Banner fire in northern San Diego County 90% contained

The Banner fire east of Julian in northern San Diego County is 90% contained after charring 5,321 acres, Cal-Fire said Sunday afternoon.

Full containment is expected Monday. On Sunday, the blaze was being fought by 938 firefighters, 41 engines, and seven water-dropping helicopters.

No structural damage or injuries have been reported due to the fire, which broke out Thursday afternoon and quickly spread eastward. More than 100 homes were ordered evacuated in the Shelter Valley area but the evacuation order has been lifted.

Cost of fighting the fire has been set at more than $3 million. No cause has been determined.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

Firefighters starting to contain blaze in northern San Diego County

Firefighters are making good progress in containing the Banner fire, which has now charred 1,200 acres east of Julian in northern San Diego County, Cal-Fire said Thursday night.

The fire is now 5% contained. No structures have been destroyed, but homeowners in the fire's path have been ordered to evacuate.

The fire is being battled by more than 200 firefighters, 30 engines and six air tankers.

-- Tony Perry in San Diego

 

Trails, other areas closed after Station fire to reopen Friday

More than 40,000 acres of land in the Angeles National Forest that had been closed since the devastating Station fire will be reopened Friday.

The plan to open parts of the Big Tujunga watershed won final approval Thursday. The Station fire raged through the area in August 2009. 

Officials and volunteers had been working to reopen the area by Memorial Day Weekend, the U.S. Forest Service said.

The areas to be opened include Stone Canyon Trail, Trail Canyon Trail and the Delta Flat recreation areas. 

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Photo: Fire crews work in a barren landscape in Angeles National Forest after the Station fire passed through in 2009. Credit: Roger Wilson / La Canada Valley Sun

Crews battle brush fire in Riverside County

Firefighters in Riverside County were knocking down a brush fire Tuesday afternoon that burned eight acres of light vegetation, officials said.

Nearly 100 firefighters and a helicopter were able to stop the forward spread of the fire, which was reported shortly before  4 p.m  near Bethlam Avenue and Indian Creek Road in Hemet, the Riverside County Fire Department said.

Crews were mopping up hot spots and are expected to be at the scene for several hours. 

The cause of the blaze was under investigation. No injuries were reported.

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Firefighters contain grass fire in Tustin

Orange County firefighters have contained a grass fire that burned five acres in Tustin this afternoon.

No one was hurt in the fire, which was reported about 3:15 p.m. and burned grassland in the area of Tustin Ranch and Portola Parkway, said Capt. Marc Stone, a spokesman for the Orange County Fire Authority.

Evacuations ordered earlier for 11 homes near Collar and Riehl avenues have been lifted. Some 75 firefighters took less than three hours to extinguish the blaze, Stone said.

There is no immediate word on what caused the fire; however, arson investigators are interviewing people seen near the fire and have ruled out that it was caused accidentally, Stone said.

Anyone with information about the fire's cause is asked to call (855) TIP-OCCS (847-6227).

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Photo: Tustin Ranch grass fire. Credit: Orange County Fire Authority

Kern County brush fire contained

Aided by diminishing winds, firefighters have contained a Kern County brush fire that blackened 150 acres Friday night.

No structures were damaged in the wildfire, which burned in a canyon near the Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road in an area with a number of windmills.

“The wind died down so they were able to catch it,” said Capt. Bill Brickey of the Kern County Fire Department. The blaze was contained by 11:30 p.m. Friday.

The cause is under investigation.

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Brush fire burns at least 50 acres in Tehachapi

A fast-moving brush fire has burned more than 50 acres in the Tehachapi area of Kern County.

There was no immediate threat to any buildings, said Capt. Bill Brickey of the Kern County Fire Department.

First reports of the blaze came in about 7:25 p.m. Friday, Brickey said. Initially, it covered about two to three acres near Tehachapi-Willow Springs Road, about two miles south of Oak Creek Road, Brickey said.

"It is a pretty remote area with a lot of windmills,"  he said. "It gets quite breezy up there, so that’s probably why it has grown so large."

At first, firefighters thought they would be able to control the blaze in a few hours, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. About half a dozen fire engines and a large water truck were initially sent to the fire, Brickey said, and an additional five engines have since been ordered.

Most fires in the area burn themselves out when they reach the desert and run out of fuel, Brickey said.

He added that the road network built to service the windmills may allow crews to reach remote places faster, which would help them control the fire sooner than would otherwise be possible.

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Man suspected of arson tackled by witnesses at O.C. brush fire

A man suspected of lighting a small brush fire in Costa Mesa on Wednesday night was tackled to the ground by witnesses as the blaze burned through heavy brush in Talbert Regional Park.

The fire broke out about 7 p.m., prompting a response by firefighters and a water-dropping helicopter from the Orange County Fire Authority, officials said.

At least two witnesses tackled a man they suspected of sparking the blaze. "His face was really bad. There was blood all over," a resident told KCAL TV Channel 9.

The man was taken to a local hospital, where he was being treated for minor burns, fire officials said.

"He is a possible suspect," Capt. Marc Stone of the Orange County Fire Authority told The Times. "He is being interrogated by arson investigators."

Fire crews were mopping up hot spots late Wednesday.

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Acton wildfire fully contained, officials say

A wildfire in Acton that scorched 126 acres was fully contained as of late Tuesday night, Los Angeles County fire officials told KTLA.

The northern L.A. County fire destroyed several structures, burned a car and forced the evacuation of about 30 homes, The Times reported Tuesday.

Firefighters were dousing hot spots and cutting firebreaks around the perimeter of the blaze throughout Tuesday, which began to threaten homes as winds picked up in the afternoon.

"We'll be working through the night to get the hot spots and make sure it doesn't start back up," Inspector Quvondo Johnson told The Times.

He said an aggressive air attack, which included five helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft, helped crews on the ground gain the upper hand. At the height of the fire, nearly 400 firefighters were battling the blaze.

The fire broke out shortly before 4 p.m. near the 4700 block of West Crown Valley Road in the Soledad Canyon area.

No injuries were reported to firefighters or civilians. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.

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Acton brush fire burns 126 acres; blaze 40% contained

This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

A brush fire in Acton scorched 126 acres but was 40% contained Tuesday night, officials said.

Officials earlier said the fire had burned about 40 acres, but the size was revised after an aerial survey was conducted, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Firefighters were dousing hot spots and cutting lines around the perimeter of the blaze, which destroyed at least one structure and threatened homes as winds picked up Tuesday afternoon.

"We'll be working through the night to get the hot spots and make sure it doesn't start back up," Inspector Quvondo Johnson told The Times.

He said an aggressive air attack, which included five helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, helped crews on the ground gain the upper hand. At the fire's height, nearly 400 firefighters were battling the blaze.

The blaze broke out shortly before 4 p.m. near the 4700 block of West Crown Valley Road in the Soledad Canyon area.

The cause was under investigation. The blaze burned medium to heavy brush.

[Updated 9:15 p.m.: About 30 homes were evacuated earlier Tuesday, and several structures and a car were burned, fire officials said.]

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Photo: Acton brush fire Tuesday afternoon. Credit: KTLA-TV Channel 5