Update: As of 10 a.m., Sunday, evacuation orders were given to the foothill communities north of Elkins Ave. in Arcadia. Residents have been asked to use Santa Anita Ave. in their exit and a Red Cross Evacuation Center is accessible at the Santa Anita race track.

The fire has now grown to 31,991 acres and is still at 6% containment.

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Update: As of 9 a.m., Friday, the Bobcat Fire has grown to 26,368 acres with 6% containment. There are now 50 engines working on the fire, with a focus on containment on the south end where communities reside. Crews are also working to contain the north end at Angeles Crest Highway 2. Because of the Ranch Fire that burned through Azusa in August, there are burn scars that are aiding firefighters and decreasing the fire’s intensity on the eastern end.

Local fire departments continue their efforts to protect structures and residents, as the fire burns closer to the foothill communities.

“The fire continues to move down the hill and while it moves closer to the city boundary, we want to ensure our residents the fire is being monitored closely,” the city of Monrovia posted through a tweet.

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Update: As of 11 a.m., Thursday, the Bobcat Fire has grown to 23,890 acres with 0% containment. While no homes are in immediate danger, an evacuation warning is still in effect for the foothill communities in Duarte, Bradbury, Monrovia, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Pasadena and Altadena. Residents are advised to have emergency supplies, personal belongings packed and accessible, with their cars fueled and facing outward from the driveway.

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Update: The Angeles National Forest announced that the Bobcat Fire has grown to 19,796 acres and is still 0% contained, as of 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Personnel has increased to 652, with two additional hot shot crews and and a sky crane helicopter. 

Local fire departments continue to work to keep the fire from the foothill communities with help from “favorable winds directions.”

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Original article:

Evacuation warnings were issued to San Gabriel Valley foothill residents as the nearby Bobcat Fire grew to 11,456 acres with 0% containment, Wednesday.

Monrovia, Duarte, Arcadia, Sierra Madre, Bradbury, Altadena and Pasadena were all given the warning and asked to have evacuation plans in place with emergency supplies and personal belongings packed. The Unified Incident Command of the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Monrovia Fire Department and the L.A. County Sheriffs have also been asked to have their cars fueled, pointed outward and ready to leave at any moment.

Foothill residents in Arcadia and Sierra Madre were asked to voluntarily evacuate and consider finding alternative living arrangements.

“… please be prepared tonight,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said through Twitter Tuesday night. “Santa Ana Winds are active, so be at the ready in case of an evacuation. You’ll receive a text alert if you need to evacuate, so keep your phone on.”

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The Bobcat Fire, which started Sunday, September 6 in the Azusa Canyons, has more than 400 personnel being used, with 33 engines, nine handcrews, three aircrafts and four dozers all fighting the blaze.

Red flag warnings have also been issued by the L.A. County Fire Department as Santa Ana winds of up to 45 m.p.h. are expected to blow through L.A. Canyons and mountains, creating further fire risks in the county.

Aside from the winds, ash and clouds of smoke have filled the sky in neighboring cities and have been spotted by residents as far as Rancho Cucamonga.

L.A. County released a smoke advisory over the last two days, deeming the air quality unhealthy throughout the San Gabriel Valley, Central L.A., South L.A. and South Central L.A., advising locals to limit outdoor exposure.

“It is difficult to tell where smoke, ash or soot from a fire will go, or how winds will affect the level of these particles in the air, so we ask everyone to remember that smoke and ash can be harmful to health, even for people who are healthy,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Health Officer for Los Angeles County. “If you can see smoke, soot, or ash, or you can smell smoke, pay attention to your immediate environment and take precautions to safeguard your health. These precautions are particularly important for children, older adults, and people with heart or lung diseases.”

The Bobcat Fire is part of a record-breaking 2.2 million acres that have burned throughout California this fire season.

In comparison, 118,000 acres burned in California at this same time in 2019.

“This is the largest fire season in terms of total acreage impacted we’ve had in some time, back recorded in modern recent history,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a media briefing Wednesday. “You put it in comparison terms… to last year, it’s rather extraordinary, the challenge that we’ve faced so far this season.”

The Santa Clara SCU Fire is now the second largest in modern California history with 396,000 acres burned, but is 96% contained after fire resources from across the state, including L.A. County, were deployed to help with the blaze. The LNU Fire in Napa County, which was previously larger than the SCU Fire, is now the third largest at 375,000 burned and is at 76% containment.

The El Dorado fire still pushes through San Bernardino County with 11,479 acres burned and 19% containment as of Wednesday. The Yucaipa-area fire is currently under investigation as CAL Fire believes it was started using pyrotechnics for a gender reveal party.

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