A fire that’s destroyed a half-dozen vacant structures and blackened an estimated 300 acres in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Castaic was about 50 percent contained Monday afternoon, authorities said.
There were three injuries to firefighters Monday as a result of the Warm Fire, which broke out about 3:30 p.m. Sunday in the area of Lake Hughes and Warm Springs roads, said Marc Peebles of the U.S. Forest Service. Two firefighters suffered heat-related injuries and one injured a leg.
Conditions were still extremely hot for firefighters, with over 100-degree temperatures, Peebles said. Area temperatures topped 105 degrees on Sunday, according to the National Weather Service.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The fire was described Monday as “smoldering and creeping,” Peebles said. “You can’t see it but all it would take is a strong wind event or (fire) material to get outside the fire line for it to get established again.”
That is in stark contrast to late Sunday night when the fire was listed as uncontained and burning “aggressively” in a southerly direction, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
After daybreak Monday, the fire was about 10 percent contained, and the size — originally listed at 500 acres — was determined to be about 300 acres after more precise mapping was completed. Late this morning, the fire was listed at 30 percent contained.
The Forest Service reported that six vacant structures were destroyed.
At least some of the destroyed buildings appeared to be at the shuttered Warm Springs Rehabilitation Center in the 38200 block of Lake Hughes Road, according to Los Angeles County sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Allen.
Firefighters were fighting the blaze from the ground and air. About 170 personnel were assigned to the battle, authorities said. Some personnel and aircraft were diverted from another fire in the region.
No evacuations were immediately ordered.
Lake Hughes Road was closed between Castaic and Elizabeth Lake, according to the Forest Service.
—City News Service