college now.

Red Car Property: Native Blue Elderberries Following Now Familiar Pattern

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, July 9, 2016.  A large native Blue Elderberry on the Corralitas Drive side of the Red Car Property, did not catch fire in the July 19, 2016 Silver Lake Fire, but has since turned brown and is quickly dropping its leaves.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  The morning after the fast moving fire, the Blue Elderberry was still green except around the lower branches. Since the 2 to 3 foot tall dry grass burned all around the tree, I was surprised to see any green left on the tree.  There were even berries still on the tree.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 14, 2016.  This tree conserves its water so well in drought conditions, they appeared to be dying off  throughout the neighborhood last summer.  Then we got 3" of rain in one day in July September 2015.  These hardy natives recover from major wildland fires, so we should see them return to the south end of the Red Car Property too. 

Read More: 
Cal Flora
US Forest Service

Disclaimer: The Corralitas Red Car Property Blog prefers to quote reliable sources, such as CalFlora and California Poison Control on the issue of toxicity.  We often get email suggesting some plants are edible. If you are eating your way through the Red Car Property, we DO NOT recommend you eat any plant you find in the Red Car Property neighborhood without first doing your own research.  

Red Car Property: Photos Pretty Much Say It All

Photo: Diane Edwardson June 6, 2016.  The native trees (downslope from the dying Eucalyptus and the complete right side of frame) looked  spectacular earlier in June.  (Click on photos to enlarge)  

The non-native invasive Castor Beans at the lowest point, at base of the slope were 4 to 6' tall.  Brush clearance had not yet been done, nor had it been done by the date of the fire.

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, June 19, 2016.  Fire crews stayed on scene for about 24 hours to ensure hot hot spots didn't spark new fires.  Hard to tell at this point, but most of the native trees were still green, just a little crispy around the edges.  All the combined helicopter water drops and ground crews manning hoses not only saved homes, but may have helped save the trees in the long term.

Photo: Diane Edwardson June 20, 2016.  One day after the fire,  large protected native Coast Live Oak,  halfway up the slope, was mostly green. 

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, July 9, 2016. Three weeks later and even the native trees that did not burn in the fire, but fried in the extreme heat of the fire.  Mature native trees can survive major wildland fires in Southern California, so we hope they'll recover from the 2016 Silver Lake Fire. 

Red Car Property: Trees That Did Not Burn In June 19 Fire, Are Brown Now

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 17, 2016.  Two months ago, the California Black Walnuts and Coast Live Oak were thriving (very close to the site of the small 2014 fire).  The same three trees appear in all photos in this post  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Corralitas Neighbor, June 19, 2016. The  Silver Lake Fire blackened the hillside and cleared the weeds, but it did not burn most of the mature trees.  It didn't even burn the younger Black Walnuts, cut down and pushed down the hill a year ago.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  Neighbors were surprised to see so much green on the trees the day after the fire.  Even some of the small Black Walnuts were regrowing near the ground  and tree trunks since the small October 2014 fire.

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, July 9, 2016.  Almost all of the trees on the south end pf the Red Car Property have suddenly gone brown. 

Native California trees evolved to survive our drought/fire/deluge seasons.  Turning brown is their way of conserving energy and water - sucking the green/moisture out of the leaves and back to their trunks and roots while they recover from the extreme heat of the fire.  The leaves will eventually fall and mulch the ground around the tress, but in the meantime it's a bit scary due to the high fire risk the pose.

The native trees will likely recover.  However, many non-native species on the Red Car Property, adjacent properties and the 2 Freeway were also affected.  Best advice so far: consult a licensed arborist with experience in post-fire recovery of trees and if you have them - native trees.
 

Red Car Property & Adjacent Lots: Trees Not Looking Good 3 Weeks After Silver Lake Fire

Photo: Gary Vlahakis, July 9, 2016.  Do you know where your property lines are?  The entire neighborhood is still at risk from the now dry trees on and adjacent to the Red Car Property and the 2 Freeway.  Scroll down to the last photo for what this scene looked like before the June 19, 2016, Silver Lake Fire.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 20, 2016.  A day after the fire, it just looked like too good a job of brush clearance was done on the slope as the ash washed away by the sheer volume of water that was poured on site to keep flare ups at bay.

