Bouquet Canyon Fire Out

A fire that burned through 610 acres of brush in Angeles National Forest, forcing the evacuation of nearly 200 people, was declared out Monday morning.

U.S. Forest Service officials said the fire, which they suspect was deliberately set, centered on mostly steep terrain in the Bouquet Canyon area northeast of Santa Clarita. It was contained at 6 p.m. Sunday and controlled by 6 a.m. Monday.

“All the hot spots are out and we have been through it a number of times,” Forest Service spokesman Robert Brady said. “It is difficult to scare up a hot ember or any smoke. The fire is out and pretty cold.”

Fighting the fire cost an estimated $500,000, Brady said.

While fire crews withdrew and began environmental rehabilitation work in the burn area--hauling out cut brush and repairing damage done by tractors--Bouquet Canyon Road remained closed to non-residents throughout the day. Commuters who normally use the road to avoid rush-hour traffic backups on the Antelope Valley Freeway had to seek alternate routes. The roadway was expected to be open by this morning.

The cause of the fire, which started at 2:30 p.m. Saturday and caused the temporary evacuation of about 200 people from homes and camps near the fire line, was listed as suspicious, Forest Service spokeswoman Alice Allen said. The fire started at two spots about half a mile apart along Bouquet Canyon Road at nearly the same time, officials said.

“Arson is strongly suspected,” Allen said. “There were two ignition points. That does not sound very natural.”

Arson investigators have interviewed a number of people who were near the area at the time the fire started but none of the information has led to the identification of a suspect. Investigators have also traced several license plates of cars seen in the area and viewed photographs taken by a passer-by shortly after the fire started.

The fire occurred about eight to 10 miles west of an area where a weeklong spree of arsons that began at the end of June are being investigated by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies. At least nine of the 11 fires that occurred between June 29 and July 3 appear to be the work of the same arsonist.

Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Watters said Monday that there are similarities between those fires and last weekend’s blaze, but so far investigators on the latest fire have not found any evidence connecting it to the arson spree.

A total of 761 firefighters from several agencies battled the Bouquet Canyon blaze. Eight firefighters suffered minor injuries, ranging from heat exhaustion to a twisted ankle. None were hospitalized.

Staff writer Sebastian Rotella contributed to this story.