1 of 2 | The fire near Los Angeles that injured at least two firefighters, burned 500 acres and destroyed two buildings is now 80 percent contained, said officials with the Los Angeles Fire Department on Sunday. Photo by City of Calabasas/Twitter
LOS ANGELES, June 6 (UPI) -- The wild fire that injured three firefighters and and damaged two homes north of Los Angeles is now about 80 percent contained, officials said Sunday.
Two firefighters received minor injuries and a third firefighter suffering what was only described as a cardiac incident in a 500-acre blaze that is still burning in the hills of Calabasas, an upscale community about 20 minutes north west of Los Angeles. A private home and a commercial building have also been destroyed.
With more than 400 firefighters battling to put out hotspots in the patchwork-like blaze, what is being dubbed the Old Fire is now 80 percent contained, said Inspector Randall Wright of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Originally, 5,000 residents and businesses in the Calabasas area were forced to evacuate on Saturday, but evacuations and road closures were mostly lifted by Sunday evening. Two homes received minor damage.
It's a relatively affluent area that is home to a few celebrities, including the Kardashians, Jessica Simpson and Toni Braxton, CNN reported.
"Humidity is around 15 percent and we have about five miles an hour of wind, so the weather's cooperating a bit," Wright said.
Fire officials praised the community for aggressive brush clearance for preventing further damage in an area that has not burned in more than 70 years. Several years of drought have left the thick, mature brush very ready to burn.
Power was knocked out to 681 homes Saturday evening but was restored to all but two by Sunday, said Southern California Edison spokesman Robert Villegas.
L.A. Fire Capt. Keith Mora said the initial call was for a car crash into a power pole with power lines down. Firefighters in the field also reported seeing power lines down.
Officials said the blaze was actually three fires beginning Saturday afternoon, that merged into one large fire.
Deputies with the sheriff's department said a black truck struck a pole in the 2300 block of Mulholland Highway. Witnesses told investigators the truck was speeding before it hit the power pole, knocking it over and causing a transformer to explode, which sparked the fire, ABC7 reported.
Deputies helped fight the fire, the department reported on Twitter.
Some buildings are at risk and fire officials said nearby Camp Wildcraft, a new campground set to open for the first time on June 13, appears to be a complete loss.
Camp Wildcraft spokeswoman Shari Davis confirmed that the camp was destroyed. More than 50 children were due to visit the camp next week
"I am kind of in despair at the moment," Davis said. "This was the first camp we were starting and everything was going so well with so much excitement and enthusiasm," she said. "We need to figure out a way to move ahead."
The city of Calabasas ordered horses and large animals to be evacuated to Pierce College, while small animals, like dogs and cats, were to be evacuated to the Agoura Animal Shelter.
Ash from the fire was reported in North Hollywood and Burbank, and even as far as Arcadia.
