Fork Fire: Firefighter Injured, 166 Acres Burned

AZUSA, CA — It's day two of the Fork Fire, burning brush in the East Fork area above Azusa. The brush fire began at noon, Sunday, and by 8:30 a.m. Monday morning, 166 acres had burned with no containment, and one firefighter was injured in the battle, the U.S. Forest Service said.

Several agencies are battling the blaze in a unified command, in San Gabriel Canyon, where one firefighter was injured Sunday and multiple campers and visitors were evacuated over the weekend. It was a harrowing exit for many who were trapped north of the fire, needing an official escort by forest service personnel, officials said.

The fire shut down Highway 39 in San Gabriel Canyon about two miles north of Sierra Madre Boulevard.
Park visitors north of the fire were stuck, their only normal exit from the park cut off to the south, USFS spokesman Nathan Judy said. Firefighters helped the stranded drivers through a typically closed section of Route 39 to the Angeles Crest Highway, across a treacherous roadway subject to rockfalls usually closed to the public.

One firefighter suffered a minor injury when he was hit in the leg by a falling rock, Judy said. The firefighter was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Los Angeles County rushed camp crews and other brush teams to the canyon, a heavily wooded area near where several other large wildfires have broken out in years past.

No structures were being threatened, Judy said.

About 300 personnel were battling the brush fire, along with water- dropping helicopters.

The U.S. Forest Service was also being assisted by Cal Fire, Orange County Fire Authority, Ventura County Fire and other fire departments along with the California Highway Patrol and Southern California Edison.
One USFS helicopter will be making night water drops on hot spots, Judy said. County fire sent one water-dropping helicopter, a bulldozer and about 30 personnel, a dispatcher said.

The fire was reported to be burning toward the north, into the rugged central area of the San Gabriel Mountains. It put up a large plume of smoke, visible from as far away as Chino and inland Orange County.
Tanker 911, a jumbo DC-10 jet converted into a fire-suppression tanker, was flown to Southern California from its base near Sacramento to assist in the battle, Judy said.

The cause of the fire remained under investigation.

This is a developing report. Please refresh for the latest information.

City News Service contributed to this report

USFS photos