1,200-Acre Blaze Near Lebec 70% Contained

More than 500 firefighters battled a quick-moving brush fire Monday that had leaped across a series of canyons in Kern County the night before, threatening hundreds of homes and leaving a dappled trail of ash along the hillsides of the Grapevine pass.

By Monday evening, Kern County fire officials said the 1,200-acre fire in and around the tiny community of Lebec was about 70% contained. Despite the hot, dry weather in this rural horse country just north of Gorman and 30 to 40 mph winds, fire officials expected the blaze to be fully contained by 8 a.m. today.

Although no injuries or damage to buildings were reported, fire officials said it could be a harbinger of a busy summer, especially with this week’s Fourth of July celebration and its inevitable illegal fireworks.

Kern County Deputy Fire Chief Robert Klinoff said that while Southern California’s fire season began late this year because of a wet spring, “now, it’s all dry. And the Fourth of July is coming -- so fasten your seat belts.”

Another fire on Monday, the season’s first major blaze in Riverside County, burned an estimated 300 acres in an area northeast of Lake Skinner. It was contained by 6 p.m. and was expected to be controlled by midnight, officials said.

An estimated 275 firefighters, 30 engines and 10 air tankers and helicopters dumping retardant responded to the blaze. No homes in the area’s rolling hills were damaged and no injuries were immediately reported, said state Department of Forestry spokeswoman Joanne Evans.

“The way this one is burning is a strong example of how dry the vegetation is, and a definite reminder for homeowners to clear the vegetation back from the homes,” she said. “Homes with clearance allow the firefighters to go after knocking the fire out instead of trying to save homes.”

Riverside County firefighters also extinguished a 65-acre fire near Lake Matthews on Monday that was started by sparks from a bulldozer.

“Equipment, including lawnmowers, should not be used during the heat of the day in dry areas,” Evans said. “The spark from a blade hitting a rock can start a fire like this one.”

This year’s ample rainfall has left a bumper crop of foliage, fire officials said. The grass at the edge of roadways can act as a wick that carries the flames to thicker brush, said Assistant Chief John Todd of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. That appears to have been the case with the Kern County fire.

Kern County Fire Capt. Tony Plante said the blaze started about 2 p.m. Sunday, when a pickup truck broke down and caught fire on a steep incline of Interstate 5, near Fort Tejon State Historic Park, igniting the grass along the roadway.

High winds quickly blew the flames west of the freeway, with thick smoke forcing the roadway to close twice.

Hundreds of residents were ordered to evacuate their homes Sunday afternoon, although officials allowed them to return late that night. But some residents within close range of the fire, such as 67-year-old Elisabeth Peak, decided to stay put throughout the day.

Peak, who lives in one of the modest country ranch houses of the Los Padres Estates subdivision, threw her makeup bag in her motor home as a precaution, but ended up watching the flames smolder on the side of a canyon in front of her porch.

“Fire scares me,” she said. “We need good luck up here; we really do.”

While residents slept Sunday night -- either in their homes, at hotels or at a Red Cross shelter at nearby Frazier Mountain High School -- firefighters worked on the ground and in water-dropping helicopters and planes. By the morning, they had the fire nearly surrounded.

Among those helping with some of the difficult brush clearance tasks were inmates from the state Department of Corrections. On Monday morning, the tired crews lined up for breakfast at a fire officials’ command center, next to headquarters for the 270,000-acre Tejon Ranch, site of the proposed massive Centennial commercial and residential development.

In Los Angeles County, inmates from the county jail system are often used for brush clearance and other firefighting tasks. But this year, none are available, because many inmates were released to save money, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Dan Andrews said.

The fire near Lebec was the third in a few days in Kern County. Firefighters were still dousing a 560-acre blaze that started Thursday near Lake Isabella, destroying three homes. Kern County Fire Capt. Doug Johnston said the fire was under control by Monday morning. A third fire that burned 400 acres near the lake was also nearly under control Monday, he said.

Though fire season traditionally lasts from May to November, Los Angeles County fire officials have seen little action in recent weeks. They have been using the time to inspect residences near brush areas to ensure that brush has been cleared, said Assistant Fire Chief Larry Hambleton.

“We get them to clear around their houses and tell them to protect their property,” Hambleton said. “For the most part, the citizens are cognizant of the fact that they live in an area that is threatened by wildfire.”

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Times staff writer Lance Pugmire contributed to this report.