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Crews gain upper hand on Summit fire; evacuation orders in Antelope Valley lifted

A helicopter drops water on the Summit fire.
A helicopter drops water on the Summit fire in Llano on Friday.
(Ethan Swope / Associated Press)
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The Summit fire, burning near the Los Angeles-San Bernardino county line, has destroyed one home and damaged two others. But officials said Sunday night that despite strong winds, crews had gotten a handle on the blaze.

The Summit fire broke out shortly before 1 p.m. Friday in Llano near Jesus Canyon Road and East Avenue Z, L.A. County Fire Department spokesperson Kaitlyn Aldana told The Times. It grew rapidly and burned 2,690 acres before forward progress was halted.

Evacuation orders for a portion of the Antelope Valley were downgraded to warnings on Sunday for the area between Fort Tejon Road and 233rd Street East to Boneyard Canyon. The fire was 31% contained.

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Although winds were expected “to stay active over the next 24 hours,” fire growth was not expected, according to Angeles National Forest officials.

The fire is burning as approaching monsoonal moisture will bring a 10% to 20% chance of lightning in Los Angeles, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, primarily in mountain areas, starting Sunday and lasting through Thursday, said Spencer Fielding, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard. This could raise wildfire risk, as dry lightning and gusty outflow winds are typically associated with these storm systems.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The agency said 604 crews with 1,068 personnel, bulldozers and water-dropping aircraft battled the blaze.

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Times staff writer Alex Wigglesworth contributed to this report.

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