Behind the tortured evacuation of Will Rogers State Park

By the time the winds began to blow the fire of Palisades from the mountains of Santa Monica to the historic park of Will Rogers on January 7, the staff of the state parks in California trash artifacts, where the famous actor in the va vrocenes since the 1930s built his house.

A colorful coded system with stickers noted which arts, books, ceramics and other objects to prioritize. Park Resource advisers and the staff of the facility packed three pickups to the edge of approximately $ 150 worth over $ 3 million today before making their escape to the Interstate 405.

• NoahA functioning senior scientist in the state district of Angeles: “As we passed, we could hear on the radio alarm for entry, the fire burst through the windows.”

In the end, the fire of the Palisades of Los Angeles County killed at least 12 people and damage or destroyed more than 7,000 structures. It burned 8,000 acres of land at state parks, including Will Rogers’ Ranch House and the historic Ranch Motel in the Topang State Park. The department has completed the removal of debris in February, but the long road to restore parks is still ahead.

In addition to $ 3.6 million, which legislators set aside in the state budget for the restoration of Will Rogers Park and its visitors center, the Park Department received a one -time gratuitous aid of $ 1.5 million from the conservation of Mount Santa Monica for fire resistance projects. Money helps to pay to harden new and existing fire buildings, clear the protective space around the facilities and coordinate with fire agencies to maintain roads.

As Will Rogers Park is considered a historical landscape, restoration efforts must remain in line with the history of the park, said Richard Fink, chief of the Angeles area. This means probably to keep eucalyptus trees, which are quite flammable, in landscape terms, but replace them with a smaller flammable variety. The park staff should also be alert for invasive plants, including Arundo Donax, a giant, highly flammable reed.

Over the next few months, the department plans to collect public reviews for its recovery plans. It is unclear when the parks will be fully restored, but Fink says that the department is striving for a soft opening in late summer to welcome visitors and more solemn opening in the fall.

Meanwhile, as the rescued objects sit in a storage facility in Sacramento, the parks outside continue their own revival.

• Halili: “Due to the rain after the fire, all the seeds, stumps and root balls began to sprout almost immediately. In fact, we see a really great recovery in the landscape. It’s something beautiful to see.”