Firefighters Mop Up Weekend Brush Fire

Fire crews Monday stamped out the remaining hot spots of a weekend blaze that consumed 470 acres but no buildings.

Blackened hillsides and the smell of burnt brush marked the course of the blaze, which broke out Sunday at about 11 a.m. near Limekiln Canyon Road and Horse Flats fire road in Porter Ranch.

The fire spread west across the hillsides of the Santa Susana Mountains, as winds blew at about 35 mph, with gusts up to about 50 mph, said fire officials.

There were no injuries or evacuations. Crews contained the fire by 5 p.m.

Monday morning, infrared equipment detected a few hot spots in the hillsides. A water-carrying helicopter and ground crews worked to extinguish them and clear away remaining brush. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Glenn Mutch said that by tonight, “We shouldn’t need anybody on this fire at all.”

A bird or other animal may have come into contact with high-voltage wires to start the fire, Mutch said. Officials have ruled out arson.

Residents who feared for their safety on Sunday were relieved Monday at their good fortune.

“Luckily for us, none of the houses burned,” said Elaine Woo, 50, who lives on Eagle Ridge Lane in the Park at Porter Ranch community. “I don’t think there’ll be a brush fire in a while because [the hills] are black, and I don’t think it can burn anymore.”

The flames came within 20 feet of Joy Sweeney’s house on High Glen Way.

Sweeney, who has lived with her husband and four children in the gated Porter Ranch community since 1992, said firefighters lined the side of her home to fight the fire.

“I’m baking cookies for the firefighters, that’s my project for the day,” she said. “‘We’re so grateful, they were so good to us.”

Although residents felt a sense of relief, the still gusting wind left some residents on edge.

According to weather forecasts, windy and dry conditions were expected to ease. Humidity was predicted to rise today, officials said.

Although fire season in Los Angeles County is generally between May and late October, “it’s all up to the weather,” Mutch said. “As long as we have winds blowing, with low humidity, we have a chance of fires.”