Brush Fire Blackens 40 Hillside Acres in Tujunga

A fast-moving fire blackened 40 acres of brush on a remote Tujunga hillside Friday, sending up clouds of heavy black smoke that closed a portion of the Foothill Freeway.

The fire erupted as hot, summer weather finally came to the San Fernando Valley this week after months of unseasonably cool temperatures, hitting a high of 104 degrees in the Tujunga area Friday afternoon.

The three-hour fire, of unknown origin, began shortly before 1 p.m. at La Tuna Canyon Road and the Foothill Freeway, said Jim Wells, spokesman for the Los Angeles City Fire Department.

More than 160 city firefighters battled the blaze, aided by 150 county fire personnel, Wells said.

Because firefighters were unable to reach the rough terrain of the hillside, six water-dropping helicopters were used, Wells said.

Five Los Angeles city firefighters who received eye injuries from smoke and debris were treated at the scene and released, Wells said. One county fire crew member was taken to Verdugo Hospital with a broken ankle.

No structures were damaged.

The California Highway Patrol issued a SigAlert at 1:26 p.m., closing all lanes of the eastbound Foothill Freeway at La Tuna Canyon Road because of poor visibility.

The brush fire was one of the few in the San Fernando Valley this summer.

“We have not had a rash of major fires to this point,” Wells said. “But that could very easily change tomorrow. . . . The cooler weather has been a contributing factor.”

The cause of the fire was under investigation, Wells said.