Fire stalled at Santa Anita Canyon

 

Here is the latest report from city manager, Dylan Feik.

January 8, 2025

 Good evening Monrovians,

Tonight at 6:00 p.m., we attended an Incident Briefing for the Eaton Fire. Since early this afternoon, the fire along the eastern edge was held generally around the Santa Anita Canyon. With favorable weather today, including little-to-no winds throughout the afternoon, the fire slowly backed down into the Santa Anita Canyon drainage area where  crews were positioned to hold the fire's position. Additionally, a dozer line was placed between the Santa Anita drainage area and Lower Clamshell Trail along the burn scar from the Bobcat Fire. This was done as a contingency in case the fire jumped or moved across the Santa Anita drainage. Air support was also provided this afternoon and is available throughout the night as needed.  Incident Command does not anticipate the fire to grow along the eastern edge tonight, and they expect to continue attacking the fire with significantly more resources early Thursday morning. At this time, there are no changes to previously issued Evacuation Orders or Evacuation Warnings. 

For tonight, Monrovians will see the fire on our hillside, including that eerie glow and occasional flames jumping. The fire will also look a lot closer than it is, as the fire is holding in the Santa Anita drainage area. Monrovia Fire & Rescue staff remain in Monrovia but also are assisting in Sierra Madre and Arcadia, doing their part to combat the fire's movements in our neighboring communities as needed. 

The map below is based off of the infrared map of the Eaton Fire and does not necessarily reflect the fire perimeter. The green area is the boundary of Monrovia with the red representing the Eaton Fire burn area. We anticipate receiving more maps as information becomes available to us. 

Electricity and cell service continue to be spotty as power outages remain widespread throughout the city. Southern California Edison is unable to say when power will be restored so we recommend planning ahead for extended outages. 

Certain City facilities remain without power, including City Hall and will remain closed to the public until further notice. Non-emergency city phone lines will also be out of service until electricity is restored. On Thursday, the Community Center will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and has snacks, water and areas to charge your cell phones. Be sure to stop by and say hi. 

Keep your phones nearby and continue to be ready should weather conditions change. I will provide another update in the morning. 

Take care and keep safe!

Dylan