With the air and traffic, this was bound to happen. From CSUN's press office: "Cal State Northridge officials have cancelled afternoon and evening classes for Monday, Oct. 13, because of concerns about air quality and freeway closures due to the fires in the northeast San Fernando Valley. University offices, the library and bookstore will remain open." For complete coverage, follow our "wildfire" tag by clicking here.......

The Sesnon Fire in Porter Ranch, which has now burned around 2,000 acres, has prompted the following neighborhoods to be under mandatory evacuation: Box Canyon, Woosley Canyon, Bell Canyon, Lake Manor, Brown Canyon, Twin Lakes and Dayton Canyon. Basically, the message is if you're in Porter Ranch or to the West of, leave. For complete coverage, follow our "wildfire" tag by clicking here.......

AP Photo/Mike Meadows Officials at a press conference say that many of the fires igniting across the region, including the original Marek/Little Tujunga Fire, look suspicious and are still under investigation. Fire and police are asking for any suspicious activity to be reported to police (license plate numbers are especially helpful). The Marek Fire began on Sunday morning around 2:00 a.m., has burned 3700 acres and was downgraded from 20% to 5% contained. 1200......

In a press conference shortly before noon, Mayor Villaraigosa announced that at least one person has died in the Marek/Little Tujunga Fire within city limits. An LAPD official said the victim appears to be a transient adult male in a makeshift wooden and cardboard structure. He was found near the intersection of Paxton and Foothill with a dog, presumed to be his pet. Additionally, Villaraigosa said "we haven't lost a structure in the city to......

A brush fire has been reported north of Porter Ranch on top of Oat Mountain in the Santa Susana mountain range. Callers, observing the fire from the Wilbur-Tampa Park/Limekiln Cyn area, told dispatchers the blaze was in remote "oil fields," but LAFD officials said the natural gas storage facility located inside nearby mountains is completely safe at this time. Oat Mountain with its 3700 foot mountain peak is supposedly the tallest in the Santa Susana......

Via LA County Fire | View Larger Map Last Updated at 3:57 p.m. Date of Origin: Around 10:30 a.m., Monday, October 13, 2008 Acres Burned: More than 3,700 acres Containment: Unknown Personnel: Unknown Structures: TV reports show a few homes burned and damage, but total official counts are unknown at the moment. "Structures are threaten in North of 118 Fwy at De Soto," per LA County Fire. Evacuations (MAP): Neighborhoods of Box Canyon, Woosley Canyon,......

A fire aided by overnight winds broke out around 2 this morning in Little Tujunga Canyon and has already claimed 500 acres of brush and has forced the evacuation of about 1,200 nearby residents. Mandatory evacuations are currently in effect in Kagel Canyon, Lopez Canyon, and Little Tujunga Canyon. Residents of nearby Lakeview Terrace are on the ready, but are not required to evacuate as of yet. The cool temperature was an asset to firefighters......

A brush fire broke out around 3:00 p.m. today in off Kanan Dume Rd. before the first tunnel, reported KCAL9 TV news. The cause of the small acre or so fire is unknown, but it appeared to be under control with an expected containment by 4:00 p.m.......

Firefighters staged in front of O'Melvany Park | Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist A half acre fire ignited in the thick of the fog above Granada Hills this morning around 8:30 a.m. The fire burned slowly through thick brush along steep terrain forcing Los Angeles Fire Department personnel to hike up into the Santa Susana Mountains to attempt to knock it down. Due to the fog, helicopters were grounded until 9:15 a.m. and shortly after,......

A small two acre brush fire behind the homes on the 3700 block of Benedict Canyon Lane in Sherman Oaks ignited for unknown reasons at 5:36 a.m. this morning. 50 firefighters and one helicopter fought it for forty minutes before knocking down the fire around 6:15 a.m. The area had a lot of thick brush d'Lisa Davies, Spokesperson for the LA Fire Department, said over the phone. Firefighters were easily able to fight the fire......

The "Lost Fire" in Agoura Hills last Tuesday was under investigation by LA County Sheriff's after they found evidence of arson. The case soon was solved after the responsible parties turned themselves in. "Two juveniles have confessed to accidentally starting an 80-acre brush fire near Malibu Creek State Park while playing with fireworks, a sheriff's lieutenant said Thursday," reported the Associated Press. Witnesses told police earlier that they saw two boys running from the fire......

On Saturday, known arsonist Gary Allen Lintz was arrested on suspicion of starting that day's fire. But yesterday in court, he was charged with setting all the fires in the park since July 27. The 43-year-old transient pleaded not guilty to the July fire and the multiple fires he allegedly set on August 4, 16 and 23. "The criminal complaint alleges great bodily injury to a firefighter - who was hurt while fighting the Aug.......

A small brush fire that began early last night is under investigation for the possibility of murder and arson. The fire near the Pacific Coast Highway and Topanga Canyon was first reported at 6:27 p.m. and burned three to four acres before being knocked down at 7:08 p.m., according to LA County Fire over the phone. Firefighters noticed a vehicle in the fire and upon further investigation, found a dead body inside. Calls made to......

A firefighter hoses down a hillside, where a 75-acre brush fire threatened several homes in Agoura Hills today (AP Photo/Nick Ut) The Agoura Hills brush fire, now known as the "Lost Fire," grew to 75 acres before firefighters knocked it down at 4:30 p.m., according to Brendon Peart, Supervising Fire Dispatcher for LA County Fire. No people or structures were damaged and all evacuations were voluntary. Peart said LA County Sheriff's are investigating the......

