Colby fire: Calmer winds expected Friday as crews make progress

1/21

A firefighter starts a backfire along San Gabriel Canyon Road in Azusa as the Colby fire burns through brush in January. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

2/21

A firefighter starts a backfire with a flare gun along San Gabriel Canyon Road in Azusa as the Colby fire burns through brush in January. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

3/21

Firefighters hose down smoldering embers near a home on Pennsylvania Drive as fires continue to burn in Glendora. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

4/21

Firefighters try to protect the main house as a fire burns a section of Singer Mansion on Kregmont Drive in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

5/21

The Colby fire that broke out in Glendora, on the edge of the Angeles National Forest, exploded in size as dry brush, steep terrain and winds made for rough firefighting conditions. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

6/21

Rita Abouchedid covers her face from heavy smoke as fire approaches her home on Kregmont Drive in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

7/21

Spectators watch as the Colby fire continues to burn on the edge of the Angeles National Forest in January. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

8/21

Fire burns a section of Singer Mansion in Glendora as the Colby fire exploded in size Jan. 16. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

9/21

Barbara Moser, right, hugs Rita Abouchedid, whose home was threatened by the fast-moving Colby fire in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

10/21

A statue of Jesus stands in the front yard as the Colby fire claims part of the Singer Mansion in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

11/21

Firefighters work to protect the main house as a fire burns a section of Singer Mansion in Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

12/21

A large fire plume rises above the downtown skyline from the fast-growing Colby fire from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

13/21

A woman looks at a brush fire that was reported at about 6 a.m. north of Glendora, a foothill community about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times )

14/21

Glendora resident Cathy Doherty waits to be evacuated in the 500 block of Viewcrest Drive in Glendora as the Colby fire continues to burn. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

15/21

A brush fire broke out in January in the Angeles National Forest near Glendora. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

16/21

A helicopter flies near the Colby fire burning in the Angeles National Forest. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

17/21

The Colby fire was reported at about 6 a.m. north of Glendora, a foothill community about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

18/21

A water-dropping helicopter flies over the Colby fire burning in the Angeles National Forest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

19/21

Smoke from the Colby fire in Glendora casts an eerie red glow in front of the rising sun in San Gabriel. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

20/21

A police cruiser drives down Viewcrest Drive in Glendora urging residents to evacuate as the Colby fire burns in the Angeles National Forest. (Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

21/21

A large plume from the fast-growing Colby fire can be seen from as far away as Beverly Hills. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

By Ari Bloomekatz

Jan. 17, 2014 5:59 AM PT

Firefighters battling the Colby fire in the hills above Glendora and Azusa should benefit from calmer winds Friday as they work to increase containment around the blaze that so far has destroyed five homes and several other structures.

The fire, which officials said was sparked by an illegal campfire, was 30% contained as of Thursday night after having scorched 1,709 acres. More than 700 firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the U.S. Forest Service and other agencies were battling the blaze.

The fire, which broke out along Glendora Mountain Road by the Colby truck trail, was initially fueled by strong Santa Ana winds that helped push it toward neighborhoods, forcing evacuations.

PHOTOS: Colby fire rages near Glendora

But as the winds died down Thursday evening, firefighters announced that “the forward spread of the fire has stopped.” Thousands of people who were within the evacuation area were allowed to return home by nightfall.

Meteorologist Curt Kaplan of the National Weather Service in Oxnard said Friday that the winds “will pick up a little bit this morning, but not nearly as much as they have.”

“In the San Gabriel Valley, unless you’re in the higher peaks, it wasn’t too bad,” he said. “By the afternoon, it will settle down.”

Still, the high temperature in the fire area may go above 80 degrees on Friday, and humidity will likely be between 6% and 10%, he added.

County fire officials said command staff overseeing the fight against fire were scheduled to hold a briefing Friday morning to assess the damage and provide new containment numbers.

On Thursday, three men were arrested in connection with starting the fire. The men, all in their early 20s, were in the area where the Colby trail meets Glendora Mountain Road when they started a campfire, Glendora Police Chief Tim Staab said.

He said the area was not a designated camping spot and that the men tossed paper onto the fire and a gust of wind “just blew embers all over the place.”

Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook

ari.bloomekatz@latimes.com

Colby fire: Calmer winds expected Friday as crews make progress

More to Read

More From the Los Angeles Times