Brush fire burns Bolsa Chica wetlands in Huntington Beach

Firefighters quickly brought under control a brush fire that ignited Sunday in the Bolsa Chica wetlands area of Huntington Beach.

The fire near Pacific Coast Highway and south of Warner Avenue began at 4 p.m. and triggered a voluntary evacuation of the Brightwater neighborhood.

The blaze grew to 63 acres and was fully contained by 7 pm., said Huntington Beach Fire Department spokesman Eric Blaska.

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a 1,300-acre coastal estuary known for its rare seabirds. It is still unknown how the fire might affect the wetlands’ delicate ecosystem.