LOCAL : Santa Clarita Valley Fire Contained

A fire that consumed 1,200 acres of brush and came within yards of several homes in the Santa Clarita Valley was contained early this morning, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The fire, which burned areas of Sand and Placerita canyons south of the Antelope Valley Freeway, was knocked down at 3 a.m., fire dispatcher John Salisbury said.

The cause of the fire, which burned to the property lines of some luxury homes in Sand Canyon, was still under investigation. No homes were lost.

Salisbury said three units of firefighters will patrol the burn area throughout the day to extinguish hots spots and flare-ups. One small flare-up was reported at 10 a.m. in a brush area west of the burn area, but firefighters on ground and in a helicopter moved in quickly and contained it after less than an acre burned, he said.