Fire forces evacuation of Sierra Madre homes

A wildfire raged out of control Saturday night in the Angeles National Forest north of Sierra Madre, forcing a mandatory evacuation of dozens of homes, authorities said.

The blaze started at 3 p.m. and charred more than 100 acres of remote brush late into the evening and threatened residences in the northern reaches of the San Gabriel Valley community, said Elisa Weaver, a city spokeswoman.

Evacuations were ordered shortly before 11 p.m. for all homes above Carter Avenue between Oak Crest Drive and Mountain Trail Avenue, and homes above Grandview Avenue between Mountain Trail and Santa Anita avenues.

Shelters were established at Sierra Madre Congregational Church, 170 W. Sierra Madre Blvd., and Hart Park House, 222 W. Sierra Madre Blvd.

The fire started in the Chantry Flat area and initially stranded about 100 hikers. The hikers were guided to a closed outfitters’ station and safety by Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies later in the afternoon.

Hours earlier, about 60 Boy Scouts were evacuated from a campground 2 1/2 miles from the fire. They were never in serious danger, Weaver said.

The fire was one of several on a day of record temperatures in Southern California.

Records for the day were set in Burbank, which broke its previous high of 91, set in 2001, by reaching 95 degrees, and Torrance, which hit 90 degrees – three degrees more than its previous high, set in 1987.

Other cities that saw records set included Camarillo, which registered 95, shattering its previous high of 86, set in 2004, and Oxnard, which reached 91, eight degrees hotter than its 1997 record of 83.

“We can expect similar conditions and warmer temperatures by four or five degrees Sunday in the valleys,” said Curt Kaplan, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service. “It’s a preview of summer.”

Kaplan said offshore winds are bringing in warm desert air, which heats up as it flows through mountain passes.

david.pierson@latimes.com