A wildfire broke out in the hills surrounding the La Habra Plateau on Monday afternoon, damaging multiple homes, including two destroyed and one destroyed, authorities said.
Evacuation warnings affecting hundreds of people have been issued amid the blaze, dubbed the Palos Fire. By 5:45 p.m., these warnings had been lifted lifted upabout an hour after the crew progress has stopped on the fire
By 6 p.m., the fire had burned about 17 acres and was 41% contained. According to Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Two people, one firefighter and one civilian, were taken to the hospital for minor medical reasons, Fire Capt. Aaron Caton said. Both are expected to make a full recovery.
The advisory still applies. area It is roughly bounded by Las Palomas Drive to the west and West Skyline Drive to the east. Due to smoke, residents are encouraged to keep windows and doors closed.
According to police, one horse was rescued. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire broke out in the 2400 block of Las Palomas Drive in Whittier just after 2:30 p.m., the department said. The Palos fire had grown to nearly 20 acres by about 4:15 p.m., prompting an evacuation alert for the area, Fire Department spokesman Keith Navarre said. La Habra Heights Mayor Brian Bergman told the Times that several hundred people live in the area covered by the alert.
Two homes were destroyed in the fire, and a third home was damaged but “determined to be habitable,” said Lt. Larry Villarreal of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Industrial Division.
Firefighters sprayed a home in La Habra Heights Monday afternoon.
(On Scene.TV)
During the early afternoon fire response, deputies evacuated people from 20 to 30 homes and provided shelter at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, Villarreal said. Most residents refused, but a few headed to evacuation centers, he said.
On Monday, a helitanker poured water on the Paros Island fire burning in the La Habra Highlands.
(KTLA-TV)
Navarre said its fire department had assigned 76 units and 250 personnel to the blaze. Helitankers also participated in the battle.
Navarra said the fire started in a ravine and moved up the hillside. Some firefighters hiked down into the ravine to contain the flames, while others focused on defending homes along adjacent ridges.
Narrow roads in the La Habra Plateau make access for firefighting efforts difficult, he said.
“Our entire city is a small, narrow, windy road on a hillside,” Bergman said.
The mayor said the city has opened a shelter in the park’s gymnasium, located at 1185 Hacienda Road, for those affected by the evacuation order.
Fire officials closed off a portion of Hacienda Road to extinguish the fire, which Bergman said started in the ravine below Casarello Drive.
Bergman said the city council meeting scheduled for Monday night was postponed because a road blockade shut down City Hall.
According to the La Habra Highlands Fire Department, Website One fire engine was staffed, but no one could be reached for comment. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the fire under a mutual aid agreement.