A brush fire racing through dry vegetation in the hills north of Glendora has scorched about 2,500 acres in the Angeles National Forest, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman said Saturday.
Three structures and an outhouse have been destroyed by the fire, spokesman Andrew Mitchell said. The fire is zero percent contained.
“The heat is going to be a factor today and we’ve got a lot of medium to heavy brush out there,” Mitchell said.
Five firefighters suffered minor injuries while battling the blaze, according to Justin Seastrand of the U.S. Forest Service.
About 400 firefighters were assigned to the attack, Seastrand said.
Fire crews from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties were among those assisting Angeles National Forest crews in battling the blaze, which was reported shortly after 1 p.m. Friday off Highway 39 near Rincon Red Box Road.
Four helicopters are now at the scene to assist in the effort, Mitchell said.
Early on, one helicopter involved in the effort made an emergency landing alongside a reservoir, possibly after clipping some power lines in the area. The aerial attack was critical to the firefighting effort, thanks to rugged terrain that limited the access of ground crews.
Within 30 minutes of ignition, the brush fire had spread to a cabin nestled in the woods, and it quickly engulfed the structure. The fast-moving fire also managed to jump Highway 39 as it pushed its way into the forest.
While none of the flames were contained by fire lines, firefighters were trying to get the western flank to burn toward an area that burned last year and has less fuel, creating a natural fire line to slow the spread, Seastrand said.
Highway 39 was closed above East Fork Road and mandatory evacuation orders were issued along the highway north to Angeles Crest Highway.
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Vicki Gregory said about 40 people were evacuated from Crystal Lake campground. The Coldbrook campground was also evacuated, but it was unclear how many people were at the camp.
Glendora police sent an alert to residents about the fire, but officials said the blaze appeared to be too far from the city to present any immediate danger. Azusa police were also monitoring the fire. No evacuations were immediately ordered in either city.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory, warning that air quality will reach unhealthy levels in smoke-impacted areas in the mountains and downwind of the fire.
People in affected areas were being advised to avoid vigorous outdoor activity, and people with respiratory or heart disease should remain indoors, as should children and older adults, according to the AQMD.
— City News Service
[symple_googlemap title=”Glendora Hills fire” location=”Highway 39 and Rincon Red Box Road, Los Angeles, CA” height=”300″ zoom=”15″]