[californiadisasters] Fire Grows to 150 Acres in Monrovia Foothills

Evacuations Ordered

by Jesse B. Gill - Web Producer

KTLA Los Angeles

MONROVIA, Calif. (KTLA) — Officials ordered mandatory evacuations Saturday afternoon for several neighborhoods in Monrovia neighborhoods as firefighters continue to battle a brush fire in the San Gabriel Mountain foothills.

The fire broke out Saturday, shortly after 11 a.m. near Crescent Drive and Madison Avenue. Evacuations went into effect about 1:45 p.m. for the Magnolia, Heather Heights, Alta Vista, Melrose, Patricia Way, Hidden Valley, Mesa Circle and Sky Way areas, according to a statement by Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan posted on the city's Facebook page.

By 4 p.m., the fire grew to about 150 acres, Donovan told reporters. The smoke plume continues to rise above the hills in the area, making it visible from all over the San Gabriel Valley.

An evacuation center has been established at 119 Palm Ave., according to Donovan's Facebook post and despite the evacuations, no homes are threatened.

"As long as we don't have the winds, we will be fine, but it's not a Santa Ana day," he wrote. "This is very old brush, over 55-years-old, and a lot of fuel, but we have crews working very hard to contain the fire."

Fire crews from Monrovia, Pasadena, Montebello, Arcadia, Los Angeles County and the U.S. Forest Service are working to contain the blaze, the Times reported. Sixty-five fire engines, five water dropping helicopters, two air tankers, six hand crews and two bulldozers are working the blaze, the Pasadena Star News reports.

The paper also reported one firefighter has been hospitalized with mild heat exhaustion.

According to unverified scanner traffic, a large black bear was spotted running through a neighborhood on Highland Place. KTLA is working to confirm the sighting.

Source: http://ktla.com/2013/04/20/firefighters-battling-small-brushfire-in-foothills-near-monrovia/

--
Check out http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/
Read my blog at http://eclecticarcania.blogspot.com/
My Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/derkimster
Linkedin profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kim-noyes/9/3a1/2b8
Follow me on Twitter @DisasterKim

__._,_.___

Be sure to check out our Links Section at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters/links
Please join our Discussion Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/californiadisasters_discussion/ for topical but extended discussions started here or for less topical but nonetheless relevant messages.

Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___