Forward progress stopped on Sepulveda Fire; evacuations lifted

Firefighters worked overnight to get the upper hand on a fast-moving fire that exploded off the 405 Freeway near the Getty Center Wednesday evening.

Los Angeles Fire Department crews responded to the Sepulveda Fire burning in medium to heavy brush in the area of North Sepulveda Boulevard and Getty Center Drive around 11 p.m.

Winds gusting up to 25 mph helped drive the fire as it quickly grew to 40 acres but firefighters responded aggressively with multiple water drops from helicopters.

“It always amazes me when firefighters make water drops here in the Sepulveda Pass … It’s a narrow pass, they’re dodging power lines and other obstructions. You need a lot of skill to fly and drop water here in the Sepulveda Pass,” KTLA’s Eric Spillman said.

Evacuation warnings were issued for parts of Brentwood and Bel Air as well as Mount Saint Mary’s University. The Hotel Angeleno next to the 405 Freeway was also evacuated but firefighters’ efforts stopped the forward progress on the blaze around 2 a.m. 

The flames did not reach any of the area homes and all evacuations were lifted as of 2:30 a.m., according to an update from Cal Fire.

“The fire was primarily topography-driven but it had the Santa Ana winds pushing it up that hill. We were very, very fortunate to have the aircraft from the Palisades Fire available to us as well as additional fire resources that we had predeployed respond quickly and put this fire into an area that confined it to 45 acres,” L.A. Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said.

Sepulveda Boulevard remained closed Thursday morning through the Sepulveda Pass as well as some on and off-ramps for the 405 Freeway.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Source link