Brush Fires

Southern California has been hit by hot, dry winds, causing several brush fires and cutting off power to 12,000 Southern California Edison customers. Several brush fires have been reported including one in the hills above Brea and another on the San Diego County-Mexico border. A fire in a two-acre field in Riverside County damaged three nearby homes before it was largely extinguished Wednesday morning. Cheri Patterson of the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection gave details to KTLA-Channel 5. About 60 firefighters fought the blaze that began just after 9 a.m. off Van Buren Boulevard at Bellegrave Avenue in Glen Avon, Patterson said.

Crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department made quick work Sunday evening of a small brush fire near the Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, authorities said. Initial reports of structures being burned could not be confirmed by the fire department or police. Firefighters gained control of the three-acre blaze shortly after it began about 5 p.m. Authorities told City News Service that the fire apparently was started by a blown electrical transformer.  The blaze -- near La Cienega Boulevard and Stocker Street in Culver City -- was doused with the help of three water-dropping helicopters, authorities said.

A brush fire along the Glendale-Los Angeles boundary Tuesday briefly threatened hillside homes, snarled freeway traffic and prompted voluntary evacuations before firefighters were able to bring the blaze under control. Firefighters made a stand in the evening along Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale, beating back flames as they approached homes in a nearby canyon, said Capt. Vincent Rifino of the Glendale Fire Department.

The second day of searing temperatures and unseasonably strong Santa Ana winds kept firefighters busy Friday battling blazes that threatened homes in Ventura County, Glendale and Walnut, but the day ended with hope that cooling conditions would ease the siege. The day was filled with tense moments as the Springs fire lurched closer to homes near Thousand Oaks and a fast-moving blaze in Glendale prompted evacuations and temporarily shut down parts of a busy freeway interchange. Although the amount of burned acreage increased significantly Friday, the fires did not cause major damage to structures.

Brush fires burned across parched hillsides in three Southern California counties Tuesday, briefly threatening homes in Walnut and Camarillo and scorching at least 2,700 acres at Camp Pendleton. The wildfires came as the region basked under sunny skies and warm weather after experiencing gloomy conditions and lower-than-normal temperatures for much of July. "This was our first warm day," said Ventura County Fire Department Capt. Ron Oatman. In the Camarillo and Walnut blazes, fire officials credited aggressive tactics and vigilant brush clearance by residents with helping crews beat back flames.

Brush fires broke out in three Southern California counties Monday, scorching hundreds of acres, forcing the evacuation of several dozen homes and threatening other structures. A blaze near the Pala American Indian reservation in northern San Diego County had burned more than 300 acres. Thirty-five homes were under evacuation orders and 605 firefighters were on the fire line, officials said Monday night. Meanwhile, two other fires in the region were contained as crews worked in triple-digit temperatures to beat back flames.

Los Angeles County fire crews put out four brush fires Saturday, all within 10 miles of each other in the the Valencia and Newhall areas. A Fire Department spokesman said that arson is suspected in each of the blazes. A crew of 200 firefighters aided by three helicopters knocked down the largest of the fires at 6:15 p.m. after it burned for nearly two hours and consumed 20 acres of brush east of the Golden State Freeway near Calgrove Boulevard in Valencia, spokesman Charlie Gibson said.

As surely as fall follows summer, the Santa Anas will bring low humidity, high winds and firestorms to Southern California. Just as surely they will be accompanied by death, devastation, floods and mudslides. That is, unless we do far more to prevent the preventable. Fire is a natural part of Southern California's ecology. It is essential to heat the seed pods of chaparral so they can burst and continue to propagate on our hillsides. This need not be accomplished by only accidental and chaotic means.

A brush fire burned 1,800 acres south of Gorman on Saturday, forcing the evacuation of about 3,000 people from a campground and recreation area and a handful of homes, officials said. As of 8 p.m., the blaze was 30% contained, said Capt. Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. The fire began about 2 p.m. just off southbound Interstate 5 near Gorman Post Road, Brown said, and was being attacked by water-dropping helicopters and more than 200 firefighters.

About 120 firefighters battled two wind-whipped brush fires that had burned a total of about 370 acres of brush in Riverside County by nightfall Thursday. Both fires broke out shortly before 2 p.m. in a sparsely populated area near the Thermal Airport, said fire dispatcher Brad Casady.

