Witnesses Saw Man Near Site of Fire

Witnesses to a three-acre Diamond Bar brushfire said they spotted a shirtless man with a shopping cart near the scene of the initial blaze Tuesday afternoon.

Regina Rubio and co-workers were watching with binoculars from the second floor of the Department of Corrections building at the intersection of Brea Canyon Road and Pathfinder Road as a shirtless man making erratic gestures and yelling attracted their attention.

"He was standing there screaming to himself," Rubio said.

Rubio said she and her co-workers were unsure what the man was doing near the open brush before she and her co-workers spotted flames on the hillside. Rubio said she did not see the man start the fire.

"The next thing we did was call 911, but someone had already called," Rubio said.

Rubio said the man was shirtless, had a shopping cart, and long blonde hair. She said a co-worker saw the man heading north on Pathfinder Road, toward the intersection of Pathfinder and Golden Springs Drive.

Battalion Chief Ed Gandara of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said that the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The fire was first reported around 2:40 p.m. and was knocked down in 59 minutes, according to Capt. Mark Savage of the L.A. County Fire Department. Around 150 firefighters, air crews, and engines from Brea and Orange County fire departments responded to the blaze.

City News Service contributed to this report.