The Curve Fire - Began 9-1-02 The Curve Fire consumed 20,857 acres, inlcuding much of the Crystal Lake Basin, parts of Sheep Mountain Wilderness, and destroyed the historic South Hawkins Fire Lookout. It's expected to take weeks more to mop up the hot spots. [Updated 10-9-02] - UCLA's Mt. Wilson Towercam - Excellent photo gallery The Williams Fire - Began 9-22-02 As of Tuesday evening, October 1, nine days after starting, the fire is officially contained. They say it will take weeks more to mop up the hot spots. 37,240 areas of our wonderful national forest destroyed. Thankfully, the magnificent high country to the east of Mt. Baldy Road was spared. [10-9-02] - Fire Map (9-24-02) The "Curve-Williams Complex" Between the Curve Fire, which started on September 1, and the Williams Fire, which started on September 22, more than 58,097 acres of our beautiful Angeles National Forest has been destroyed. Forestry officials are now calling the aftermath the "Curve-Williams Complex" since the two locations are adjoined. The heartbreak for me is that these two fires devastated the area of the San Gabriel Mountains that our family uses the most for recreation. The burn area starts just minutes up Highway 39 from our home in Azusa. One of the tragic ironies is that just the weekend before, I had renewed our annual adventure pass in preparation for a planned hike up to South Hawkins Fire Lookout over the Labor Day weekend. Not only did the fire prevent our hike, it also destroyed the fire lookout. And with the Angeles National Forest now closed (view archive page capture), it's uncertain when we'll get to use our adventure pass again.      But beyond the inconvience of curtaining my hiking activities, the real threat now is massive mudslides and devastating soil erosion as the rainy months approach. If you are a person of faith, please pray for mild rains, spread evenly throughout this coming winter. [10-9-02] Photo Gallery

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