As seen from the two maps above we are able to see the Los Angeles fires that happened in the county in 2009. These maps try to show how these fires affected traffic, by showing the hard hit highways/ freeways that run across the area. From what we can see the fire was mainly hitting one of the busy California freeways like the 210. This fire mostly affected the people living by the inland of Los Angeles making the people who live close to the area reroute their commute to work. This made traffic in such freeways like the 5 and the 405 even more difficult as those two freeways saw a increase in people using it. This fire affected many Southern California motorists as the other freeways ended up serving the people who usually use the 210 freeway.

The Orange Juice Blog a blog based in Orange County writes and exemplifies that the fire “cost millions and millions of dollars” They also mentioned that there were homes that were sacrificed in the fire. As seen from above though it may seem like the fire was only hitting the San Gabriel mountains, it was clear that there were homes that were based in the area. From the blog it shows how the fire has already destroyed three homes that was in the line of the fire. From the looks of the map it makes sense how the fire moved. It moved up and down the mountains as seen on the map. The unpredictable winds of Los Angeles itself can be blamed for how the fire spread quickly.

Though this Los Angeles County fire was one of the more popular wildfires that happened in 2009, it was also apparent that there were other areas like, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County and other Southern California spots that was hit by a fire. This made it difficult in the long run for motorists as many freeways later on was also hard hit by such a fire. It is important to talk about the other fires as it will allow us to understand why traffic became such a problem during this time. When all or most of the most important freeways of California are being hit by fire, much of the California economy also stands still.

Seen from Xinhua a Chinese online blog, they were showing areas such as La Canada that was being hit by the fire. Such an ethnic enclave like the area of La Canada was hit hard by the fires. The pictures that were being shown clarified that fire was truly in the backyards of people's houses. Where there are house, there are roads, this allows us to understand that the fires forced many of it victims to flee from their fires and leaving their homes to perish. The fire affected not just commute, but also many families. Fire and smog causes illness, when the fire happened many people ended up sick meaning many people who worked were also unable to work. Firefighters as well had a hard time fighting this fire, all in all this was an economic ruin waiting to happen.

What is most interesting is how CBN a member of the CBS family news shows where the firefighters are trying to contain the fire. Many of the firefighters make their base camps in the side of the freeways forcing many of the motorists to be either stranded in the traffic of just not allowed to use the freeway. It was also said that two firefighters had died in this fire. By looking closely we are able to understand that much of the freeways in Southern California at this time was hard hit by this fire. This fire affected more than traffic, it affected people's lives and the nation's economy like no other fire before it.


Work Cited:

“Wildfire Threatends 12,000 Homes Near Los Angeles – US – CBN News – Christian News 24-7 – CBN.com.” CBN.com – Christian Broadcasting Network. Web. 20 May 2010. .

“Los Angeles Wildfire Continues Raging_English_Xinhua.” Web. 20 May 2010. .

"Crews Surround Half of Deadly Los Angeles-area Wildfire as Officials Seek Clues, Arsonist." Gaea Times (by Simple Thoughts) Breaking News and Incisive Views 24/7. Web. 20 May 2010. .

Burned, Acreage. "2009 California Wildfires." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 20 May 2010. .

“Los Angeles Wildfire Update.” OrangeJuice Blog. 2009