Wigwags, or properly Magnetic Flagman, are a rare sight in Southern California. Recently, I found two more located in Gardena, CA along a former Pacific Electric freight spur. Today, the Union Pacific Railroad operates this stretch to service a lumber yard
at Western Ave. Both of these wigwags are just southeast of the intersection of Western Ave and 166th St.
Related Links:
While some evacuations are being lifted, others continue. The continuing evacuations are in the northwestern end of the fire, surrounding Wrightwood, Lytle Creek, and parts of Phelan.
Interstate 15 is OPEN in both directions. State 138 is still closed through the area in addition to most local roadways. The BNSF Railway is open and UP traffic is detouring onto the BNSF trackage around the damaged bridges.
Follow these links for detailed information about the fire and what areas are affected:
GeoMAC – Detailed fire perimeter map
New Fire Perimeter map available through InciWeb as of 8/17/2016 at 10:30 pm
I-15 will open to Northbound traffic soon as well – Per Caltrans District 8.
All Railroad traffic is still shut down through the pass. I haven’t heard of what BNSF trackage has been damaged but the Union Pacific line has been damaged at Alray. There is no ETA thus far for reopening. This also delays and/or cancels some Amtrak service as well, such as the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago.
Fire Perimeter Map from InciWeb as of 8/17/2016 at 8:22 am
With all the wildfires propping up lately, it is important to stay on top of the news. Your local newspaper and tv stations should be able to give updated information, but you can also get it directly from the agencies involved. I highly recommend the sites listed below as they can give more detailed information about what is going on and are usually updated regularly.
Geospatial Multi-Agency Coordination (Fire incident mapping)Â
http://www.geomac.gov/
Incident Information System (Mapping and Detailed Incident Reports)
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/
Caltrans Road Conditions
http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi
California Highway Patrol  Traffic Incident Information (Gives very detailed reports on how these fires affect roadways)
http://cad.chp.ca.gov/
If you have any websites that you would like to share – Please send us feedback or use the comments for this post.
Blue Cut Fire
Fire Perimeter Map from InciWeb as of 8/17/2016 at 8:22 am
In regards to the current fires in the Cajon Pass, I plan to assess the damage to the highways myself once the area is clear. From what I understand so far, it looks like most of the wooden railing along US 66 / 91 / 395 in the pass may be gone, in addition to the historic Summit Inn restaurant at Cajon Summit. Other structures, not associated with the roadway, have also burned. According to CHP, a railroad bridge in the pass has burned, the Alray UP where former US 66 / 91 / 395 passed below. Please stay clear of the Cajon Pass for the duration of this fire.
DETOURS:
If you need to head north toward I-15 and I-40 near Barstow, I recommend taking I-10 East to State 62 East to State 247 North to Barstow. From there, you will connect with I-15 and I-40 just west of their junction. State 247 is a two lane roadway and may be busier than usual, so use caution.
All other traffic should use State 14 through Santa Clarita and the Antelope Valley to connect with points to the north/west of I-15.