Evacuations lifted for Stone fire in Agua Dulce; blaze grows to 1,400 acres
A brush fire in northern Los Angeles County has now burned 1,400 acres, authorities said late Monday, but all evacuation orders have been lifted.
The Stone fire began about 12:30 p.m. in the 35000 block of Anthony Road, north of Highway 14, in Agua Dulce, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.
The fire was reportedly 30% contained by about 10 p.m. One firefighter had received a minor injury. No homes or outbuildings have been damaged.
The fire was crawling up hillsides, where it was pushed by 20 mph wind gusts, according the National Weather Service. It was about 97 degrees when the fire started and the area was considered at an elevated fire risk Monday, said forecaster Ryan Kittell.
About 350 firefighters were on the lines, aided by helicopters and a plane dropping water and retardant.
Musician Alex Arndt rushed back to his Agua Dulce home from Beverly Hills when he heard about the fire. He was desperate to grab his passport and his guitar, because he is leaving this week for a tour in Ireland.
He said he wasn’t able to drive all the way because of road closures, so he parked his car and went by foot along a trail and dirt road to his home. His mission was a success.
“This trip is really important to me,” Arndt said. “My guitar is my baby. Replacing it would be very difficult at this point and getting a replacement passport would be virtually impossible.”
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.
Times staff photographer Francine Orr and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
UPDATES:
10:05 p.m.: This article was updated with new numbers and the lifting of evacuation orders.
9:25 p.m.: This article was updated with new acreage, containment and firefighter numbers.
2:35 p.m.: This article was updated with the size of the fire and evacuation details.
This article was originally published at 1:55 p.m.
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