390-Acre Fire Should Not Reach Diamond Bar, Chief Says

UPDATED, 5:18 p.m.: Brea Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe said Diamond Bar residents should not be affected by the 390-acre blaze in Carbon Canyon. 

"We're pretty confident that it won't affect Diamond Bar at all," Knabe said. 

Knabe said L.A. County Fire units were battling the northwest portion of the fire that was moving toward the Firestone Boy Scout Reservation just south of Diamond Bar. 

In May, L.A. County firefighters in Tonner Canyon, just north of the area threatened in Thursday's fire.

"We're making good headway and hoping to have it concluded sometime late tonight or early in the morning," Brea Chief Knabe said.

Knabe said the wind had pushed the fire to the northwest and that he expects it to die down until 6:30 p.m. when it may pick up again. 

As of 5 p.m., the fire was reported at 50 percent contained. 

An investigation into the cause of the fire is still ongoing. 

City News Service contributed to this report.

UPDATED, 4:54 p.m.: Brea Fire officials now said the fire is at 390 acres and is 50 percent contained with no homes reported to be in danger. The fire continues to move northwest toward the Firestone Boy Scout Reserve and Diamond Bar. 

Inspector Matt Levesque of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said that the L.A. County department has not received any requests for backup since the initial request from Orange County fire units. 

Levesque said incident commanders from L.A. County are at the Orange County command post and will make notification if the fire continues to move toward south Diamond Bar across the Firestone Boy Scout Reserve. 

See Diamond Bar's proximity to Carbon Canyon in this map of the area.

UPDATED, 3:54 p.m.: An Orange County Register map shows the general location where the fire started. The latest reports have the fire at 100 acres at around 3 p.m. after the fire entered brushy areas firefighters could not access, the Register reported.

UPDATED, 3:30 p.m.: The fire is still confirmed at 100 acres and is moving northwest toward the Firestone Boy Scout reserve, according to Brea fire officials. No homes are threatened and it is still considered a wildland fire. More to report from Brea in 15 minutes.

UPDATED, 2:58 p.m.: A fire burning in Carbon Canyon in Brea is at 100 acres, according to Brea fire officials. Reports said the fire is 40 percent contained with no danger to people or structures. Extra aircraft are being deployed and road closures are in effect through Chino Hills. 

There is no known danger to Diamond Bar residents bordering Tonner Canyon to the west and the fire was reported as moving north and east in a story at the Orange County Register.

One firefighter said in a radio transmission said, "we'll be fighting this one for a while."

Listen to live fire radio reports online. See an aerial photo from Kevin Takumi with Fox LA.

UPDATED, 1:21 p.m.: According to a Tweet from the Orange County Fire Dept. Public Information Office, the fire is now at 15 acres.

According to a report in the Pasadena Star-News, the fire is burning near Carbon Canyon Road and Valencia Avenue in Brea and Los Angeles County Fire units were responding to the fire at 12:10 p.m.

Firefighters at Diamond Bar station 119 in South Diamond Bar were unavailable by phone for comment. 

A firefighter at Diamond Bar station 121 on Grand Avenue said the most current available information would be available from scanner reports at wildlandfire.org. 

Units from the L.A. County fire department have responded to the fire

The Star-News reported that the freeway has not been affected by the fire, burning near Lambert Road. 

Calfire officials announced today the likely loss of a $7 million contract for a DC 10 firefighting aircraft, called one of the best firefighting tools in the region, in light of state budget cuts.

According to an NBC LA report, the tanker will now be available on a day-to-day basis.

About 250 firefighters from Brea, Fullerton, the Orange County Fire
Authority, Los Angeles County, Cal Fire and the Chino Valley battled the blaze, Brea Fire Chief Wolfgang Knabe said. Two helicopters and planes were dumping water on the flames, he added.

Brea and Orange County fire units responded to a small, on June 14.

City News Service contributed to this report.