The non-native pine, palm and eucalyptus trees did not fare well.  However there was hope since the native Coast Live Oak, Black Walnut and even Blue Elderberries as well as even some of the hardier non-natives still had a lot of green leaves on their branches the next day. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 19, 2016.  When the smoke cleared you could see daylight through trees where you'd never seen it before.  After the fire was out, everyone was just grateful to still have homes on Lake View, Silver Ridge, Riverside Place and Corralitas Drive. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 21, 2016.  As we've now seen, failure to do brush clearance puts the entire neighborhood at risk.  There's a reason the LAFD calls it the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (VHFHSZ).  Seriously, brush clearance is not just about clearing the dry grass.  It's about trimming the trees up from the ground and proximity of shrubs to combustible structures like wooden fences and sheds. 

Have your  trees assessed by a certified arborist.  Since the trees did not initially burn in the fire, at least the native Coast Live Oaks and California Black Walnuts should survive.  We just need to manage the trees responsibly, so we don't have increased fire risk and we don't cause more harm to the trees while they recover.  This was not a major wildland forest fire.  After the last fire in 2014, the Black Walnuts were regenerating. Native trees evolved with our drought/fire/deluge seasons. I am not a tree expert.  You should consult one with a knowledge of fire ecology of native trees.  

Links to post-fire recovery of native trees: 
US Forest Service - Coast Live Oak
UC California - Oak Woodland Management
US Forest Service - CA Black Walnut

We'll be looking at more depressing before/after photos of dry trees in the Silver Lake Fire burn area in the coming days.

Corralitas Drive: Silver Lake FireJune 19, 2016

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 19, 2016.  I was in the my yard with no view in this direction, but smelled fire.  When I ran up to the street, I saw a wall of dense brown and grey smoke and heard cracking and popping of fire.  I ran a couple hundred feet to the public staircase with some neighbors, and I could not see the houses on the other end of Corralitas Drive.

I knew we were in trouble.  Other neighbors were standing around watching; some were watering down their roofs and trees. I shouted "GO! Get your dogs, kids in the car and LEAVE NOW! That fire is coming this way fast and it's already moving toward the canyon - we won't be able to drive off the hill once it gets to Rosebud!"  Sirens were only just arriving in the neighborhood.  

On Corralitas, no one knew what was on fire because the wall of smoke was so dense. I could briefly see flames heading up the hill toward Lake View/Silver Ridge and it was already on the southbound side of the 2 Freeway in the view above.  Several neighbors took my lead and began knocking on doors to warn neighbors on our way back up to our homes to get our dogs and cats.  

It's no easy feat to run in heavy smoke, wearing flip flops, on one of the hottest days of the year while trying to call and text neighbors, without reading glasses, while having a massive asthma attack.  Yes, it's ok to laugh. In the meantime, half the neighborhood is calling and texting me while I'm knocking on doors, calling and texting key neighbors closest to the fire who could get the word out on Lake View and Riverside Place.  Cell phone lines were  jammed.   I grabbed my hard drive, inhaler, camera, wallet, water and put on closed-toe shoes and ran down the street with my dog on leash, continuing to knock on doors.  

Meanwhile, large 6 - 8" burning embers were flying up the hill and past either side of my home. 

In less than 10 minutes from that first photo, Rosebud was indeed closed.  The fire was literally exploding on the 2 Freeway median parkways. I arrived at the 2 Freeway as they closed Rosebud.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 19, 2016 after 7PM.  Compare this photo from the Corralitas Public Staircase, taken after the fire with the first photo.
  
Neighbors who did not hesitate, got off the hill that day. No one was injured.  We are so fortunate that the LAFD and their partner agencies were able to expend so many air resources and around 200 firefighters on the Silver Lake Fire.  The fire occurred at a time of day when the winds kick up like clockwork, every day.  Yet only a couple of homes were damaged by fire.  It could have been so much worse.

I suspect it will be along time before neighbors question why we have no parking on several area streets on LA City Fire Dept-called Red Flag Days.

We're reviewing the conditions before, during and after the June 19, 2016, Silver Lake Fire.  While it is a rehashing of old news, well put it in perspective of neighborhood issues, in addition to having it in our collective neighborhood history.

