2 Firefighters Die in Station Fire Accident
By Temple City Tribune
Published: Monday, August 31st, 2009
The Station fire has Consumed 134 square miles of brush and trees by early Monday
and is only 5 percent contained.
6,600 homes under mandatory evacuation orders ; 2,500 Firefighters Battle Flames
About 12,000 homes, as well as communications and astronomy centers atop Mount Wilson, are threatened by the fire.
Mild winds and hot temperatures have kept the fire moving but much is away from the foothills.
Two firefighters were killed Sunday when their truck drove off the side of a road on Mount Gleason near the city of Acton. The fallen firefighters were identified by the fire department as Capt. Tedmund “Ted” Hall, 47, of San Bernardino County, and firefighter Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 35, of Palmdale. Hall was a 26-year veteran of the department, and Quinones had been a county firefighter for the past eight years. “Our hearts are heavy as we are tragically reminded of the sacrifices our firefighters and their families make daily to keep us safe,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement on Sunday.
More than 20 helicopters and air tankers were preparing to dump water and retardant over the flames. Two Canadian Super Scoopers, giant craft that can pull thousands of gallons of water from lakes and reservoirs, are expected to join the fight later in the day.
Photos by Terry Miller
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