Fire Threatens Benedict Canyon Estates

A brush fire that broke out Tuesday in a canyon dotted with multimillion-dollar estates north of Beverly Hills may have been started by a campfire or sparks from a van belonging to a brush clearing crew, officials said.

The fire erupted shortly after 11 a.m. near Rimmele Drive, a cul-de-sac off Benedict Canyon Drive, and burned 25 acres of brush, Los Angeles fire officials said. Two brush-clearing crews contracted by the city were working nearby at the time.

Investigators were initially told that one of two vans carrying the crews may have accidentally ignited the blaze.

But they also were focusing on what appeared to be a makeshift campfire consisting of two piles of rocks, wood and other debris at the point of origin.

Flames came within yards of hilltop estates as firefighters battled the blaze. High humidity and light winds kept the fire from spreading to the north and west rims of the steep canyon, where more homes are located, officials said.

But clouds of billowing white smoke that could be seen for miles hung over the canyon and stirred residents’ fears.

Longtime resident Pamela Wier-Quiton was driving to a hair appointment in the San Fernando Valley when she smelled smoke.

“I called the Fire Department and they told me about the fire. I said, ‘Oh my God.’ ”

It took more than 200 Los Angeles city and county firefighters and eight water-dropping helicopters two hours to contain the blaze, said Battalion Chief Richard Markota of the city Fire Department. There were no evacuations.

But Benedict Canyon Drive -- a shortcut between Beverly Hills and the Valley -- was closed in both directions for several hours. The closure temporarily stranded some residents on Mulholland Drive and Sunset Boulevard. Others walked home.

Pamela Baron, a canyon resident since 1999, heard about the fire at work and raced toward home, but was told that she had to leave her car. She hiked for miles up the canyon in high heels and a summer dress, trying to get to her home on Oak Pass Road.

“Last year the hill fell down,” she said. “Now the fire. I’m done with the hills.”

Ron Myers, a spokesman for the city Fire Department, said that at least one home may have sustained minor damage in the blaze.

A firefighter who was hit with a broken hose line was transported to a hospital for treatment of neck and back pain, authorities said. A member of the county’s fire inmate crew was hospitalized for heat-related illness.

Several homeowners said they were upset because the fire easily could have raged out of control if conditions were dryer and the winds stronger.

They said homeowners who failed to clear the dry brush around their homes were putting the community at risk, citing the 1961 Bel-Air fire that destroyed 250 homes.

“If the maintenance is not there for every homeowner, we have a powder keg here,” said Michael Chasteen, president of the Benedict Canyon Homeowners Assn. “And if this fire gets going, it doesn’t stop -- it jumps from canyon to canyon.”

Fire and city officials said they believe that Tuesday’s blaze started on private land. At the scene, Los Angeles City Councilman Jack Weiss said that homeowners who failed to clear their land should share responsibility.

“Their failure to clear the brush could have burned down the neighborhood,” he said.

Each year, the Los Angeles Fire Department inspects 130,000 parcels in what are defined as “very high fire risk” zones. About 18,000 homeowners are issued noncompliance notices annually. Of those, between 300 and 500 are fined $245.

If the homeowner still does not comply with brush clearance regulations, the city hires a contractor to do the job. Fees can run more than $1,000.

Meanwhile, Chasteen and others said that the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a large landowner in the canyon, has had what amounts to a free pass from any enforcement of Fire Department regulations.

They alleged that the conservancy, a state agency that acquires and preserves open space, has had a “spotty record” in clearing brush on its land. Conservancy officials could not be reached for comment.

“Even today, as the fire burns, I can show you uncleared property owned by the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy,” said Rodney Kemerer, a longtime homeowner.

“The same rules that apply to homeowners don’t seem to apply to the conservancy,” Kemerer said. “Fire danger does not discriminate between owners, whether it’s the state or private individuals.”