Wind-Whipped Fire Destroys 3 Residences in Palmdale Area

At least three homes were destroyed, two others were damaged and several farm animals were killed Thursday when a fast-moving fire swept through 600 acres of brushland in the Leona Valley community 10 miles west of Palmdale.

Winds gusting to 20 m.p.h. pushed the flames through the inhabited area and then moved the blaze northeast through the Antelope Valley toward Lancaster.

No injuries to firefighters or residents were reported, but several Leona Valley families were advised to evacuate their homes when shifting winds pushed the flames toward the inhabited area and smoke blanked the vicinity.

Evacuees were sent to a church in the vicinity, and a Red Cross spokesman said an evacuation center would be opened if necessary at the Lake Elizabeth School.

Los Angeles County Fire Department spokeswoman Debbie Shackleford said the fire evidently began about 1:45 p.m. near the corner of 107th Street West and Leona Avenue.

Four ranch outbuildings were destroyed and several animals killed during the fire’s first hour, she said, but within an hour 30 engine companies, 10 hand crews, 3 airplanes, 4 helicopters and 2 bulldozers were on the fire lines.

Most of the destroyed and damaged homes were believed to be in the 9600 block of Elizabeth Road, but firefighters said dense smoke prevented accurate assessment of the extent of damage to the various structures.

By 5 p.m., the flames were reported moving toward the California Aqueduct, where firefighters said they hoped to make a stand, preventing the fire from further movement toward Quartz Hill or the southern outskirts of Lancaster, but gusting winds prevented any estimate for containment or control.