Results tagged “fire”

After firefighters doused a boat burning two miles off the coast of Venice Beach, officials are scratching their heads, trying to figure out where the people aboard are. First reported around 4:45 p.m. yesterday, the 20-foot powerboat was seen aflame, sending a column of smoke into the air. A witness report suggests that two people were on the boat and a search is in progress for them. The boat, named "The Casey Lynn," is registered to a 30-year-old Woodland Hills man out of Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard. According to KTLA, he was going through marital problems.

A fire that broke out shortly before 11:30 a.m. has burned about 10 acres off Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano area. It's expected to grow, say fire officials, because of various downed power lines due to the tractor crash and the fires direction, which is uphill. No structures appear to be threatened, reports the OC Register.

A small fire that erupted near the Skirball Center was knockedown by Los Angeles Firefigthers this morning. The one-half acre fire was located near the northbound 405 Freeway exit at Skirball Center Drive. 50 firefighters in the air and ground responded to the fire, first reported after 10 a.m.

The Sayre Fire broke out late in the night on November 14th, 2008, and burned for several days in the Northeast San Fernando Valley and into Santa Clarita, ravaging across thousands of acres and destroying nearly 500 homes in the Oakridge Mobile Home Park in Sylmar alone. This community became emblematic of the Sayre Fire; officials like Mayor Villaraigosa and Governor Schwarzenegger addressed the scared residents while speaking to the media, authorities worked diligently to account for all the residents, and many wondered if poor water pressure could have contributed to the high number of homes lost.

The National Weather Service this afternoon issued a fire weather watch for portions of Los Angeles and Ventura counties between Sunday morning and Monday evening. That's because of the potential of high winds and very low humidities, they say.

One year ago this Thursday, the Freeway Complex fire broke out. The 30,305-acre fire destroyed 314 homes. Two years ago this past Sunday, the Santiago Fire ignited, eventually burning through 28,517 acres and destroying 14 homes.

Although the massively large Station Fire was fully contained last month, it still burns in the Angeles National Forest. That may be confusing, but we'll back up to the common definitions of containment and control, as given by officials in most fire updates to the public:

It appears that this afternoon's fast-moving fire in Diamond Bar was not caused intentionally, but by a pickup truck that had a small fire its bed. One story is that an burning debris was flying out of the bed of the truck, unbeknownst to the driver and passenger. Another is that a faulty cadyilac converter was sending sparks out from under the truck, according to KCAL-TV. Nevertheless, the truck and people inside have been detained by LA County Sheriff's Deputies.

A large fire this afternoon is burning right next to homes in Diamond Bar, about one-half mile from the 60 freeway, reports KABC-TV. It began around 11:45 a.m. Because there are several different start points, the word "arson" is being thrown around a lot, but not by officials. There are no evacuations at this point and no reports of damage or injuries. Update: The cause of the fires might be from a pickup truck. More info here.

The Los Angeles Fire Department is reporting a 1-acre fire near the neighborhood of Tujunga in the Northeast Valley. First reported at 5:09 p.m. from the 6300 block of Day Street, the fire is burning in steep rugged terrain. Over the phone, LAFD Spokesman Brian Humphrey says the nearest home to flames is about one mile away, therefore no evacuations have been ordered.

Big, but not surprising news snuck out yesterday about the 250-square mile Station Fire. After a cold front and a few days of rain, containment finally reached 100 percent last Friday evening.

The man who is suspected of starting a small fire in the Angeles National Forest just six days before the 250-square mile Station Fire was arrested last week in Lancaster, according to the LA Times. 25-year-old Babatunsin Olukunle, a Nigerian national, was caught on August 20th tending a fire near Mile Mark 36. Six days later near Mile Mark 29, the Station Fire began. Officials determined the large blaze to be caused by arson, prompting a homicide investigation after two firefighters lost their lives. Olukunle was only wanted for questioning and has not been formally named a suspect yet. Earlier this Month: Transient Sought For Questioning in Earlier Fire 'Person of Interest' in Station Fire

A midnight fire on the west side of Los Angeles International Airport is causing some delays this morning. Terminal 6 is experiencing minor delays and officials are asking travelers to give themselves enough time as light signals around the airport have been affected. Other than that, the outage is mostly affecting administrative (non-essential personnel) and tenant buildings. There is no estimate of when the power will be restored.

