Brush fire burns in Eagle Rock, clogging freeways and forcing evacuations
A brush fire erupted in Eagle Rock on Sunday afternoon, clogging freeways, threatening homes and sending up a large plume of smoke that could be seen across the Los Angeles Basin.
The fire is thought to have started at around 4 p.m. in the 2900 block of West Colorado Boulevard, near the interchange of the 2 and 134 freeways, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
The blaze spread to the north side of the 134 and threatened nearby homes. Traffic jams were reported on surface streets throughout the area, including Colorado Boulevard, as portions of both freeways were closed. California 134 was shut down from Figueroa Street to Glendale Boulevard, and California 2 was closed from Mountain Street to the 5, according to the California Highway Patrol.
The fire had grown to 30 acres and was at 25% containment as of 8 p.m., according to the Fire Department, and forward progress of the fire had stopped.
There were no reports of injuries and no structures burned, the Fire Department said.
The city of Glendale issued mandatory evacuation orders along East Glenoaks Boulevard from Mount Carmel Drive to Bywood Drive in Glendale. About 100 homes were affected. The order was expected to be lifted at 10 p.m., according to the Glendale Fire Department.
An evacuation center was opened at Glendale Civic Auditorium on North Verdugo Road.
More than 1.1 million California buildings, roughly 1 in 10 in the state, lie within the highest-risk fire zones in maps drawn by the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The biggest concern was for the Glenoaks Canyon area of Glendale, where firefighters were focusing most of their defenses. Officials urged people to avoid the area.
Fire officials were pounding the blaze with helicopter water drops, hoping to stop the fire before it heads into residential areas.
The fire was fueled by hot temperatures, but there were no Santa Ana wind conditions.
Firefighters were expected to monitor the area overnight.
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