Southland wildfires
For Father Richard Krekelberg, pastor of St. Rita Church in Sierra Madre, 20 miles northeast of Los Angeles, the Station Fire that destroyed more than 50 homes, threatened 12,000 more and led to two firefighters’ death was a painful reminder.
A wild conflagration in April 2008 raced across ridges and down canyons to the very last foothill before the cozy town and St. Rita’s on Baldwin Avenue.
“Well, this fire has been a real close parallel for me,” he told The Tidings. “Back then we had to cancel Confirmation, although this time we didn’t have to close anything. You want to be responsible, and yet you want to be a place where your parishioners and others in the community might be able to come for safe haven.”
Father Krekelberg said the “regulars” have still been showing up for the 8 a.m. daily Mass he celebrates, but a number of elderly parishioners complained about how it was hard to breathe.
As of midday Sept. 1, the Station Fire — the largest of the half-dozen major fires in Southern California — had burned more than 122,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest and was only 5 percent contained along a fire line stretching 30 miles manned by nearly 7,000 firefighters from La Crescenta to Acton. It has destroyed 53 homes and structures.
Most tragically, the fuel-driven unpredictable fire claimed the lives of two Los Angeles County fire-fighters: Capt. Tedmund “Ted” Hall, 47, and Firefighter Specialist Arnaldo “Arnie” Quinones, 34. They were killed last Sunday while trying to find an escape route for 55 inmates at a corrections camp high in the Angeles National Forest.
The devastating fire also caused parishioner evacuations at several local Catholic churches, including the Benedictine monastery at Valyermo, north of Angeles National Forest, and resulted in the closure of some Catholic schools just beginning the new school year.
Home evacuations of parishioners were reported by parishes near the 210 freeway, including St. Bede in La Cañada, St. James the Less in La Crescenta, Holy Redeemer in Montrose, and Our Lady of Lourdes in Tujunga.
On Tuesday morning, staff at St. James could see flames and smoke from control fires set by firemen in the hills above the parish, where three recreational vehicles owned by evacuated parishioners were parked in the parking lot. St. James School, which opened for fall semester on Monday, planned to close Wednesday until further notice due to ongoing hazardous air quality from smoke and falling ash.
The Benedictine monks at St. Andrew’s Abbey in Valyermo were evacuated Monday night, and parochial missions associated with St. Mary Church in Palmdale –- the Acton Mission which holds Sunday services at High Desert Junior High School on the southeast side of the 14 freeway and Our Lady of the Desert Mission in Little Rock –- had parishioners who had been evacuated during the weekend.
Last weekend’s Mass attendance at Holy Redeemer located below the 210 freeway was down by 25 percent, said Doug Sinning, parish business manager.
Catholic schools in Glendale were closed Monday due to hazardous air quality, including Incarnation School, Holy Family School and Holy Family High School.
Our Lady of Lourdes School in Tujunga, which had started the new academic year Aug. 26, also closed Monday and wasn’t expected to open until at least Thursday of this week due to poor air quality exacerbated by ash falling since Saturday. Mass attendance over the weekend was light, according to Father Freddie Chua, pastor.
“We’re just watching and waiting,” said Father Chua, who added he received a courtesy call from a Catholic Charities representative as well as many calls from concerned parishioners inquiring about the parish. “There’s been a good response from the people,” said the priest.
At St. Lucy’s Priory High School for girls in Glendora, which has remained open, Benedictine Sister Monica Collins, principal, said the main problem was air quality.
“We had to stop any outdoor activity in terms of P.E.,” she reported. “Sports have been canceled. The air got bad last Tuesday because of the Morris Fire started directly behind us in Azusa. Then the fire died down and the smoke started clearing out when this new fire started. So the smoky air has been with us for us for a week. You can not only smell it, but if affects your eyes and ears, too. And the valley is still full of it today.”
Smoke from the Station Fire has also been a problem for the parishioners of Sacred Heart Church in Altadena. “They’re worried, and they’re staying indoors,” said Emma Mendez, office manager. “A lot of our parishioners are elderly, so the weekend Masses weren’t as full, which is understandable.”
Looking out the window last Friday, she could see flames licking the brown foothills. But even now, when she has to go outside, she wears a mouth and nose protective mask.
Many parishioners of St. Bede the Venerable Parish in the hillside community of La Cañada Flintridge had to be evacuated, according to Msgr. James Gehl. The pastor said this was one of the “struggles” for his families who had been away from their homes now for a number of days. Also, the elementary school was closed Tuesday.
Msgr. Gehl said the good news was no homes had been destroyed and credits that to the lack of any Santa Anas. “If there was wind, we would have been in major peril,” he stressed. “It could have been tragic. Absolutely tragic.”
The veteran pastor said he was proud of his parishioners for offering their homes to people who had been displaced, although most evacuees wound up staying with relatives.
“The firefighters have also been doing an incredible job,” Msgr. Gehl reported. “We’re going to post a banner on the front of the church: ‘Thank you, firefighters. God bless you.’”
From September 4, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco
