Fire in Angeles National Forest Is Contained

Firefighters on Saturday evening contained the Sheep Mountain Wilderness blaze, which raged for nearly 11 days in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Azusa and, at one point, threatened the resort town of Wrightwood.

The blaze--dubbed the “Charmin Fire” by locals because hikers burning toilet paper started it--destroyed nearly 18,000 acres in an area that has not burned since 1953.

“There was a lot of brush buildup,” said Robert Brady, a fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service. “It gave the fire a lot of momentum.”

The fire started Aug. 13 in the east fork of San Gabriel Canyon, forcing authorities to mount an army of 2,500 firefighters--deployed from a host of agencies--to battle the blaze.

At one point, several children’s camps in remote stretches of the forest had to be evacuated. And last Sunday, Wrightwood residents found their community in danger as winds diverted the fire toward the town’s new $2-million visitor center.

Although ultimately no structures were destroyed, the fire caused some tense moments for members of the tiny community, which was developed around the turn of the century to cater to weary Los Angeles residents seeking a quick mountain getaway.

“Everyone is really relieved that the fire has been contained,” said David Vasquez, a salesman at the Mountain Hardware store. The hardest thing to deal with was the smoke, which blanketed the town for days, Vasquez said. “We’re used to clear skies up here,” he said.

In a bit of comic respite, one enterprising citizen made up T-shirts sporting a picture of burning toilet paper wrapped around an outhouse. They sold for $15 apiece. “I think everyone in town bought one,” Vasquez said.

Although the blaze was 100% contained by nightfall Saturday, authorities said they were unsure of when it would be fully extinguished.

“There are some really heavy logs in the interior of the fire that will probably smolder for weeks,” Brady said. “We can’t be completely sure it’s out until the first big rain. But as of right now, it’s not going anywhere.”

Facing remote and rugged terrain, firefighters relied on 10 air tankers and 15 helicopters to douse the flames. “In some sections of the fire, that’s all we could get in there,” Brady said.

The overall cost of battling the blaze and reseeding the slopes was expected to be at least $18 million. Brady said forest officials have not yet decided what action, if any, they will take against the hikers who started the blaze.