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Los Angeles Firefighters Battle 156 Acre Brush Fire in Lake View Terrace

Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Los Angeles-

Hundreds of Los Angeles firefighters battled a fast moving brush fire that broke out in hills north of Lake View Terrace on May 23, 2016.

At 2:20 PM the LAFD responded to the 11000 block of Wheatland Avenue to find approximately five acres of light to medium brush rapidly burning uphill, pushed by a 5 to 7 mph wind, gusting to 19 mph.  

The fire broke out in the LAFD's jurisdiction and burned into a Mutual Threat Zone involving multiple agencies. Approximately 100 LAFD firefighters responded plus our friends at LACoFD and ANF, all working closely together to aggressively attack the flames from the ground and air, and to get hose-lines around the fire.

The blaze quickly spread to 156 acres of steep rugged terrain, predominately into the Angeles National Forest (ANF), blackening the canyons and hills north of Sunland Tujunga area. A plume of dark smoke was visible for miles.Hand Crews on the ground quickly began surrounding the flames, helicopters made strategic water drops, and fixed wing aircraft greatly assisted, plus an onshore wind helped firefighters progress.

Firefighters defended structures as a precaution in the Little Tujunga Canyon Rd to Big Tujunga Canyon Rd areas. Through the night firefighters continued to patrol neighborhoods north of Foothill Blvd ensuring safety and no flare-ups, and used caution as flames neared large power lines in the area.
 
At 8:00 PM, the LAFD transitioned to an assisting agency due to the bulk of the fire being in the ANF jurisdiction, the fire was 35% contained and is expected to be fully contained by Tuesday evening. A Command Post was set up near Hansen Dam.
Foothill Blvd was closed between Christy Ave to the west and Esko Ave to the east.
 
During the firefight the weather was 67 degrees, relative humidity was 49%, the wind was from the south at 9 mph, gusts to 19 mph, and fortunately there was no significant wind shift therefore the fire continued to burn away from homes. 

The fire's cause is under active investigation.
Dispatched units: BC12 BC720 BC741 BP19 BP28 BP35 BP41 BP44 BP47 BP83 BP94 CP3 CV22 DT2 E63 E8137 E8138 E8139 E8140 E94 EM17 HL1 HL2 HL4 RA10 RA74 RA850 RA869 RA894 RT83 TP2
 
Photo © Matt Hartman
Incident details and updates: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4749/

 

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