Newhall Fire Contained; No Injuries

A fire that blackened 700 acres and threatened dozens of homes was fully contained Tuesday and expected to be extinguished by this afternoon, a Los Angeles County fire inspector said.

No one was injured and no homes or businesses were evacuated due to the fire, which began just before 4 p.m. Monday near the 22000 block of Sierra Highway.

Weary firefighters doused remaining embers in the fire-ravaged canyon east of Wildwood Canyon Road on Tuesday. About 425 firefighters were still battling the blaze--dubbed the Sierra fire--but some were expected to be released Tuesday night, said County Fire Inspector John Holt.

Los Angeles County fire officials said the cause of the fire was under investigation. Sheriff’s Sgt. Rick Doan of the Santa Clarita station, however, said Monday that the blaze was started by sparks from a welder.

On Monday, winds traveling 10 to 15 mph quickly pushed the fire out of control. But by nightfall, the winds had died down.

If the winds had shifted, the fire could have threatened numerous homes in the exclusive Wildwood Canyon area, officials said.

“The winds played into our advantage,” said Holt, adding that an increase in humidity also helped slow the spread of the blaze.

Fire officials opened an evacuation center at Placerita Junior High School on Monday night but no residents chose to stay there, Holt said.

“Everybody felt safe in their own homes,” he said.

About midnight Monday, officials started reopening several roads that had been shut down during the fire.

Staff and volunteers at William S. Hart Park had burning eyes and sore throats Tuesday morning after watching the fire until 11 p.m. Monday. They were ready to evacuate the park’s animal population, including chickens, sheep, pigs, cows and even bison, but the fire never reached them, said Margo White, the park’s animal keeper.