Vetter Mountain Fire Lookout Rebuilt in Time for Wildfire Season

The historic lookout in the San Gabriel Mountains is staffed by volunteers year-round and was recently restored through a partnership between SCE and the Angeles National Forest.
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Stories : Safety
Stories : Safety

Vetter Mountain Fire Lookout Rebuilt in Time for Wildfire Season

The historic lookout in the San Gabriel Mountains is staffed by volunteers year-round and was recently restored through a partnership between SCE and the Angeles National Forest.

Along the Angeles Crest Highway near the Charlton Flats area sits Vetter Mountain. On the winding trails, hikers enjoy the scenic, tranquil beauty of the area. But for avid hiker Valerie Hanich, 35, keeping the forest safe from wildfires is why you will find her here.

About 60 trained volunteers help staff the Vetter Mountain Fire Lookout located at the top of the San Gabriel Mountains. From sunrise to sunset, one to three volunteers hike up to watch for possible smoke and fire in the area, helping to alert forest rangers.

“I fell in love with the hiking up there and now I can give back to the forest by helping to watch over it,” said Hanich, president of the nonprofit Angeles National Forest Fire Lookout Association, who has visited the 6,000 feet elevation a few times.

The rebuilt Vetter Lookout is made of concrete board and steel frames.
The rebuilt Vetter Lookout is made of concrete board and steel frames.

The original Vetter Lookout was built in 1937 and the historic site reopened to the public in 1998. It burned down in the 2009 Station Fire. Now, 11 years later, the lookout has been rebuilt, thanks to a partnership with Southern California Edison and the Angeles National Forest.

The construction of the rebuild began last year as part of the utility’s mitigation measures for the Tehachapi Renewable Transmission Project that runs through part of the forest. Using concrete board and steel frames, SCE worked with the Angeles National Forest to rebuild the lookout on the original rock foundation and based on the original design of the tower.

“We don’t always get to work on projects like this. To build something that is utilized and loved by the community and the Angeles National Forest. It was very rewarding to give back,” said Lori Iles-Rangel, an SCE environmental science advisor who helped oversee the rebuild.

“Having Vetter back online is not only rewarding for the partners, but it provides an important role in fire management as a functioning fire lookout managed by volunteers,” said Angeles National Forest Supervisor Jerry Perez.

The Vetter Lookout in 2008, before it was burned down in the 2009 Station Fire.
The Vetter Lookout in 2008, before it was burned down in the 2009 Station Fire.

The 14-by-14-foot structure has 360-degree lookouts to view the surrounding forests. On a clear day, you can see the ocean toward Catalina Island. The lookout contains an Osborne Fire Finder, a device that measures the distance of visible smoke or fire in the area. The lookout also got an electrical upgrade. Contractors dug a tunnel so electrical conduit from the nearby picnic area could be connected to the structure.

Vetter Lookout, one of only two fire lookouts in the Angeles National Forest, is recognized as a scenic destination for travelers along the Angeles Crest Scenic Byway. When the building burned down in 2009, Jose Henriquez, a forest landscape architect with the Angeles National Forest, remembers the disappointment expressed by the local community, forest staff and volunteers.

“This was by far one of the most gratifying projects I have worked on and it was several years in the making,” he said. “This is an important part of our forest and we are all so happy to finally get this done.”

The Osborne Fire Finder helps measure the distance of visible smoke or fire in the area.
The Osborne Fire Finder helps measure the distance of visible smoke or fire in the area.

The rebuild took about eight months and faced several difficult weather conditions — including snow, rain and red flag warnings — during which construction work had to stop. In addition to hauling equipment and materials up the steep one-way road, a crane had to be brought up in pieces and rebuilt at the top of the mountain.

“Having a great team certainly helped push the project through the number of challenges faced. Seeing it all come together and the emotions felt throughout the entire team was the most gratifying moment,” said Kogan Allahverdian, an SCE Facilities Construction senior program manager in Corporate Real Estate.

The Vetter Lookout rebuild was completed in early May, but due to the coronavirus, has been closed to the public and the volunteer fire lookouts. But on a recent call with Hanich, the association got word that although still closed to the public, volunteers can now return to the site and start manning Vetter.

“It stands to show how lookouts are important to the forest. To see history and old school ways of volunteers doing it for the love of the forest,” said Hanich. “The tradition is getting carried on despite new technologies and our volunteers are excited to get back up there.”