Firefighters Struggle to Control Brush Fires in Three Counties

Firefighters Tuesday continued to battle a rash of brush fires that broke out over the weekend in Ventura, Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

A blaze south of Lake Piru was reported 75% contained late Tuesday. The fire was ignited Saturday in Ventura County by a bolt of lightning, spread to western Los Angeles County a day later and had charred a total of 27,000 acres by late Tuesday. Two Los Angeles County firefighters suffered minor injuries, including heat exhaustion and a broken wrist, fire officials said. No homes have been damaged.

A second brush fire in Ventura County, deliberately set in Simi Valley on Sunday, was reported 80% contained after having destroyed 3,900 acres, officials said.

Firefighters in Riverside County were nearing full containment of two fires that blackened more than 5,000 acres and caused an estimated $313,000 damage to homes, sheds, vehicles and farm equipment, said fire spokeswoman Joanne Evans of the California Department of Forestry. One of the fires erupted Sunday and burned 4,738 acres and destroyed two houses, two mobile homes, 10 outbuildings and farm equipment at Juniper Flats, about 6 miles east of the Riverside County community of Perris, Evans said.

A new fire reported Tuesday afternoon burned about 100 acres in foothills in the San Bernardino National Forest, 4 miles north of Yucaipa, said Frank Kawasaki of the state Department of Forestry.