A firefighter walks down a road past a burnt out hillside as fire continues to burn in the foothills outside of Calabasas, Calif. on Saturday, June 4, 2016. They include Los Angeles County firefighters and mutual aid from Los Angeles city, Ventura and other area departments.
Advertisement
Thousands of homes were threatened at one point by the Old Fire in Calabasas.
Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief John Tripp said Sunday morning the fire was still a very large challenge on the east and south side because it’s “up on a mid slope of the canyon”.
The wildfire broke out Saturday afternoon in the Calabasas area – a relatively affluent part of Los Angeles County that is home to a handful of celebrities, including Jessica Simpson and Toni Braxton, authorities said.
“That makes it extremely unsafe to do what is called a direct attack and try to get containment on that”. “That’s why we can not let people back in their homes”. Residents of Calabasas have been allowed to return home, but evacuation orders remain in the Topanga area.
A fast-moving brush fire swept through hills in Southern California on Saturday, threatening 3,000 homes, damaging a few and forcing hundreds of people to flee, some with pets and livestock. Three homes were also damaged.
The 500-acre wildfire was sparked Saturday by a auto accident that brought down power lines near upscale Calabasas, The Associated Press reported. Tripp says hot, dry conditions a day earlier led to spot fires that had crews scrambling. Years of drought made vegetation and brush dry and highly susceptible to fire.
Smoke and ash could be seen across L.A. County, from as far as 30 miles away.
Some horse owners in the area put the animals in trailers and hauled them away.
An evacuation center for displaced residents was established at Agoura High School in Agoura Hills (map).
The fighting of the fire also caused the injury of three firefighters, two of whom had knee injuries while the other one suffered from a cardiac event.
A captain at the scene said at about 11 p.m. Saturday that the blaze – a result of the two fires that joined – was 20 percent contained as the flames receded some in increased humidity and lower breezes and temperatures.
Advertisement
Structures are threatened above and below the blaze, she said.