A light grass brush fire that broke out around noon today has burned approximately 30 acres and is threatening homes in an Agoura Hills subdivision, but as of 1:45 p.m., all evacuations were mandatory. 225 to 250 firefighters were on scene. The LA County Fire Department told LAist over the phone that it is burning south of the 101 Freeway where it began near Las Virgenes and Lost Hills roads.......

Just after 2:00 p.m. this afternoon, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported "a small fire in Griffith Park." A knockdown was called at 2:56 p.m., according to LAFD Spokesperson d'Lisa Davies over the phone, but she did not know the acreage of the fire yet. There are also some unconfirmed reports of a possible suspect in custody, but those are just rumors at the moment. This is the fourth time a fire or fires has......

Someone called the fire department late this morning saying they saw a plume of smoke rising from Griffith Park. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched a helicopter, but found nothing. "When our aerial recon took an aerial view, they saw nothing," d'Lisa Davies, LAFD spokeswoman, said over the phone.......

The brush fire in Griffith Park near Travel town, first reported at approximately 2 p.m. today, is now 60% contained and has no active hot spots, according to an LAFD alert. 300 firefighters from multiple area agencies were on scene and about 50-60 acres have burned so far. The fire is expected to be totally contained by midday tomorrow. Fortunately, there have been no injuries so far.......

The Los Angeles Fire Department is responding to a small brush fire in Griffith Park near Travel Town. Park Rangers called in the report of a fire covering "approx 3 acres of medium brush" according to d'Lisa Davies of the LAFD. On Thursday we learned that "Fire weather" was back in California, as hot, dry air is spreading up the west coast and into Canada. The California Highway Patrol soon after requested a shut down......

Reported at 2:27 p.m. this afternoon, a grass and brush fire of about 2-3 acres in size has been reported south of the Mineral Wells Trail in the northern part of Griffith Park. Los Angeles Spokesman Brian Humphrey reports that 100 firefighters have reported to the scene and there have been no injuries, no structures threatened and no formal evacuations ordered, as of 2:54 p.m. The last fire at the park was on Sunday, July......

A five acre brush fire broke out near Travel Town and the LA Zoo this afternoon around 12:45 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. 32 LAFD fire companies reported to the scene with help from LA County, Burbank and Glendale fire departments totaling approximately 200 firefighters on the ground. As of 2:00 p.m. no injuries, evacuations or damaged structures were reported and a knockdown had not been declared yet. "It's not progressing in......

Los Angeles County firefighters putting out the fire in Malibu on 4th of July (AP Photo/Gus Ruelas) Yesterday's wildfire in Malibu charred 25 acres before LA County Firefighters were able to full contain it at 8:14 p.m. The fire, which started at 3:27 p.m. in a mobile home park near Las Virgenes Street and Las Virgenes Canyon Road, was knocked down but had quickly spread to nearby brush, prompting more than 200 campers at......

Reports are coming in about firs in the Los Angeles area. At about 3:30, a fire broke out at mobile home near a state park in Malibu Creek State Park. While the home fire was knocked down, the fire has spread to hillside brush and has at least burned through 10 acres. Park visitors have been evacuated. Update: As of 6:43 p.m., the fire had burned 20 acres and was at 90% containment. "Hopefully within......

A wildfire erupted last night in Goleta, eight miles Northwest of Santa Barbara. It began in the Los Padres National Forest forcing mandatory evacuations of about 40 homes. Yesterday, a small fire was knocked down in the Canyon Country neighborhood of Santa Clarita and nearby in Agua Dulce, a truck caught fire on the Northbound 14 Freeway, but was quickly doused before it could spread to surrounding brush.......

Photo by countess of maybe via LAist Featured Photos on Flickr Records were broken yesterday around California and the hot weather is not looking to take a break this weekend. "The Valley is supposed to be a sweltering miasma of heat this weekend. Temperatures could hit triple digits," the Daily News reports in an interactive weather map for the Valley. But over the hill in the basin, temperatures are not as bad due to......

Yesterday, a Los Angeles City fire helicopter makes a water drop on a brush fire near the Griffith Observatory with the Planetarium and the telescope domes seen in the background. (AP Photo/Kevork Djanse) Yesterday's fire was knocked down quickly, but it started to bring back memories of last year, almost to date. The big 2007 wildfire charred 800 acres, but when yesterday's fire began, the Los Angeles Fire Department went aggressively after it, sending......

Photo from the Getty by Rick O! via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr Students, faculty, staff, and parents associated with Lincoln Elementary school in Santa Monica are trying to come to grips today with the weekend arrest of Thomas Beltran, who taught ESL at the school. Beltran, 60, has been charged with molesting four young girls who were his students. An auto fire turned into a brush fire late this afternoon near......

Good thing the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) put out a Red Flat Alert (move your car if you live in the hills or you could be towed) last night for today -- a major brush fire began this morning around 5:50 a.m. near Tampa Ave and Sesnon Bl (yo, Valley, people, this is Porter Ranch) in Los Angeles County territory according to alerts from the LAFD. In the name of mutual aid, the......

125 firefighters and five water-dropping helicopters are attacking a fire that is being fanned by 10 MPH winds. Captain Antoine McKnight was on KCAL news a few minutes ago saying that approximately 30 acres have burned. The Griffith Park Zoo, the golf course, the observatory, the boys camp, the merry-go-round, the magnet school, the Gene Autry museum have all been evacuated. Later when pushed by KCAL anchors, he pushed the estimate of damage to......

We caught sight of this unfortunate scene at the corner of Lankershim Boulevard and Bloomfield in North Hollywood just a few minutes ago. In typical "breaking news" fashion, several news vans were already there, prepping their reports. We just had our lousy camera phone. Obvious news of the day: It's freakin' windy out! While we do feel badly for the person whose car got a little too close and personal with that fallen tree,......