Uncontrolled Los Padres Fire Chars 10,000 Acres

Firefighters on Monday battled a stubborn wildfire that charred more than 10,000 acres of Los Padres National Forest and could triple in size before it is contained, authorities said.

Temperatures well into the 90s and rugged terrain hampered the efforts of 1,500 firefighters to stop the blaze, which hopped from ridge to ridge in the Figueroa Mountain area, said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Earl Clayton.

Firefighters on Monday pulled back from the flames in some areas and worked on a perimeter that would contain the blaze at 20,000 acres, Clayton said.

“If that doesn’t work, then we’ll try to get it at 25,000 acres, then 30,000,” he said. “We’re not optimistic we can do it before then.” There was no containment estimate, he said.

About two dozen homes were threatened, and authorities urged residents to leave the area, Clayton said. Officials also were investigating reports that a handful of hikers and hunters may be in the area of the fire, he said.

In Riverside County, firefighters Monday contained a 230-acre brush blaze about seven miles southeast of Hemet. No structures were damaged. The cause of the fire, which began Sunday, was under investigation.

Los Angeles County firefighters worked quickly to surround a 10-acre brush fire in Malibu that threatened no structures, said county fire spokesman Angel Montoya.