Full Notification

UPDATE (6/22/2016, 9:23 p.m.): Our team recently completed a comprehensive briefing with the command staff for the San Gabriel Complex Fire, and based on all the latest intelligence information, we can report that there is no immediate direct fire threat to Monrovia, and we continue to remain cautiously optimistic that the fire will not impact the City.

Throughout the day, fire crews worked extensively on building the remaining containment lines needed to box in the western flank of the fire, which is the area of the conflagration that poses the greatest threat to Monrovia, and significant progress was made. However, it is important to note that fire officials are expecting the fire activity to remain somewhat active throughout the evening, and there will be visible fire on the hillside all night long. This behavior by the fire is expected by all fire officials, and the visibility of the fire does not pose an increased risk for Monrovia.

In fact, weather conditions will be favorable this evening, as fire officials are expecting good evening moisture levels which will lead to continued progress by night crews that will be battling the flames. It should be noted that the incident commanders are expecting the fire to continue moving at a very slow rate of speed towards Monrovia, however, firefighting crews have procedures in place to keep the fire contained tonight high on the hillside and away from residences in Bradbury and Monrovia, and the fire is not anticipated to pose any threat to residences tonight.

We also wanted to share that night crews working to contain the fire tonight will be aided by several pieces of heavy equipment, including the following items:

 One fixed wing aircraft will be working until 10 p.m. tonight.

 Two night-fly equipped helicopters will be making water drops.

 Two fire engine company strike teams will be assigned to structure defense and will be roving through Monrovia and Bradbury.

 Smaller firefighting vehicles will also be patrolling the areas.

If the current conditions remain constant, fire officials have also shared that they believe it will be possible to begin deescalating the response to the fire tomorrow evening.

It is important to note that while all of the reports that we have received indicate good news for Monrovia, we continue to urge those residents living in the northeastern section of the City to remain ready to evacuate in the event that fire conditions change. There is no immediate threat to Monrovia, and we are cautiously optimistic that no evacuations will be necessary.

However, weather patterns could change in an instant, and should City officials determine at any point in time that the fire could impact residents or property in Monrovia, we will order precautionary mandatory evacuation for all impacted residents. To that end, all residents living in the northeastern part of Monrovia are encouraged to remain vigilant and ready to evacuate. Should an evacuation order be given, we will be coordinating evacuation procedures as follows:

 First Evacuation Phase – all residents living east of Norumbega (where it parallels Sawpit Wash) and north of Greystone Avenue

 Second Evacuation Phase – all residents living east of Myrtle Avenue and north of Greystone Avenue, and east of Shamrock and north of Foothill

Here at the City, we have continued to keep an additional Monrovia Fire Department patrol in town, and we have continued deployment of our operational plan that allows for all normal service delivery to occur while also setting up special fire support functions.

In addition, the City has continued to maintain the closure of Canyon Park, Trask Boy Scout Camp, and the Hillside Wilderness Preserve, and we have ensured that all City reservoirs are filled at 100% capacity in the event that we need to access water for firefighting activities.

Again, it is important to emphasize that based on the current fire movement patterns, we do not anticipate any precautionary mandatory evacuations being ordered tonight. We will continue to assess the situation throughout the evening, and if the situation changes, we have City personnel that will be deployed to your home to notify you of pending fire threats.

All residents are encouraged to remain vigilant and on alert. To stay up to date on the status of the overall situation here in Monrovia, we encourage everyone to check the City's website (www.cityofmonrovia.org). We will continue to post updates as the local fire conditions change.