500 Firefighters Battle Two Blazes

More than 500 firefighters battled into the night Thursday to control two separate wind-driven fires in the hills near Sunland and Castaic and appeared to be winning both battles, after employees of a shelter for large, exotic animals prepared to evacuate them.

As of late Thursday night, the fires had caused no injuries and damaged no buildings.

One fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Sunland had charred about 400 acres, said Cliff Johnson, fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.

Another 150 acres burned in an unincorporated area north of Castaic, said John Holt, an inspector with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The Castaic fire was 30% contained, and no time was predicted for full containment. The Sunland blaze was 60% contained, and full containment was predicted by 6 a.m. today with full control by 6 p.m.

The Sunland fire broke out at about 2 p.m. near a shooting range in the 12600 block of Little Tujunga Canyon Road, Holt said.

Area residents and staffers from the Wildlife Waystation prepared to evacuate ranch and exotic animals--the refuge’s many tenants include lions and wolves--as a precaution, but flames swerved away a mile from the refuge and evacuations were not needed.

Firefighters--from the Los Angeles city and county departments and the U.S. Forest Service--on the ground worked in steep terrain and were aided by two county and three city water-dropping helicopters, Johnson said. By nightfall they also were being aided by calmer winds.

A Forest Service crew dropped retardant from a plane, authorities said. An air tanker had also been requested.

The Castaic fire broke out at about 6 p.m. near San Francisquito Canyon Road and Lady Linda Lane, according to Holt.

Though no structures were threatened, six horses were evacuated by the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control as a precaution from property owned by the Farmer John food company, authorities said.

The troops there included five helicopter crews, Holt said.

Authorities initially believed the fire in Sunland could have started from sparks caused by a ricocheting bullet fired by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department training at the nearby shooting range. But authorities later dismissed that as the cause, saying there is a hill between the shooting range and the spot where the fire started.

“[The fire] occurred on the other side of the hill,� said Don Cox, an LAPD spokesman. “The ammunition that we have could not have caused a spark.�

That fire remained under investigation, according to authorities.

Holt said the Castaic fire was accidental, but he would not release the exact cause.

The fires began a day after the fire season officially began, but fire agencies were not surprised since winds--up to 30 mph in places Thursday--high temperatures and dry grasses make perfect fire conditions, Johnson said.

“We’ve had some heavy rains, and now the grasses are dry,� Johnson said. “So it was not unexpected.