A deck of clouds assisted firefighters dealing with heat around the massive La Tuna Fire Sunday, but winds associated with the leftovers of a tropical storm alarmed the crews surrounding tha massive blaze.
There were 1,061 firefighters battling what tghe mayor called the biggest brush fire in the city of Los Angeles history, as crews worked on pockets of unburned brush within the Friday, iow churning through the norther end of the Verdugo Moutains in its third day.
The estimate of burned acres remained at 5,895 acres.
“There is (still) a lot of fuel out there left to burn,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas, during a 10 a.m. news conference at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace. The fire remained at 10 percent contained with the effort of 206 engine companies, nine helicopters, five water tenders, four bulldozers, 12 hand crews and nine ambulances.
“We are going to get an update on the containment percentage by the end of the day. That is our goal,” Terrazas said.
And the biggest concern in battling the blaze still remains the weather, he said.
“In terms of weather, that is our number one concern. Sunday and the rest of the week, we believe that the weather will become more favorable. Sunday we’re looking at moderate heat impact, isolated thunderstorms with a very slight chance of showers, temperatures 90 and 94 degrees.
“Winds with three to four miles per hour with gusts at 12 (miles per hour) and that can change at a moment’s notice and the wind can accelerate very quickly,” Terrazas said.
There were two firefighters taken to hospitals during the second day of the fire for heat-related illnesses. Their conditions were stable, he said.
Three homes have been destroyed and one was damaged. “We believe two of three had no brush clearance,” Terrazas said. “So I can’t emphasize enough the importance of a minimum — within L.A. city — a minimum of 200 feet brush clearance, that’s brush from your home. If there is no defensive space we cannot protect your house.
Mandatory evacuations in the city of Los Angeles remain in the McGroarty Park area, from McGroarty Terrace to Valaho Place, Wornom South of Sunland, and Morning Glow, South of La Tune. In Glendale, in the Glenoaks area, at the end of Boston Avenue, El Lado Drive, Cedarbend Drive, Tanbark Place, Ferntree Place, Beechglen Drive, New York Avenue, and at Mountain Oaks Parks, Celita Way and Kadletz Road.
Burbank police allowed some evacuees to return late Saturday night, but a flare-up prompted a second round of evacuations at the Burbank Estates and Castleman Lane areas, said Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green.
In Burbank, evacuation orders were up at midday for Castleman Lane, Wedgewood Lane, Kildare Court, Folkstone Court and Logan Court. Burbank police had also closed Joaquin and Haven; Bel Aire and Vista Ridge; Scott Road and Haven; Bel Aire and Amherst; Bel Aire an Cambridge; Groton and Stephen; Sunset Canyon and Walnut; Sunset Canyon and Harvard Road; Country Club and Walnut, and Keystone and Lamer.
McCambridge Park Recreational Center, 1515 N. Glenoaks Blvd., was the designated evacuation center, Green said.
Mandatory evacuations in Glendale were at Glenwood Oaks and Mountain Oaks, with voluntary evacuations at Whiting Woods and Oakmont Woods.
Glendale’s evacuation center was at Crescenta Valley High School, 2900 Community Ave., where pets are welcome and Pasadena Humane Society has set up at the location. No new evacuations have been ordered in Glendale.
In the Los Angeles, mandatory evacuations were in the McGroarty Park area, from McGroarty to Valaho in Tujunga and in Sunland at Wormon and Sunland. Evacuees were told to find shelter at Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd.
Voluntary evacuations in Tujunga were at Aileen and Hilllhaven, and McGroarty, from Oro Vista to Plainview.
Voluntary evacuations in the Revierier area were at Alene Drive to Hillhaven Avenue, Reverier, Glen O Peace Parkway, Tranquil Drive, Inspiration Way, Tranquil Place and Hillhaven Place.
Voluntary evacuations in the Haines Canyon Area were at Charrick Dr, Charrick Pl, Estepa Dr, Wexlord Dr (Tujunga).
And in Sunland, voluntary evacuations were at Shadow Island Drive and Wormom Avenue south of Sunland.
Updated Sept. 3, 2017 at 12:35 p.m.
–City News Service