Multiple fires threatening homes in Diamond Bar [Updated]
A fire broke out this morning and was threatening homes near the 60 Freeway.
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire broke out sometime in the last hour south of the 60 Freeway near Phillips Ranch Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard.
It's unclear what caused the blaze, but officials said it was suspicious because there were several points of ignition.
TV footage showed a large plume of smoke and several fires burning near the freeway.
It's unclear whether there were evacuations.
[Updated at 12:36 p.m.: Fire officials made multiple water drops from aircrafts, which appeared to slow the march of the fire toward threatened homes.
A portion of the 60 Freeway has been closed so that fire officials can use lanes to fight the fire. Several people with asthma were being treated at Diamond Ranch High School.
A Pomona Unified School District spokesman did not know whether the high school was being evacuated.
More than 250 firefighters are on the scene.]
-- Tony Barboza and Corina Knoll
Your Scene: Submit photos from the fire area
kids at diamond ranch locked in gym freaking out not allowed to leave with parents cars almost running over children as they ran across the road to escape panicked parents threatened to be arrested for crossing to get children at school
mayhem
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 01:41 PM
Is this the cause of the horrific air quality over downtown today? It's awful!
Posted by: Reg | November 03, 2009 at 01:42 PM
parents now being arrested at diamond high school news talks about air quality while parents outside are o.k children being released parents are upset with the way situation was handled by authorities who are trying their best to control the situation children being bussed to wal-mart now news need to talk to parents for correct information as children are now released.
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 02:01 PM
maybe so air quality pretty bad out here
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 02:02 PM
parents still picking up children at school bus are not being utilized at this time in contact with parent at school now
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 02:04 PM
I am a parent of child at diamond ranch she just was released to family member seems to be getting better kids are more calm as they see their friends released all should go well, school only has one way in and one way out maybe should look into this for future fires as this is the second in last 3 years in same area. many questions will be asked about this panic maybe a phone call to parents by school officials as parents who called school at first knowledge of fire the phones where shut off causing a bad situation to escalate even more as a parent that was my first thought whats going on and diamond ranch phones shut off maybe could have been diverted to Pomona school district :[
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 02:19 PM
kids at diamond ranch high school that had their own cars were allowed to leave as announcement by school official was that they could leave, everyone else was herded into field with flames surrounding them until some intelligent person moved into gym, while some children with asthma had their inhalers children without suffered and were seen laying on beds in front of other children assuming the worst, ambulances soon arrived according to high school kids.
pictures that i have seen as children in the field as flames surrounded them news shows us pictures of calm but, it was far from it.
Posted by: javier macias | November 03, 2009 at 02:51 PM
To Javier Macias,
This is what happens when people go unprepared for emergencies. Meyhem should not take over and would not take over if parents took care of the little things when they should like what should happen during earthquakes! If people took the time to plan things out when emergenies happend they: parents, students and school officials would know exactly what to do. Too bad no one at this school site made plans for anything other then meyhem.
Posted by: Jet | November 03, 2009 at 02:59 PM
I'm a former student at DRHS, and this was always a concern to students as well as parents. There is only one way up and one way down, and surrounded by so many hills that are capable of burning was a concern as to what students and parents will do to provide safety themselves and their kids. Traffic was horrible everday, and I could only imagine the traffic there is now with fire trucks, police, EMT, etc. I hope faculty, as well as the Pomona Unified School District will come to a better solution when it comes to situations as this. I don't believe locking their students in the gym, or having them stand out on the football field is a safe place to keep them, especially when it is surrounded by hills, and no emergency exit to get to safety. They need to use their brains a little.
Posted by: Fomer Student | November 03, 2009 at 03:41 PM
The school needs to have another entrance/exit. Administration said we could drive up, the police said we couldn't. The district really needs to rethink this. What if the hill that is next to the entrance/exit? How would emergency vehicles get up there and how would the kids get down??
Posted by: DRHS Parent | November 03, 2009 at 10:15 PM