LOCAL : Efforts Focused on Castaic Fire

Lightning strikes late Monday started 11 fires in the Angeles National Forest, but this morning authorities were concentrating their firefighting efforts on a 60-acre blaze in a remote area north of Castaic.

None of the fires endangered structures and all but the blaze in Fish Canyon, about eight miles north of Castaic, were considered minor, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Earl Clayton.

Clayton said the fire started about 11 p.m. Monday and was moving slowly to the west. Because the fire was centered in a rugged area without road access, firefighters had not been able to contain any of it by this morning.

Clayton said firefighters have had to walk two miles into the canyon to attack the fire. Water-carrying helicopters are also being used to fight the blaze.

While no structures are endangered, Clayton said there are numerous inactive archeological sites in the area where Indian artifacts have been collected for several years. As of this morning, none of the sites were in danger from the fire, Clayton said.