Rosebud Ave Under SR2 Freeway: Looks Like A Stolen Car Torched

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  (Photos shot between 10:13 to 10:35 PM.)  It's disturbing when you try to turn the corner on the only access road to Corralitas and you find a truck on fire under the 2 Freeway on Rosebud Ave.  One neighbor left the hill at 9:50 PM, only to return 15-20 minutes later to this scene.

Texts and emails came in around 10:20PM as frustrated Corralitas neighbors heard what they thought was an accident, explosions and lots of black smoke. Neighbors called 911 before contacting me.   After I put out word to the Corralitas Neighborhood Watch list, more reports from neighbors and photos came in. 

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  Shamszadeh shot photos from a safe distance across Allesandro Street from the Rosebud underpass while he waited to get up the hill. 

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016.  According to another neighbor, LAFD rolled up on Rosebud without sirens.  We know it's a torched stolen car because 1. there is no parking anytime under the SR 2 Freeway on Rosebud, and 2. this used to happen almost weekly in the early 1990s.  It's been so long since we've had one, at least one longtime neighbor on the 2 Freeway side of the hill thought it sounded like a horrible accident.

Photo: Eli Shamszadeh, April 11, 2016. According to Shamszadeh, by 10:48 PM, LAFD was gone and Rosebud was open again.  

While there have been very few torched stolen cars under the 2 Freeway in the last 10 years, the last one we documented was in 2007. 

Red Car Canyon: Campfire Last Night

Photo: Red Car Property Neighbor, October 2, 2015.  Someone is trying to scare neighbors by having a campfire in Red Car Canyon.  Luckily, things have been pretty damp at night and the grass is green right now.  They clearly tried to hide it by arranging the large tree stumps to block the view from the Corralitas end of the Red Car Property - the most likely direction from which the LAPD or LAFD would have entered the property.

Wednesday night, neighbors called the police when a noisy party of  teenagers with expensive bicycles went on for hours near the Riverside Place entrance to Red Car Canyon.  One neighbor reported that shortly after email regarding the loud party went out to the canyon neighborhood watch list, the group took off on their bikes down Riverside Place. 

After yesterday's campsite on Lot C, Howard Fields, owner's rep for the Red Car Property, immediately updated the trespass order with LAPD Senior Lead Officer Lenny Davis.  If someone is having a campsite, blocking emergency access, partying, vandalizing property,  call the non-emergency 1-877-ASK-LAPD.  A copy of the trespass order is on file at the Northeast LAPD.  If a serious (violent) crime is taking place or you see fire call 911. You may need to leave your phone number and give them directions to the property as sometimes they come from another division. 

DO NOT CONFRONT THESE INDIVIDUALS.  If you see them littering, be polite and ask them to take their trash with them.  Neighbors who have encountered the partiers, day or night, say they just appear to be kids from the neighborhood, not gangbangers.  So if you know them, have a chat with them, but do not get confrontational. 

If you smell fire, step outside and investigate.  Just because the grass is green now, does not mean the trees have recovered from the drought.  Eucalyptus, pine, palm trees, arundo and bamboo are highly combustible year round.  If you have these trees and plants around your rear fence, you might want to take a look at them this weekend and do some pruning.  Brush clearance is a year round responsibility.

Griffith Park: Yesterday's Fire, Sheriff's Helicopter Flying Low Over Silver Ridge

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 6, 2015, 3:36PM.  The yellow and green LA County Sheriff's Dept helicopter must have been filling up at the Silver Lake Reservoir before flying awfully low over Silver Ridge and Waverly en route to the Griffith Park fire near the golf course yesterday.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

I don't know for a fact they were filling up at the reservoir, but from the top of Corralitas Drive, it sure sounded that way.  I think they fly low to alert us that something is going on, since the weekend news is awfully short staffed.  Once again, the Eastsider was on top of the story.  And, because as the ever present billboard at Riverside and Fletcher reminds us, "Wildfire embers can travel over a mile."

You can alway check @lafd for urgent fire and emergency news on Twitter.

Reminder: Keep A Fire Lane Open

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014. Last October's fire on the slope between Lake View Ave and the Red Car Property (caused by a blown transformer), showed just how tricky it is for the LAFD to navigate our narrow winding streets.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Luckily, there was no wind and the damage was confined to the brush on a slope where homeowners had done their brush clearance.  A lot of neighbors on Lake View got a wake up call about the importance of keeping a lane of traffic open for emergency vehicles.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  Most neighbors on this part of Lake View already  took brush clearance and tree trimming seriously. 

