Brush fire that forced evacuations in Burbank is mostly contained; evacuation orders are lifted

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A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water on a hot spot behind houses on Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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A fire crew cuts a fire line at the scene of a brush fire in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water at the scene of a brush fire in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter flys low to drop water on a hot spot, near a fire crew on a crestline at the scene of a brush fire in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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A home on the top of the hill on Irvine Drive is protected from a brush fire with a foam sprayed onto the hillside below it in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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Locals have a cross-canyon view of the brush fire in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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Locals on Bel Aire Drive observe the brush fire in the foothills above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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Locals line Bel Aire Drive to get a view of the brush fire across the canyon above Hamline Place in Burbank.

(Tim Berger / Burbank Leader)

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An L.A. County Fire helicopter makes a water drop above Stephen Road in Burbank on Wednesday.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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A Burbank Department of Water and Power employee hoses down brush behind a home on Stephen Road in Burbank.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

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Hayel Barakat hoses down the brush behind his home as his children Casey Sandino, 22, far left, and Nashla Barakat, 29, watch firefighters battle a brush fire behind their Stephen Road house in Burbank.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

By Hailey Branson-PottsStaff Writer

June 28, 2017 8:55 PM PT

A 10-acre brush fire that burned dangerously close to homes in the Verdugo Mountains was 80% contained Wednesday evening, and mandatory evacuation orders were lifted, authorities said.

The fire was reported near the 1000 block of Hamline Place just before 3 p.m., according to the Los Angeles Fire Department, which was assisting Burbank fire crews.

No structures were damaged in the fire, said Burbank Fire Battalion Chief Ron Barone. By late afternoon, he said, the risk of structural damage had passed.

“We were able to keep [the flames] away from the structures,” Barone said.

The Burbank Police Department ordered evacuations of all homes on Viewcrest Drive and Howard Court. Irving Drive was closed east of Kenneth Road, and Joaquin Drive was closed at Haven Way.

But by 8:30 p.m., all evacuations were lifted.

About 150 firefighters were assigned to the blaze, which helped to quickly halt the fire’s growth.

“Our incident commander saw the threat and pulled the trigger with calling for significant resources,” Barone said.

Authorities were concerned because houses “butt right up to the hillside,” Burbank police Sgt. Derek Green told KNBC-TV Channel 4. Police were trying to quickly communicate with residents who would soon be headed home from work, Green said.

“It was a fast-moving fire,” Green said. “This is a very dry area.”

Television news footage showed thick black smoke and tennis courts burning.

About 15 fire engines responded to the three-alarm blaze, Barone told KTLA-TV Channel 5. Five engines were dedicated just to protecting homes, he said.

Multiple fire departments were assisting, including the Pasadena Fire Department, which sent two engines, and the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which sent two water-dropping helicopters, the agencies said on Twitter.