Burbank brush fire knocked down, size estimate revised down to 1-acre

Firefighters on Monday were able to knock down a 1-acre brush fire above DeBell Golf Club.

At one point, the blaze was thought to be much larger — up to 20 acres — but fire officials said that was due to the steep canyon hillside.

The true, much smaller, size, wasn’t known until they were able to contain it. The more than 100 firefighting personnel from multiple agencies who were assigned to the blaze, which was reported shortly after noon, were able to knock it down by about 2:30 p.m. L

ight to no winds helped firefighters as water-dropping helicopters attacked from above. Burbank Fire Chief Tom Lenahan said the fire was fully contained by the evening.

Officials kept an eye out through the evening to make sure there were no flare-ups. The fire appeared to have started adjacent to the golf course before moving up the hillside, according to Burbank Fire Battalion Chief David Schmitt.

Players at DeBell Golf Club were not evacuated, and some even carried on with their games despite the massive firefighting scene unfolding around them.

“I’m playing pretty good; I’m beating everybody,” said Nate Powell, who grew up in Pacoima. “Where I grew up, we’re used to the helicopters and the noise.”

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Follow Alene Tchekmedyian on Google+ and on Twitter: @atchek.