Squinting into a setting sun during a briefing at the command center for the fire at Porter Ranch, designated the Sesnon fire, Freeman sounded resigned to yet another disastrous siege in a region that has lost thousands of homes to fire over the last five years.
"Once Mother Nature steps in, there's not a lot you can do," he said.
By late in the day, the fire that began near Lake View Terrace early Sunday morning, which was dubbed the Marek fire, had burned 4,726 acres and destroyed 30 of 55 mobile homes at the Sky Terrace Mobile Lodge, reducing them to unrecognizable piles of ash amid pools of molten metal. It was less than 5% contained Monday night. The fire killed one homeless man and his dog, authorities said without elaborating.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 38 words Type of Material: Correction
Porter Ranch fire: A caption accompanying a photo of the Porter Ranch fire in Tuesday's Section A misspelled the name of the mountain where the Sesnon fire started Monday morning. It started on Oat Mountain, not Oak Mountain.
L.A. County Fire Capt. Roland Sprewell said the fire remained dangerous, with winds of up to 80 mph forecast for early today. "We are anticipating it's going to get down and dirty, as it did this morning," he said.
The Porter Ranch blaze, began about 10:30 a.m. Monday on Oat Mountain, a 3,700-foot peak north of the 118 Freeway near Chatsworth, and had burned more than 5,000 acres by nightfall. There was no containment as of Monday night. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said it had destroyed at least 19 structures.
The California Highway Patrol said it had not determined whether the fire was to blame for a traffic fatality that occurred on the westbound 118 near DeSoto Avenue. However, the Los Angeles County coroner's office said the accident was apparently caused by reduced visibility from smoke.
One firefighter suffered an unspecified eye injury at the Porter Ranch fire, according to Steve Kaufman, a spokesman for the Ventura County Fire Department.
At least 10 schools were closed Monday, and classes were canceled at Cal State Northridge.
Moving as fast as they did, on a day otherwise marked by cool temperatures and crystal clear skies, the fires caught many people off guard.
"It happened so quickly," said Annette Held, who was forced to evacuate her Porter Ranch home. "All of a sudden flames just headed down the hill, and it became pitch black and impossible to breathe."
Held, an educational consultant, said she was torn at first because she didn't want to leave her next-door neighbor, who was refusing to go. But police ultimately said they would break down the neighbor's door if necessary to get her out, Held said, and that was all the convincing she needed.