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, August 13, 2010.  Riverside Place is one of the narrowest streets in the neighborhood.  Many of our streets have only one access point.  It's not just the 4th of July when we need to keep a lane of traffic open to for emergency vehicles, but all year round.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 22, 2012.  LAFD Company 56 is our local fire station and they are about the only crew with a small truck who really know the intricacies of our often substandard hillside streets, as seen above on Peru and Walcott in the Semi Tropic Spiritualists Tract. 

Some of our narrow streets and "corners" have hairpin turns and steep grades and only one means of access.  Don't block the street because you couldn't walk a few hundred feet.  If it's too far for you to walk, it might be time for you to clean out your garage and park in it.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 12, 2015.  The short end of Corralitas is the widest and flattest part of the street.  It's also only part of the street where people can park cars on both sides. 

A few minutes before the above photo, I watched as a LAFD ladder truck, responding to the same call, made several attempts at a left turn from Rosebud onto Corralitas.  It could not make the turn.  This compact fire engine LAFD 220 was already on scene of the car accident.

Since record drought and 4th of July fireworks (that started in May) have hillside homeowners a little more on edge than usual this year, we remind you to take responsibility for your own neighborhood, beyond just doing your own brush clearance.  

If you see someone blocking the street, fire hydrant or red curb, politely ask them not to park there.  If they're "unloading their car," offer to help them, so they feel compelled to move their car faster.  If you're having a party, ask your guests to carpool, wear walking shoes, park legally and don't block anyone's driveway.  We actually a sign on our front door for parties "Did you park legally? Are you blocking neighbor's driveways?"  Inevitably, a handful of people turn around and move their cars before coming in the door.  

LAPD is telling people if you see someone shooting off fireworks, call 1-877-ASK-LAPD. 

Lake View Ave & Red Car Property: Fire Fighting In 1960 & 2014

Photo: Futterer, Holyland Exhibition 1960. Grass fire atop Lake View at the south end of the Red Car Property near Silver Ridge Ave.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  Lake View Ave, grass fire sparked by blown transformer & power lines down - just a few hundred feet north of the 1960 photo.

LAFD adopted stronger brush clearance regulations for Hillside areas like ours after the 1993 Oakland Hills Fire, where 3,403 homes were destroyed; 780 in the first hour of the fire.  Read more about the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and brush clearance regulations on the LAFD website.

Red Car Property Adjacent: Transformer Below Lake View Ave Sparks Fire

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  While walking through the canyon toward Corralitas Drive, I heard what sounded like firecrackers up on the hillside.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, That explains the flurry of texts & emails I'd just received about the power outage.  I wondered what my neighbor was taking photos of.  As soon as I heard the firecracker like sound, I rushed through the canyon, phone in one hand; camera in the other.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  While I'm called 911 waiting for LAFD to pick up, I shot photos with my camera in my other hand.  I tried to explain to LAFD dispatch that fire was spreading downslope & the brush clearance had not been done on the slope below.  

Worth noting: the slope above the power lines belongs to the Lake View homeowners.  The downslope side is Red Car Property.  Brush has not been cleared on most of the slope. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  Neighbors on both sides of Red Car Canyon reported hearing a large explosion (some near the transformer, saw the flash of light), then the firecracker like sound I heard.  Indeed, upon reviewing the photos from my camera, you can see the down power lines leading to the fire.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, October 4, 2014.  I got the first text at 9:08 AM that the power was out.  I reached the fire by 9:18 AM.   LAFD was extinguishing flames by 9:23 AM.  Considering this was the first really dry heatwave we've had this fall, we caught a lucky break in there was no wind at all Saturday morning. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson October 4, 2014.  The power lines went down in an area where there was a huge dense succulent patch that slowed the fire's progress.  The bright green plant at the center of the fire  (earlier photos) is not grass but a type of African Pencil Plant. Those Agaves the fireman is spraying with water are another good fire resistant plant.  Let's hear it for drought tolerant, fire resistant defensive landscaping!

For additional fire photos &  reports: The Eastsider