A.M. Brief: Bobcat Fire Prompts Evacuation Warning in Monrovia

A growing fire in the Angeles National Forest may force some residents in the SGV foothills to evacuate. Also this morning: A third night of protests for Dijon Kizzee, an investigation into who dumped the mail in Glendale, and building permits on the rise in the city of Los Angeles. Let’s get to it.

Morning News Rundown

As of Monday evening, the Bobcat Fire had burned just shy of 5,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa. With unpredictable Santa Ana winds expected to pick up throughout the day and into Wednesday, the blaze now threatens several communities in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley. As a precaution, the City of Monrovia has issued an evacuation warning, and residents in Duarte Mesa have been issued similar warnings. The warnings don’t mean residents need to evacuate immediately, but those in affected areas should watch the latest updates and be ready to leave if warnings become orders. [NBC Los Angeles]

An Evacuation Warning has been issued, which means there is potential threat to life and / or property.

If an Evacuation Order is issued, the City will assist by coordinating the evacuation in two phases.

View the full statement on https://t.co/hgSyOygodd.

— City of Monrovia (@MonroviaCA) September 8, 2020

Cal Fire reports that as of Tuesday morning, there are some 14,000 firefighters battling 25 major wildfires in the state. So far in 2020, more than 2 million acres of California lands have burned, breaking the record of 1.96 million set in 2018. Records only go back to 1987, which is when Cal Fire began tracking statewide acreage burned. [ABC 7]

Monday was the third straight day that demonstrators gathered at the South Los Angeles Sheriff’s station to protest the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee by an LASD deputy. As with the prior nights, the protest began peacefully, but eventually turned violent. LASD deputies fired non-lethal rounds at the crowd after some individuals allegedly threw rocks and bottles at law enforcement. Six people were arrested, but no injuries were reported. [ABC 7]

A probe is now underway to investigate why bags of mail were dumped near a Glendale spa on Thursday morning by someone driving a Budget rental truck. A nearby surveillance camera caught the incident. A Regional Coordinator for the American Postal Workers Union has denied that any USPS employees were involved in the dumping. [CBS Los Angeles]

In a positive sign for the local economy, the number of city-issued construction permits has been on the rise over the past few months after cratering in the spring. That said, the total volume of permits remains well below pre-pandemic levels. [Crosstown LA]