Fire Burns 800 Acres Near Bell Canyon Homes

The first major brush fire of the season broke out Sunday afternoon on the site of the planned Ahmanson Ranch development along the Ventura-Los Angeles county line, briefly threatening homes in Bell Canyon and possibly damaging a flower once thought to be extinct.

The fire, which sent smoke rising hundreds of feet and drew curious onlookers to where firefighters worked into the night, injured no one and caused no property damage, authorities said.

By late Sunday night, the fire had scorched 800 acres but was more than 85% contained, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Capt. Brian Jordan. The blaze was expected to be fully contained by this morning, he said.

Residents said 20-foot flames moved close to homes along Bell Canyon Road at one point, but efforts to protect the houses along the private street were successful.

“It got a little too close for comfort,” said Priscilla Brehm, a 20-year resident of the street. “But we saw the helicopters making water drops and dropping flame retardant.”

Brehm said dozens of fire engines were parked on the road, with hoses at the ready.

“We weren’t going to let anything happen to any homes,” Jordan said.

Still, not all residents felt as confident.

Joseph Mamanne said that from his backyard on Wooded Vista near Bell Canyon, a gated hillside community in Ventura County accessible only through Los Angeles County, he saw firefighters shoot water at the blaze.

He said his wife got so worried she began packing valuables. Mamanne spent the afternoon hosing down his yard, house and car, which were covered with ashes.

“It got very close very quick,” said Mamanne, 43, who was at home with his wife and three boys watching the NBA finals on TV. “My kids were a little bit panicky.”

The brush fire may have burned some of the San Fernando Valley spineflower, a rare, spring-blooming species once thought to be extinct. Thousands of the plants were recently discovered on the Ahmanson Ranch property, prompting officials to suggest further environmental studies for the 3,050-unit housing project.

An ecologist with the state parks department said any permanent damage to the plants would depend on where they were in the reproductive cycle.

“If they were in the middle, and they had not dropped their seeds, that could have a detrimental effect,” said resource ecologist Suzanne Goode. “But everything around here is adapted to fire. It’s just so early in the season. I was quite surprised to see it.”

The fire broke out about 2 p.m. near Ahmanson Ranch, on an undeveloped tract of land in southeastern Ventura County, north of the Ventura Freeway and east of Las Virgenes Road.

The fire quickly moved toward the western San Fernando Valley. Firefighters were guarding homes near Bell Canyon Park and Knapp Ranch Park in Los Angeles County on Sunday evening.

Dense brush, which had not burned in years, fed the fire, Jordan said. Winds and the hilly topography may have helped spread the blaze, because firefighters had a hard time reaching it.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

More than 500 firefighters from the Los Angeles County, Ventura County and Los Angeles city fire departments, and the California Department of Forestry, fought the blaze. Five helicopters dropped water and foam on the fire, and three air tankers dropped fire retardant on it, Jordan said.

“It gives the ground troops time to get in there and close the fire,” Jordan said. “This is really heavy brush, which is dangerous for firefighters.”

Manzano is a Times staff writer and Cooper is a Times Community News reporter. Times photographer David Bohrer and staff writers Zanto Peabody and Edgar Sandoval also contributed to this story.