About 8PM, roughly 1/2 hr. after 1st alarm, this fire is becoming a serious event. What had initially been just a small patch at the bottom of Owl Canyon has now run up the sides and back of that canyon. Because it started at least 1/4 mile back away from the Quarry Road it was inaccessible to our firefighters. Even though it was initially expanding rather slowly, mainly westward (to the right in this shot) toward the Quarry due to the back-eddy of the breeze coming over the ridge, Capt. Murphy had struck a second alarm immediately upon his first assessment. The prudence of that decision was borne out as the fire gained momentum and started advancing quickly eastward toward town.

About 8PM, roughly 1/2 hr. after 1st alarm, this fire is becoming a serious event. What had initially been just a small patch at the bottom of Owl Canyon has now run up the sides and back of that canyon. Because it started at least 1/4 mile back away from the Quarry Road it was inaccessible to our firefighters. Even though it was initially expanding rather slowly, mainly westward (to the right in this shot) toward the Quarry due to the back-eddy of the breeze coming over the ridge, Capt. Murphy had struck a second alarm immediately upon his first assessment. The prudence of that decision was borne out as the fire gained momentum and started advancing quickly eastward toward town.