The Station Fire ( 2009 ) exploded out of control on August 29 – 30 , 2009 , and was visible to Mount Waterman caretaker Todd Brugger several miles west of the ski area . Phone service was lost early in the fire , so Brugger had to respond on his own . After seeing smoke coming from Devil 's Canyon directly behind the ski area , he took a bulldozer up to the ridgeline and dumped some dirt off the back to form a firebreak . On September 5 , the fire reached Devil 's Canyon close to Todd 's firebreak . The smoke reduced visibility to , but the fire never crossed the ridge into the ski area . In the Winston side country west of the ski area , the fire crossed the ridge and burned some ground cover but not the forest . On September 6 , firefighters finally arrived on the scene , deploying a plane with fire retardant . The Station Fire 's most serious impact upon Mount Waterman was the closure of the Angeles Crest Highway above La Canada for all of the 2009-10 and 2010-11 ski seasons
Station Fire ( 2009 )
Station Fire (2009)
Mount Waterman