Sparks From Bare Tire Rim Ignite Fires

The steel wheel of a moving car with a flat tire struck sparks from freeway pavement and flung off chunks of hot rubber Tuesday, setting off brush fires that scorched nearly five acres before 200 firefighters helped bring the flames under control.

No injuries or property damage were reported as firefighters battled at least five spot fires that broke out along California 118 between Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Rocky Peak Road about 1:30 p.m., a city of Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman said.

Fire crews aided by two water-dropping helicopters took just over an hour to extinguish the blazes, which occurred just west of where a wind-driven brush fire Sunday charred more than 400 acres in the rugged hills above Porter Ranch.

Three of the fires were reported within Los Angeles city limits, and two others broke out just over the Ventura County line.

“This fire had all the elements of a disaster, except for the wind,” said city Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey. “But a quick effort by firefighters from the city of Los Angeles and Los Angeles and Ventura counties prevented the fire from burning southward into the fuel-rich hills.”

After initial reports that the fire might have been intentionally set, investigators determined it was ignited by a vehicle driving with a flat tire, officials said.

“Bits of burning rubber [from the flat tire] were flung into the brush and started spot fires,” Humphrey said. “Eventually the metal wheel rim came in contact with the pavement, sending up a shower of sparks.”

Shortly after the flare-ups, the California Highway Patrol closed all but two eastbound lanes on California 118 because of reduced visibility from smoke, Humphrey said. Traffic lanes remained closed for almost an hour as fire crews worked to extinguish the flames along the right shoulder of the freeway.

Tuesday’s spot fires broke out in the same area where a 1993 blaze severely burned four city of Los Angeles firefighters when 40 mph winds changed direction and engulfed their truck in flames.

“The Santa Susana Pass is rugged and rocky,” Humphrey said of the dangers firefighters encounter when battling blazes in the northwest San Fernando Valley. “The seasonal winds that move through it are often unpredictable and present a significant challenge.”