Global Courant
Firefighters battling a wildfire north of Arcadia have 50% control of the blaze but contend with temperatures in the mid-80s as they climb steep, rocky terrain to build their defenses in the Angeles National Forest, said officials.
The fire burned more than 5 acres in the Santa Anita Canyon area The US Forest Service announced this on Monday morning. Ground crews from the Forest Service, Los Angeles County Fire Department and Arcadia Fire Department responded to the blaze when it was first reported around 4 p.m. Sunday
At night, helicopters dropped water on hot spots in what has been called the Chantry fire.
The fire burns in the footprint of the 2020 Bobcat fire, which burned about 115,000 acres between the San Gabriel and Antelope Valleys. Nearly 100 homes were destroyed by the blaze, which may have been fueled by downed power lines.
About 200 firefighters responded to the blaze, and a fire warning was in effect Sunday for recreational cabins and several other buildings in the forest, but that warning was lifted Monday morning, officials said.
According to John Miller of the Forest Service, one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but officials are reminding people that fireworks — even sparklers — are not allowed in the national forest. Wood and charcoal fires are allowed only in designated campfire rings at campgrounds or on Forest Service-provided grills.
Monday temperatures will soar into the mid-80s and humidity levels will remain above 50%, said meteorologist Ryan Kittell of the National Weather Service office in Oxnard.
Sustained winds in the area will reach 5 to 10 mph and short gusts will peak at 15 mph, Kittell said.
The area’s vegetation is caught between the transition of the wet and dry months, Kittell said. Some areas are still wet from the rains earlier this year, while others are already starting to dry up.
“Once we get to August, the fuels will be ready to burn,” Kittell said.
