Sepulveda Basin Fire Scorches 60 Acres, Blankets Valley In Smoke

ENCINO, CA — A 60-acre fire burned parts of the Sepulveda Basin near the San Diego (405) Freeway, sending smoke across the San Fernando Valley, on Thursday.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the scene of the fire, which broke out at about 4 p.m. in the area of 5600 North Woodley Avenue near Burbank Boulevard. By 9 p.m., it was 80 percent contained.

"Ground and air crews made aggressive attacks to keep this fire from damaging any buildings or even causing any evacuations," fire department spokesman Nicholas Prange said."Crews will remain on scene to mop up remaining hot spots and ensure containment lines hold as the extreme fire weather is expected to return through the night and continue into tomorrow."

Fire department drones are surveying the area from above to more completely and accurately identify hot spots.

The fire triggered closures of the 405 Freeway ramps at Burbank Blvd On and the southbound 405 Victory Blvd ramps. Additionally, Burbank Boulevard was closed in both directions between Woodley and Sepulveda

Encino and Sherman Oaks residents were told to be prepared to evacuate if the fire continues its southwest march forward.

In the end, no structures were threatened and no one was injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

According to the fire department, homeless people living in the area were being moved south toward the Ventura (101) Freeway.

The Sepulveda Basin has become a common camping site for the homeless, although there was no immediate indication of what sparked Thursday's blaze. A roughly seven-acre brush fire burned in the basin in late July, displacing an estimated 100 homeless people who were living in the area.

City crews swept through the area in August and September conducting a massive cleanup operation. The fire also prompted the city to quickly approve an ordinance allowing police to clear homeless people out of fire-prone areas during red-flag conditions.

A city fire official told reporters that the area involved in Thursday's fire was not included in the high-fire-severity zone covered by the ordinance.

The Sepulveda Basin fire is a different blaze from the Tick Fire in Santa Clarita and a series of spot fires near the 5 Freeway and the Sunshine Landfill in Granada Hills.

Sepulveda Basin Fire pic.twitter.com/5Q8UhLTCDU
— Dana Workman (@DanaWorkman) October 24, 2019