Brush fire breaks out on Rainbow Glen

Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and camp crews work together to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022.
Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and camp crews work together to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal
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Forward progress was stopped on a brush fire that broke out on Rainbow Glen Drive, north of Gilbert Drive, on Saturday morning, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department officials. 

Fire Department spokesman Eddie Pickett confirmed firefighters were dispatched at 10:49 a.m. The fire was estimated to have reached a quarter-acre in size by 11:10 a.m.  

Multiple ground and aircraft units were sent out originally, but aircrafts were cancelled after arriving on scene, according to Pickett.  

A Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter uses a hose to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal

First responders at the scene and people who lived in the area said there have been recent homeless encampments in the area where the fire started, and sheriff’s deputies theorized it may have been related to the cause of the fire. 

Andrew Fuller, a Canyon Country resident, described when he first saw the fire.  

“We were actually at the backside of Rainbow Glen at the four-way and at first looked like just a small little fire,” said Fuller. “Then by the time we got to right here, the whole top side of this mountain was just up in flames and I just pulled over and called 911.” 

Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters and camp crews work together to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal

Fuller said sheriff’s deputies asked him to help translate their interview with one of the witnesses to the start of the fire. Fuller said the witness told deputies a man was seen in the area when the fire started, but fled once fire trucks arrived.  

The fire happened on a hilltop across the street from an apartment complex on Ranbow Glen Drive. Kristina Perry, a resident of the apartment complex, said it was scary to see flames that close to her home.  

“They had the sheriff going in, so I thought we would have to evacuate and there was ashes everywhere, as soon as you stepped outside there was ashes,” said Perry. “I told [my family] to get ready just in case we had to evacuate, because I know that if ashes rise and there’s wind, then somewhere else can catch on fire.” 

No injuries or threatened structures were reported.  

A Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter uses a hose to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal
A Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter makes his way down the hillside after helping to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal
Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters to extinguish a 2-acre brush fire on the hillside near the intersection of Rainbow Glen Drive and Gilbert Drive in Canyon Country, Calif., on Saturday, July 9, 2022. Chris Torres/The Signal

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