To date the Sheep Fire has scorched 7,128 acres in San Bernadino County. Located near Lytle Creek and Wrightwood, the blaze broke out mid-afternoon last Saturday, and has eased towards containment through the week.

Officials continue to gain control of the Sheep Fire, burning near Wrightwood. The 7,128-acre blaze is currently 90 percent contained with full containment expected tomorrow by 6 p.m. On Wednesday, fire personnel began implementing rehab initiatives for short- and long-term repair of the forest and infrastructure. The fire began last Saturday afternoon and has damaged or destroyed a handful of homes, also leaving eight firefighters injured. At one point, the fire prompted 6,000 to 8,000 people to evacuate.

Los Angeles just got a new fire chief and Long Beach is about to lose theirs. Fire Chief David Ellis announced yesterday, after five years at the top post, his intent to retire by the end of the year. Ellis began his career in Glendale in 1980, but two years later found himself working for Long Beach, where he was raised and schooled as a kid and college student. The Department has about 550 employees and a $90 million budget, a small portion of which that is spent on a blog, likely inspired by LAFD's).

A fire last night in a Riverside home proved to be a unique challenge for firefighters because the house was "packed to the ceiling with items," according to cbs2. The fire was sparked by "an electrical problem" and was troubling for the responding crew since "the kitchen and back porch area [...] were stuffed with clutter and there was no way to get inside" and, further, "there was concern that embers had ignited hidden fires in other rooms."

Considering yesterday's amazing progress on the Sheep Fire (a 32 to 75 percent containment jump), it's no surprise that firefighters made no progress over night on the blaze, which still stands at 7,128 acres in size.

Officials announced this evening that the Sheep Fire has been 75 percent contained, a major improvement from this morning when it was only listed at 32 percent containment. The size of the blaze is still listed at 7,128 acres.

The Forest Service lifted mandatory evacuations for the Wrightwood area at noon today. The Sheep Fire prompted around 6,000 to 8,000 people to evacuate the area near the San Bernardino National Forest on the San Gabriel Mountains.

Forest Service officials today lowered the estimated size of the Sheep Fire by about 700 acres to 7,128 acres. Spokesperson Norma Bailey said new GPS technology being deployed has been helping the estimates to be more accurate.

A woman's charred body was found shortly after midnight after firefighters doused a dumpster fire in Santa Fe Springs near the 5 freeway. Her hands and feet appeared to be bound by some kind of electrical cord, reports the LA Times.

Forest Service officials announced tonight that containment of the Sheep Fire reached 30 percent as scorched acreage grew slightly to 7,824 acres.

As the Sheep Fire in San Bernardino County rages on, officials this afternoon announced that more homes have been lost or damaged, increasing the total to seven residential structures in the Wrightwood area. Mandatory evacuations for some 6,000 to 8,000 people are expected to be lifted by the end of the day.

The Sheep Fire began Saturday and quickly rolled through the western portion of the San Bernardino National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains, prompting thousands to evacuate as it headed towards Wrightwood. Now 20 percent contained and 7,500 acres in size, firefighters say today's weather should be helpful.

The Sheep Fire broke out around 2:30 yesterday afternoon in the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Bernardino National Forest and continues to burn between Lytle Creek and Lone Pine Canyons. The blaze has now grown to 3,500 acres and is reported as being 10% contained, with about 1,000 personnel working to control the fire, according to InciWeb.

See some smoke in the hills? A fire 40-foot by 40-foot grass fire was knocked down by Los Angeles Fire Fighters in 18 minutes this afternoon. The fire, first reported at 1:59 p.m., was located at 9785 Trudy Drive, south of Mulholland Drive between Beverly Glen and Coldwater Canyon.

A fire that broke out near Vandenburg Air Force Base has burned through some 300 acres and was 50 percent contained this evening, according to the Associated Press. The Lompoc-area base, about 60 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, employs up to 10,000 people on any given day. 25 buildings with non-essential personnel were sent home early.

It took firefighters 59 minutes to knock down a small 5-acre fire in Griffith Park this afternoon. First reported near the golf course at 3:24 p.m. by park rangers, the blaze hardly had a chance to consume dry fuels. "There was not wind, so it really didn't do much," said Greg Acevedo, LAFD spokesman. No injuries or damage to structures were reported and a cause is still pending an investigation.

Yesterday it was a fire weather watch, but today the National Weather Service upgraded those warnings into Red Flags. Temperatures will not be as warm as last week, but high winds and low humidity are concerning officials over potential for wildfires.