Gusting Winds Fuel Blaze in Santa Clarita : Emergencies: A downed power line starts a fire that races up a barren hillside, threatening homes and two chemical plants.

SANTA CLARITA —  Power lines knocked down by strong Santa Ana winds sparked a blaze that scorched 150 acres on a barren hillside Sunday afternoon, briefly threatening homes and two chemical plants before firefighters controlled the blaze, authorities said.

Winds gusted up to 30 miles per hour in the San Fernando Valley throughout the day Sunday, and swept across the brush fire in the Santa Clarita Valley at 50 m.p.h. Wind advisories remained in effect for the Newhall area and Antelope and San Fernando valleys Sunday night.

The wind-whipped fire was reported shortly after 1 p.m., as it raced up a hillside in the 25800 block of San Fernando Road near Magic Mountain Parkway, said Capt. Mike Klose of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

More than 200 firefighters fought a stiff westerly wind and battled the blaze for about one hour to keep it contained on the east side of Bouquet Canyon Road.

“It was burning fast but with not as much fuel” as the fires that have ravaged several Southland communities in recent weeks, said Inspector Brian Jordan, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, surveying the scorched hillside.

There were no injuries or property loss, Jordan said.

Despite the fire’s speed--it covered 150 acres in less than an hour--firefighters said that because they had easy access to the hillside there was little chance that the blaze would burn out of control like the Calabasas/Malibu fire of two weeks ago.

Using three helicopters and 12 fire engines, firefighters brought the blaze under control in about an hour, and put it out completely by 5 p.m.

Still, it put a scare into nearby residents, many of whom worried that the blaze, pushed by gusting winds, would cross the road and ignite homes and two chemical plants. Flames came within about 50 yards of Keysor Century Corp., which produces vinyl chloride, and Hasa Inc., which makes chlorides and other chemicals used in the maintenance of swimming pools, said Jordan.

“The Fire Department did their job,” said Marty Harthcock, an employee at a nearby pool supply store. “The only fear I had was that the two chemical plants would catch fire. We would have gone up like a rocket.”

The powerful winds also created problems for water-dropping helicopters that strained to jockey into position above the fire.

“They were getting tossed around like crazy,” Jordan said.

In the San Fernando Valley, wind gusts of up to 30 m.p.h. knocked down power from Van Nuys to Woodland Hills, said Marion Garrett, a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power customer service representative.

Switchboard operators received hundreds of calls reporting temporary power outages, he said.

“The wind has been blowing down lines and trees that have brought down lines,” Garrett said. “It’s been like that all day,” he said.

The Los Angeles City Fire Department took reports of downed power lines in Canoga Park and Sylmar, said Jim Wells, a department spokesman.

About two inches of snow fell early Sunday morning in outlying parts of Los Angeles County east of Palmdale and in Gorman along the Grapevine section of the Golden State Freeway. But it melted with the morning sun.