Nearly a quarter of the Angeles National Forest burned by SoCal wildfires this year
19 October 2020
Published by https://ktla.com/
USA – Recent Southern California wildfires have devastated the Angeles National Forest, charring more than 150,000 acres — about 235 square miles — during a record-setting fire season across the state.
The amount burned represents 23% of the forest’s land, which encompasses roughly 655,000 acres, or 1,023 square miles, the U.S. Forest Service said Monday.
HOW LARGE ARE THE AREAS EFFECTED BY THE CLOSURE?
Wildfires during the 2020 Fire Season burned over 151,622 acres (237 sq. miles), out of the ANF’s total 655,387 acres (1,024 sq. miles). Approx. 23 percent of the ANF burned. Much of now is under an extended public safety closure. pic.twitter.com/fGncSzckLY— Angeles_NF (@Angeles_NF) October 19, 2020
The damage has been caused by several major wildfires that erupted in the region over the past few months, among them the Bobcat, Lake, Martindale and Ranch 2 fires.
Of those, the Bobcat Fire was the largest, charring 115,000 acres after erupting in the hills above Azusa on Sept. 6. The massive inferno still hadn’t been fully contained as of Saturday — the last time officials updated the blaze’s figures — but crews are getting close.
The Angeles National Forest was among the first of state’s national forests to be temporarily shut down on Sept. 7 before officials made the unprecedented decision to close all 18 due to “explosive growth of fires throughout California.”
While most of those closures have since been lifted, parts of the Angeles National Forest remain shut down to the public some six weeks later.
HAS THE #ANGELESNF REOPENED?
Yes. Following the expiration of the regional emergency closure order, the majority of the ANF has reopened. HOWEVER, large sections remain closed as a result of two major fires on the ANF during the 2020 fire season, the BOBCAT & LAKE FIRES. pic.twitter.com/QXPjEY1Bd4— Angeles_NF (@Angeles_NF) October 16, 2020
California’s current wildfire year has shattered numerous records in the state, with more than 8,600 blazes scorching 4.1 million acres across the Golden State thus far, according to Cal Fire.
More wildfire devastation could be in store for California before 2020 is over, as some of the state’s most devastating infernos — like the Thomas Fire in 2017 and the Camp Fire in 2018 — erupted in the final two months of the year.
