L.A. County Fire Department officials confirmed a small brush fire in the Santa Clara River wash, near the intersection of Auto Center and Cinema drives, just after 7 p.m. Thursday.
Firefighters responded to the scene at 7:13 p.m., according to Aaron Katon, a fire captain and public information officer with the Fire Department.
He said the incident was initially a 100-foot-by-100-foot incident upon their arrival, but by a half-hour later, it had grown to approximately 1 acre, due to a combination of an abundant fuel source in the wash and the fact that it’s a hard-to-access area. There were no injuries or structures threatened as a result of the incident.
He also said, despite the incident growing after the initial report, that a helicopter resource had been “released,” meaning it was not needed, because the blaze was believed to be considered contained to the wash area.
“Units are still on scene working, but given that it’s in heavy fuel in the wash, it’s going to take a while to get in there, overhaul it, make sure it’s completely out,” he said at 7:45 p.m.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station officials also were called to the scene to investigate, according to Sgt. Jonathan Elizarraraz, adding there was no updated information regarding the cause of the fire at this time.
Deputies were still on the scene as of about 8 p.m.
