Madre fire near Azusa: Air assault bolsters containment to 30%

1/10

A DC-10 drops retardant on the Madre fire in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

2/10

A Super Scooper makes a water drop on the Madre fire in the Angeles National Forest near Azusa. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

3/10

A Los Angeles County firefighter monitors the brush fire on the hills of the San Gabriel Canyon area above Azusa, (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

4/10

A helicopter monitors the brush fire on the hills of the San Gabriel Canyon area above Azusa. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

5/10

A U.S. Forest Service firefighter at the flood control basin watching the brush fire on the hills of the San Gabriel Canyon. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

6/10

A U.S. Forest Service firefighter pulls on a hose. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

7/10

A helicopter drops water during a brush fire in San Gabriel Canyon above Azusa. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Times)

8/10

A brush fire burns along ridge lines near San Gabriel Canyon Road in Azusa. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

9/10

Brush fire sends a plume of smoke into the sky. (Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

10/10

People watch as a smoke plume from a brush fire rises in San Gabriel Canyon above Azusa. (Ringo H.W. Chiu / For The Los Angeles Times)

By Ari Bloomekatz

Sept. 24, 2013 1:18 PM PT

Containment of the Madre fire in the mountains near Azusa jumped significantly Tuesday, increasing to 30% from 5% as air tankers continued to make drops every few minutes.

“Things are going real well,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department Inspector Keith Mora. “We have a really aggressive attack going on in the air right now.”

Mora said the blaze has now consumed 250 acres, up from 200 earlier Tuesday, and that no homes were threatened and no one had been injured.

PHOTOS: Crews battle Madre fire in Azusa

The Madre fire began Monday about 6 p.m. in San Gabriel Canyon north of Highway 39, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

There were 450 fire personnel battling the blaze Tuesday -- triple Monday’s figure -- and Mora said an air assault was greatly helping quell the blaze in steep terrain.

Full containment is not expected til Oct. 2, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

ALSO:

Michael Jackson judgment day nears as final arguments begin

Dozens with alleged ties to Mexican Mafia arrested in O.C. raids

Madre fire near Azusa: Humidity, low winds should help firefighters

Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook

[email protected]