Hogsback Fire: Mount Baldy Brush Fire Breaks Out

LOS ANGELES, CA — Firefighters are battling a small brush fire near Mount Baldy Road Thursday morning, but by the afternoon crews appeared to be getting the upper hand over the blaze.

A blaze dubbed the Hogsback Fire, burned a half-acre of brush and was been reported near Mount Baldy Road and Barrett Stoddard Truck Trail in the Angeles National Forest just before 9:30 a.m. The blaze is burning uphill amid heavy brush, according to the National Forest Service. Air tankers were en route to help battle the blaze.

The Hogsback Fire was reported on the San Bernardino County side of the border, on the east side of Mount Baldy Road near Tunnel 1, and had blackened about three acres as of late morning, according to Angeles National Forest officials.

No structures were threatened, and no injuries were reported, according to fire officials, who tweeted late Thursday morning: "Firefighters making good progress towards containment."

The fire was burning in "very dry vegetation," with low humidity and gusty winds reported in the area, fire officials said.

Firefighters from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties were assisting personnel from the U.S. Forest Service in battling the flames, and air tankers were dropping fire retardant in the area.

The blaze broke out as Santa Ana winds return to the Southland, bringing the region a taste of warm winter weather but also raising the risk of wildfires with gusty and dry conditions.
Winds began building Wednesday afternoon in some areas, most notably in the western San Fernando Valley, where gusts of 35 to 45 mph were reported, according to the National Weather Service. A high pressure system was building and advancing into the area, and forecasters said it will bring warm and dry conditions, pushing humidity levels down starting Thursday afternoon, possibly into the 5 to 10% range.

The dry conditions are expected to continue into at least Saturday.

"North to northeast winds will form over Los Angeles and Ventura counties on Thursday and continue through Friday, with dry air descending over the region starting late Thursday afternoon or night," according to the NWS. "Along with persistently dry fuels, this combination of wind and humidity will result in critical fire weather conditions over the valleys and mountains of Los Angeles and Ventura counties Thursday afternoon through Friday afternoon, with a chance of needing to be extended into Saturday. There is also a chance that the coastal areas will need to be added."

A red flag warning of critical fire danger conditions will be in effect from 4 p.m. Thursday to 4 p.m. Friday for the Santa Monica Mountains Recreational Area, Los Angeles County mountains, Angeles National Forest and the Santa Clarita and San Fernando valleys. A separate red flag warning will also be in place during the same hours in inland Orange County and the Santa Ana mountains.

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City News Service contributed to this report.