LA fires spread rapidly
As the Station fire continues to grow — more than doubling in size Sunday night — USC has extended an offer of support to students and families who may be affected.
The fire, which started burning Aug. 26 and had spread across 105,000 acres by Monday night, forced evacuations in several towns in northeast Los Angeles County and displaced many USC students and their families.
Fire flight · A Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter drops gallons of water in the Big Tujunga Canyon in Sunland in an attempt to control the rapidly expanding blaze, which has spread over 105,000 acres. - Eric Wolfe | Daily Trojan
USC sent an email Monday afternoon to students whose permanent addresses are in the areas threatened by the fire.
The email, sent by Andrea Torres, director of student support and advocacy in the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, offered support and counseling for students victimized by the fire.
Burning in the Angeles National Forest and surrounding areas, the fire had destroyed 53 structures including residences as of 6 p.m. Monday, according
to the County of Los Angeles Office of Emergency Management.
The fire was also threatening Mt. Wilson and the Mt. Wilson Observatory, where USC has a 60-foot solar tower. Mt. Wilson hosts TV and radio towers and multimillion-dollar astronomy projects from other schools, as well.
The Station fire — the largest of eight fires currently burning in the state — was only 5 percent contained as of Monday night.