Los Angeles Wildfires: Santa Anita Safe, Nearby Communities Devastated

[Wandering Eyes]

Wildfires propelled by unusually strong Santa Ana winds swept across Los Angeles Tuesday and into the night, breaking out near several densely populated neighborhoods including Altadena, Pasadena and portions of the San Gabriel Mountains that serve as a backdrop to Santa Anita Park.

According to Cal Fire, that particular fire–coined the Eaton Fire–had spread to more then 2,200 acres by 7:20 a.m. PT on Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, the track itself was immediately unaffected by the fires. But severe smoke in the area meant that training was curtailed Wednesday morning. The winds have also caused some damage to the backstretch property.

Santa Ana wind damage to barn area | Leonard Powell

Track management told the horsemen and women Wednesday that it, if anyone chose to, it would pay for the cost of evacuating horses from the backstretch, and that it was offering food and beverages to those impacted in the racing community.

Santa Anita's backstretch community comprises many who live in or near the neighborhoods threatened by the fires, including those where mandatory evacuation notices have been issued.

“The air is extremely smokey and we've got ashes coming down,” said trainer Leonard Powell, from Santa Anita on Wednesday morning. “The wind has done some damage. It took the roof off my barn.”

Powell lives in Sierra Madre, one of the neighborhoods threatened by the fire and which underwent mandatory evacuations. Powell said that while his family evacuated, he stayed behind Tuesday night.

Trainer Jay Nehf was also evacuated from his home in Sierra Madre late Tuesday night.

“The horses are out of risk. There's no talk of evacuating them, but it's dramatic,” Nehf added. “We got [to the barn] last night about 11 p.m. last night. We're on the side of the mountain, so you really couldn't see anything but once we got down here, we looked back and it was like `wow.'”

“We're okay. We spent the night in a tack room and we have no news. Our house is right in the middle of where the fire was. As far as the track goes, the horses are safe. The winds have died way down right now, and there haven't been any gusts since 4-5 this morning, but it kind of feels like it might be picking up now,” said Nehf.

Trainer Bob Baffert lives in the fire impacted community of La Canada. In a text to the TDN Wednesday morning, Baffert wrote: “Track and horses fine. We evacuated from my house but hopefully winds don't change direction or else we are in trouble.”

The story will be updated…

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