3,700-Acre Elizabeth Lake Blaze Nearly Under Control
Firefighters declared Thursday that they have gained the upper hand on a 3,700-acre fire that burned a house and two barns near the remote Los Angeles County community of Elizabeth Lake.
Full control was expected by this morning. Elizabeth Lake is a community of 2,500 in the foothills west of Antelope Valley.
Los Angeles County firefighters said the fire is “95% under control.” They said five vehicles and electric power poles and lines were also destroyed. Southern California Edison Co. officials said power was restored by 10:30 a.m. Thursday to about 700 customers who had been without power overnight.
“Everybody’s feeling real good about the way things are going,” County Fire Department spokesman Corey Lovers said.
Charred ground surrounded some homes Thursday, showing how close the fire came to causing much greater property loss. Several people praised the efforts of firefighters, saying they had fled their homes expecting to return to smoldering rubble.
“The closest burn is 10 feet from the house,” said Don Simpson, a 23-year resident. “Everything around the house is black.”
About half a mile away, Velma Majors and her family sifted through what was left of the rented home they moved to four years ago to “get away from the hustle-bustle” of Redondo Beach.
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