2 homes destroyed, another damaged in Palos fire in La Habra Heights
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A brush fire that broke out Monday afternoon in the hills around La Habra Heights affected multiple homes, with two destroyed and another damaged, according to authorities.
Evacuation warnings, affecting hundreds, were issued amid the blaze, dubbed the Palos fire. By 5:45 p.m., those warnings had been lifted, about an hour after crews stopped forward progress on the fire
By 6 p.m., the fire had burned about 17 acres and was 41% contained, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.
Two people were transported to a hospital for minor medical reasons — one firefighter and one civilian — according to Fire Capt. Aaron Katon. Both are expected to make a full recovery, he said.
An advisory remains in place for an area roughly bounded by Las Palomas Drive on the west and West Skyline Drive on the east. Residents are encouraged to keep windows and doors closed because of smoke.
One horse was rescued, the department said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The fire began just after 2:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of Las Palomas Drive in Whittier, according to the department. Evacuation warnings were issued in the area as the Palos fire grew to encompass nearly 20 acres by about 4:15 p.m., according to Fire Department spokesperson Keith Navarre. La Habra Heights Mayor Brian Bergman told The Times that hundreds of people live in the area covered by the warnings.
The fire destroyed two homes, and a third home was damaged but “deemed livable,” said Lt. Larry Villareal of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Industry station.
Deputies attempted to evacuate people in 20 to 30 homes as they responded to the fire earlier in the afternoon, offering shelter at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights, Villareal said. Most residents declined, he said, but several individuals went to the shelter.
Navarre said the Fire Department had allocated 76 units and 250 personnel to the blaze. The fight included helitankers.
The fire broke out in a canyon and moved up the hillsides, Navarre said. Some firefighters hiked down into the canyon to contain the flames, while others focused on defending the homes along an adjacent ridgeline, he said.
La Habra Heights’ narrow roads, he said, made firefighting access difficult.
“Our whole city is small, little, narrow windy roads on hillsides,” Bergman said.
The mayor said the city had opened a shelter for those affected by evacuation warnings at the gymnasium at the park at 1185 Hacienda Road.
Fire officials closed off a section of Hacienda Road to combat the fire, which Bergman said began in the canyon below Casalero Drive.
The road closure blocked off City Hall, Bergman said, so the City Council meeting scheduled for Monday evening was postponed.
The La Habra Heights Fire Department, which according to its website has staffing for one fire engine, could not immediately be reached for comment. The Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to the fire through a mutual aid agreement.
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