Two firefighters received minor injuries and a third firefighter suffering what was only described as a cardiac incident in a 500-acre blaze that is still burning in the hills of Calabasas, an upscale community about 20 minutes north west of Los Angeles.
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All roadways in the area were reopened Sunday evening, including Old Topanga Canyon Road and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, and evacuations were lifted, allowing the last of the evacuees to return home, said Lt. A.J. Rotella of the Malibu-Lost Hills Sheriff’s Station. One other house was damaged, officials told the CBS Local, but not wrecked.
It has been reported that the wildfire began on Saturday afternoon and has now placed entire neighborhoods at risk of burning to the ground in the prosperous semi-rural enclave that is Calabasas.
One commercial building was destroyed, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp told the AP.
Firefighters watch as a fire burns a hillside in Calabasas, California U.S., June 4, 2016.
The fire, which is believed to have been sparked Saturday after a truck struck a utility pole, had scorched 516 acres and was 30 percent contained Sunday, according to fire officials.
The Calabasas, which is an affluent city, is a home for celebrities and a rugged hills and ranches 25 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
Fire crews were staging at Calabasas High School as they battled a brush fire in the area on June 5, 2016.
This raging brush fire in Calabasas has forced thousands of residents from their homes.
A smoke advisory remained in effect Monday morning for the surrounding area, according to the South Coast Air Quality District.
Fifty-foot-high flames erupted on the ridges and embers turned trees into candles Saturday afternoon. The fire flared as Southern California sweltered under temperatures that hit the 90s in many places.
Flames raced through drought-dry brush and came within yards of million-dollar homes.
Residents were encouraged to take horses and other large animals to Pierce College in Woodland Hills (map), and to drop off smaller animals at the Agoura Animal Care Center (map).
Water-dropping helicopters zoomed in over the neighborhood, which became engulfed in thick smoke. No structures were threatened.
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His wife, Marissa, said their two young daughters went to stay with friends Saturday night, but she and her husband hunkered down at home.