As Southern California trudges toward one of its driest years on record, a South Pasadena man faces charges for allegedly setting 21 brush and car fires in the city over the last six months. Javier Adolfo Viera, 35, admitted to starting most of the fires, including several in which he tossed homemade incendiary devices from a moving vehicle into dry brush along the Arroyo Seco, South Pasadena Police Det. Bill Earley said. With only about five inches of rain falling in downtown L.A., fire officials have worried about a fire season that has gotten off to an early start, with fires charring dessicated brush, including one that threatened about 400 homes in the hills above Monrovia last weekend before being contained.

A South Pasadena man suspected of setting 21 brush or car fires in the city and four more in Pasadena over the last six months was arrested Sunday. Javier Adolfo Viera, 35, admitted to starting most of the fires, including several in which Viera tossed homemade incendiary devices from a moving vehicle into dry brush along the Arroyo Seco, South Pasadena Police Det. Bill Earley said. The fires started in November and escalated to include blazes set under parked vehicles and one in the doorway of a local business.

A South Pasadena man suspected of setting 21 brush or car fires in the city and four more in Pasadena over the last six months was arrested Sunday . Javier Adolfo Viera, 35, admitted starting most of the fires, including several in which homemade incendiary devices were tossed from a moving vehicle into dry brush along the Arroyo Seco, South Pasadena police Det. Bill Earley said. The fires started in November and escalated to include blazes set under parked vehicles and one in the doorway of a business.

As firefighters worked to contain a blaze that charred more than 100 acres in Monrovia, the city's fire chief, Chris Donovan, reminded residents that experts are predicting  a “very dry -- and very bad” fire season. In a prepared statement released late Sunday, Monrovia officials said the brush fire that once threatened 400 homes was 85% contained, and all evacuation orders had been lifted. Officials said an update would be provided later Monday morning. No structures were damaged and one firefighter suffered a minor heat-related injury, said Jennifer McLain, a city spokeswoman.

A Monrovia brush fire that at one point threatened 400 homes is now 85% contained, and all evacuation orders have been lifted, officials said. No structures were damaged, and only one firefighter suffered a minor heat-related injury, said Jennifer McLain, a city spokeswoman. Firefighters and handcrews will continue to work the fire through the evening, she said. Water-dropping helicopters remain on stand-by. "The challenge is working in such steep terrain," she said. The fire started about 11 a.m. Saturday and was sparked by a gardening tool being used for brush clearance at a residence in the foothills, she said.

A brush fire in Monrovia has grown to 10 acres and fire personnel are encouraging voluntary evacuations in some neighborhoods, officials said. The fire started shortly after 11 a.m. in the backyard of a home near Crescent Drive and Madison Avenue, said Jennifer McLain, a city spokeswoman. The fire spread to the hillside behind the residence, she said. An evacuation center has been set up at 119 Palm Avenue, she said. In addition to Monvrovia firefighters, personnel from Pasadena, Montebello, Arcadia, Los Angeles County and the U.S. Forest Service have been dispatched to the scene, she said.

Riverside County firefighters battled two separate brush fires Saturday that scorched about 250 acres but threatened no homes. The first blaze erupted shortly after 3 p.m. on a rural hillside near the unincorporated area of Snow Creek about 12 miles west of Palm Springs, officials said. Flames charred about 150 acres, but no injuries were reported and no structures were damaged. By 9 p.m., the fire was about 25% contained, officials said.

Lightning apparently started three Antelope Valley brush fires on Tuesday, the largest of which briefly threatened homes. The first started about 5 p.m. in Palmdale at City Ranch Road and Ranch Center Drive. It burned about five acres and was out in less than an hour. A blaze near Acton also was quickly extinguished. Firefighters required the help of aircraft to help fight a third blaze, on Valley Sage Road in Acton.

Evacuation orders were lifted for about 100 homes Saturday night as firefighters made considerable progress in taming a 175-acre blaze in the Monrovia hills. The wildfire was 50% contained and fire crews were optimistic that they would finish the job Sunday. The number of fire engines on the scene had dropped from 65 to 20.          The blaze started in late morning in a residential backyard in northwest Monrovia and spread to rugged terrain in bordering wildlands. At one point flames came within 80 yards of homes.

Monrovia firefighters are battling a small brush fire in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.   Firefighters were dispatched to the scene near Crescent Drive and Madison Avenue shortly after 11 a.m., said Jennifer McLain, a city spokeswoman. The fire is about 1 1/2 acres, she said, but cautioned that “conditions today are windy.” The fire was started by a gardener, in the backyard of a residence, she said. No other details were available. No homes are threatened at the moment and no evacuations have been ordered, McLain said.