1,500 L.A. homes threatened

Three wildfires broke out in northern Los Angeles County on Thursday, the worst of which was threatening at least 1,500 homes in Leona Valley, near Palmdale.

Some structures have been lost to the so-called Crown fire, officials said, but they will not be able to determine whether those were homes or outbuildings on the many ranches in the area until sometime Friday.

Capt. Sam Padilla, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said the Crown fire has burned nearly 6,000 acres and there was zero containment. In addition to Leona Valley, evacuation orders were issued for the nearby community of Ana Verde and the fire was moving east toward Quartz Hill, leaving the possibility of more evacuations overnight.

Although flames were burning below electrical transmission towers in the area, Padilla said there have been no interruptions of power to surrounding communities. At least one communications tower was on fire.

The burning structures were on the northern side of Leona Valley, an agricultural area west of Palmdale known for cherries and wine grapes.

About 500 firefighters are on the scene.

A second blaze, the Briggs fire, burned more than 350 acres south of the 14 Freeway at Indian Canyon Truck Trail and Briggs Road. By late Thursday, firefighters said they had the blaze under control..

The third fire, off Lancaster Road near Gorman, burned about 30 acres before it was put out.

Inspector Matt Levesque of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said no injuries or fatalities have been reported in any of the fires.

In neighboring Kern County, firefighters were banking on cooler weather to help them get the upper hand on two separate blazes that have ravaged more than 17,000 acres and burned nearly three dozen structures.

The fires near Palmdale began on the same day that Los Angeles officials took a helicopter tour of some the region’s most fire-prone areas, with the aim of avoiding a repeat of last year’s disastrous Station fire.

The aerial tour included La Cañada Flintridge, one of the hardest-hit areas in last summer’s wildfires, as well as Griffith Park, Topanga Canyon, the Santa Monica Mountains and other areas. The officials urged residents to take every precaution to protect their homes with brush clearing and other measures.

“What you get from a tour like this is concrete evidence that we have to be very vigilant,� said Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who was accompanied by Los Angeles Fire Chief Millage Peaks, several other officials and reporters on the morning flyover. “It really gives you a clearer understanding of where we really need to allocate our assets.�

Officials said northwest Los Angeles County remains their chief concern.

“The biggest threat looms in the Santa Monica Mountains,� said LAFD Asst. Fire Chief Tony Varela, who provided Villaraigosa and Peaks with a running commentary on burn zones and potential fire hotspots during the helicopter ride.

Over La Cañada Flintridge, the assistant fire chief also pointed out the acres of charred hills scorched by last year’s Station fire.

The blaze was the largest in county history, blackening 250 square miles and destroying about 90 dwellings. Two county firefighters were killed while defending their mountaintop camp.

Villaraigosa said one of his main concerns is that the ornamental shrubs that many residents use to decorate their property can be a liability. Varela concurred that such bushes and trees are often not fire resistant.

At a news conference after the tour, Peaks reminded residents that the combination of hot weather and dry and dense brush “make wildfires particularly fierce.�

He urged residents to take proactive measures, such as creating a defensible space around their homes by clearing brush, ensuring that their street address is clearly visible and heeding red-flag warnings issued when conditions are ideal for fires to ignite and spread.

Wildfires are inevitable, but the risks and effects could be significantly diminished if people took the necessary precautions, Peaks said. He encouraged residents to pick up a copy of “Ready, Set, Go,� a wildfire action plan which is also available on DVD and online at https://www.mysafela.org.

[email protected]

[email protected]