SOUTH COAST : Hiker Apparently Started Brush Fire
A brush fire, which authorities believe was started by a hiker in trouble, charred five acres of canyon near Pacific Coast Highway on Saturday before firefighters brought it under control.
When the unidentified hiker became ill, apparently because of diabetes, his hiking partner ran to a fire station on Pacific Coast Highway near the Los Angeles-Ventura County line, Ventura County fire officials said.
The Fire Department sent up a helicopter, which spotted a small brush fire apparently set by the hiker to signal rescue crews, a Ventura County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said.
By the time the man was found, the fire was burning out of control. Several units from Ventura and Los Angeles Counties, including two helicopters, were called.
“The fire just got away from him,” the sheriff’s spokesman said. It took firefighters about five hours to bring the fire under control. Authorities said that no one was injured in the blaze, and the hiker was in good condition Saturday evening.
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