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Aug 22, 2007 12:23 am US/Pacific
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Brush Fire 60% Contained In Hacienda Heights
LOS ANGELES (CBS) ―
Flames tore through about 75 acres of brush Tuesday in the Hacienda Heights area, threatening homes and forcing evacuations, authorities said.
The fire was 60 percent contained six hours after being reported, structures had burned, no one was injured, and firefighters were soon going to be released, a dispatcher said.
Full containment was not expected until Wednesday, according to Capt. Mike Brown of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
More than 300 firefighters battled the fire, which began in roughly the 4000 block of Turnbull Canyon Road at about 1 p.m., according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher.
Five water-dropping helicopters also battled the flames, Inspector Sam Padilla said.
As the flames advanced, fire officials began evacuating residents from homes along Skyline Drive near Turnbull Canyon, Padilla said. It was unclear exactly how many people were evacuated.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but crews were initially sent to the area to rescue a motorist whose vehicle had veered off a road and rolled down an embankment. The driver was taken to County-USC Medical Center with moderate injuries, including neck and head pain, a dispatcher said.
The terrain made fighting the fire difficult, Inspector Ron Haralson said.
"We're talking about some steep terrain in and around those hills and foothills right there in Hacienda Heights," Haralson said. "Right now we do have our helicopters that are able to make drops for us in that tough terrain, and also our units working on the ground there."
Haralson said the homes were still "several ridges away from the main front or body of the fire."
By mid-afternoon, no homes were damaged or destroyed, he said.
And by 7 p.m., it appeared firefighters had started to get the upper hand.
Southland mountain areas are under a Red Flag Warning -- indicating a heightened risk of wildfire -- until tomorrow due to high temperatures and low humidity.
(© 2007 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)