This fire is located in Los Angeles County, about 25 miles Northeast of the Santa Monica Area. It was about 15 miles in diameter at its largest extent. The fire first spread in the North and Northwest direction, then spread in the Northeast direction.
Los Angeles contains the second largest population in the United States, only behind New York City. The fire is extraordinary because of its proximity to a large population center. The theme of the map is how the fire affects the population of Los Angeles County. It was fortunate that the wind did not blow in the Southwest direction, toward millions of people.
Hypothesis: The Los Angeles area is not properly prepared for disasters. The densely populated areas are indicated by the color purple. If the wind had been blowing in a different direction, the northern population areas would have been in serious danger. You can see on the map that a major highway (Highway 2) runs directly through the heart of the fire. There is also an airport just a few miles Southwest of the fire. Traffic is already a serious problem and it becomes much worse when fires occur. Los Angeles receives about 14.43 of rain per year, which leaves the landscape very dry most years. More preparation must be taken if the area is to avert potential disaster.
Works Cited
1."Glossary of Wildfire Terminology". National Wildfire Coordinating Group. May 2011. http://www.nwcg.gov/pms/pubs/glossary/pms205.pdf
2. "L.A. annual rainfall from 1878 to 2008". Los Angeles Times, February 2009. http://articles.latimes.com/2009/feb/02/local/me-annual-rain-graphic2
3. Los Angeles County Enterprise GIS. http://egis3.lacounty.gov/eGIS/index.php/2009/09/02/all-station-fire-perimiters-as-of-september-2-0702-complete-ste/
4. "U.S. Census Bureau Releases Data on Population Distribution and Change in the U.S. Based on Analysis of 2010 Census Results". United States Census Bureau, March 2010. http://2010.census.gov/news/releases/operations/cb11-cn124.html.
5. University of California Los Angeles. GIS ATS. http://gis.ats.ucla.edu//Mapshare/Default.cfm.
