Station fire la crescenta briggs terrace fire updates

More following up on a new post - following up on http://valleylawyermarketing.blogspot.com/2009/08/station-fire-near-la-canada-la.html

at 1:12 PM sunday the wind has increased, blowing smolke to the north west.

The tip of Mt. Lukens has some large flames, at the west end neat the towers.

Most of the hills above La Crescenta look okay, but there is a lot of smoke in a pocket, just at tree line. I can't tell where it is, but my guess is pickens?

It is scary how low that spot is, but I can't tell if it is near homes.

Some other resources:
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/1856/
http://www.lacanadaflintridge.com/


UPDATE 4:04 PM
Mt Lukens towers - fire just below -structures look okay.
Smoke along ridgeline way above La Crescenta homes, just east of lukens.

UPDATE 6PM
Here's a photo of Lukens.
No homes appear threatened.
Family who live up near the top Oceanview were allowed back.

to the East, it looks pretty bad


UPDATE MONDAY 3:50 PM

There are hot spots and flames just above home , west of briggs terrace, I think above La Crescenta Ave. near the water tanks. Winds are strong, and it looks really close to the houses.

station fire near la canada - La Crescenta Briggs terrace

(THIS BLOG IS NORMALLY ABOUT LEGAL MARKETING, BUT SINCE I LIVE NEAR THE FIRES, I AM TRYING TO UPDATE IT TO HELP PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED. - THIS POST MAY BE OUTDATED, SO CHECK THE MAIN PAGE)


This is a pic taken about 1 PM - the station fire that had spread nest mt Lukens - I have never seen so much smoke billow up so fast. It was like watching time lapse video.

I live on the on the mountains across from the hills on fire - the Station Fire near La Canada.

News coverage is pretty bad, and homes are threatened. Right now two sets of in-laws have evacuated their homes, and are staying with my family.

So far I can't see any homes in the path, it all seems above the homes.

Helicopters are flying past and I think they are on their way to the Altadena Fire.

I will post another picture soon.


UPDATE 3:30 PM
the smoke above Lukens is nothing like before - spread out and not billowing.
Just heard from a neighboor that santa carlotta near briggs got notices to evacuate
here's a pic of pickens I think- you can see the ravines/canyons and a helicopter making a drop.

Copters are now water dropping over the area and are not flying directly to atladena. I haven't seen any planes dropping anything.



UPDATE 6:30

So far houses in La Crescenta , look okay. Lots more fire. Some flare up on Luken, west of the towers. Seeing some planes, but haven't see them drop.

UPDATE 7:42 PM

Houses still look safe, but fires just above. We've heard that Crescenta Valley High School is now an evacuation center. Still seeing more planes, but no drops.

Flames are huge, up the hill pretty much to the top in various spots. In the picture to the left their are hot lines up and above the top left part.




SUNDAY MORNING 7:30 AM

Smoke and fog in the valley makes it impossible to see across hill. News reports say homes in Briggs Terrace and up Ocean View are still okay. Air quality is bad, my eyes hurt, and even indoors it smells like smoke. I'll shoot a photo when a breeze lifts the smoke a little.


SUNDAY past noon 12:28

I can see the homes now. Nice to see the ridges and canyons don't have a ton of smoke or flames. Briggs seems fine.

There is one flare up, that is aggressively being water dropped by helicopters. It is below one the the houses.

In the pic to the left, is is in the thick area of smoke, on the right side.

Los Angeles Employment Contracts Lawyer Launches Website

Congratulations to Lin Meyer for the recent launch of her FindLaw website detailing employment law issues in southern California.

Lin has a great deal of experience: her prior positions at large international law firms as well as at a smaller local boutique firm enabled her to see many types of legal issues.

One area that Lin has special interest in is employment matters pertaining to non compete and business agreements in California, especially within executives in the entertainment industry.

Laywers in trouble for Loan Modifications - Up Front Fees & No Results

Loan modification is one of the most common keywords leading visitors to this blog (web traffic is tracked here too), and I've blogged about FindLaw Clients who are both providing loan modification services to clients, as well has helping those that have been defrauded by companies.

Looking at the traffic just in the last month, ~25% of keyword traffic involved the work "loan", and ~5% had the word "scam" with it. Obviously, people are looking for information. I did a little digging my self and searched for issues with loan modifications - there was plenty to be found!

I found testimony about investigation and complaints against attorneys the from the Chief Trial Counsel from the State Bar of California
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/testimony_-_drexel,_ca_state_bar.pdf

Documents detailing the FTC and a company called the Federal Loan Modification Law Center
http://www.ftc.gov/os/caselist/0923070/090626fedloancmpt.pdf

Also California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sued United First and others (21 individuals and 14 companies)

News is out there about people who can help, and believe it, this blog has helped connect attorneys, clients, and even reporters who want info about Loan Modification scams. Last March I blogged about Robert Starr's actions against loan modification companies his interview on FOX11LA. This was before all the news above about lawyers getting themselves in trouble with taking upfront fees and doing little to help clients. Robert has updated his site with even more information about Loan Modification, including attorney involvement in upfront fees.

Phone Books/Yellow pages advertising for Attorneys - Lawyers pulling out?

The latest issue of a yellow pages book arrived to my house, and when I browsed the attorney section - I was surprised at the many blank spots - quarter page and larger. Maybe I never noticed that this is common (since having internet access over the last 15 yrs, I've always thrown phone books into the recycling) or maybe it is a sign of the times.

A few questions and my best guesses in parenthesis. Any one with experience care to comment?

• Are law firms pulling out of the yellow pages? (yes)
• Are law firms waiting until the last minute to renew their ads, and when no renewal happens the books don't have time or can't afford to re-do the layout?
• Are open spaces left as as placeholders for selling the ads? Do they want so many open?(probably not)
  

The answers are pretty obvious - and the direction is clear, yellow pages will continue the decline that has been happening. Content just isn't there- consumers what information, not just a listing.

Where do they go? To the search engines!

Los Angeles to Orange County - Legal Marketing Consultant

Typically, blog posts here are about using the internet to help attorneys get clients. Once in a while there's a post about the people at FindLaw that help make it happen - and this is one of them: Sally Janavicius is now helping attorneys and law firms in Orange County. Sally spent a few years working with lawyers on the west side of Los Angeles (Century City & Beverly Hills),and she's moved down the coast to Newport Beach.

She now has a new website and blog that detail a lot about what happens for lawyers in Newport Beach & the OC. Her blog and have great branding and are perfect places for attorneys to learn how to get more and better clients. Congrats on the move and new sites Sally!

San Fernando Valley Bankruptcy Lawyer in Woodland Hills - Jonathan Leventhal

The Law Office of Jonathan Leventhal has just launched a website focused on helping people in the San Fernando Valley with bankruptcy issues. Jonathan's office is right in the Warner Center Towers of Woodland Hills, not too far from the courts.

The website is a very warm hue of brown, with legal and professional imagery. The content represents Jonathan's up-front approach to the law, and his commitment to his clients' needs. Attorney Leventhal knows how important it is to exceed expectations in personal/business matters. Prior to opening his own law practice, he successfully started and operated two different business ventures.

He now focuses on helping people with thier legal needs, and his website is very detailed about the bankruptcy process. Over eight pages of content, including on overview of Chapter 7, and stopping creditor harrasment.