BLAZE WINDING DOWN VICTORY OVER CANYON BRUSH FIRE IN SIGHT.

Byline: Amy Raisin Staff Writer

SAUGUS - As hundreds of firefighters battled a blaze Saturday that had burned 5,700 acres in Bouquet Canyon, the owners of movie ranches and horse stables in the area were busy surveying the damage and counting their blessings.

``The smoke was so bad I couldn't see 20 feet in front of me. It was so hot,'' said Rene Veluzat, owner of Blue Cloud Movie Ranch in Bouquet Canyon. ``The fire department came and gave me a respirator so I could breathe.''

Veluzat was able to save large, costly props used just two weeks ago in the filming of NBC drama series ``JAG'' - a military helicopter, troop carrier trucks and tractors - by cutting a fire line around the vehicles himself, with a grading truck.

About 1,000 firefighters from local, state and federal agencies helped battle the fast-moving fire Friday and Saturday, the cause of which is still under investigation, authorities said.

As the high winds settled down Saturday, authorities said they expected to have the blaze contained by Monday.

The fire was spotted about 8:50 a.m. Friday, its fast-moving flames fueled by heavy brush and high winds.

``We've got it about 50 percent contained but there's still a lot of work going on out there,'' said Pat Boss, public information officer with the San Bernardino National Forest, part of the lead agency combating the blaze.

Boss said two firefighters had suffered minor injuries and four outbuildings were destroyed.

A Mexican hotel built on Old Veluzat Movie Ranch - featured in the Nick Nolte film ``Extreme Prejudice'' - was lost in the fire. Veluzat estimated that the structure cost about $100,000 to build in the late 1980s.

When residents evacuated their homes Friday, volunteers and employees from the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control were busy rounding up dogs, birds and even cattle in the area.

``We picked up all kinds of animals and we actually have them at different shelters, depending on their size,'' said Kaye Michelson, spokeswoman for the Department of Animal Care and Control, on Saturday. More than 30 workers and volunteers collected 70 dogs, five cats, five horses, 100 parakeets, 11 goats and two cows.

Anyone looking for pets or domestic animals should call the Castaic Shelter at [phone].

Down on flat land and away from the hot spots, dozens of one-person tents dotted the grass at Central Park in Saugus, where kids usually play soccer on the weekends.

The park served as the base camp for firefighters and personnel, with night-shift firefighters coming off the fire lines about 6 a.m. The base camp also featured tented eating quarters, portable sinks and toilets.

``We're here during the day, then we head back out at night,'' said Levi Matthews, a firefighter with San Bernardino Forest Station No. 30. ``We're not getting much rest - it's pretty hot out here. We've had to stay out at camps like these for as long as 14 days.''

While the Stables Fire, as the U.S. Forest Service is calling it, is not expected to keep firefighters in tents for nearly that long, local sheriff's deputies were making the rounds Saturday afternoon, warning campers of the blaze.

``The Forest Service was concerned that the fire could make it over to Rowher Flats, so we went out there and cautioned people that they might want to head out,'' said Jeff Risser, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputy.

Located in Angeles National Forest, Rowher Flats is a popular camp site and destination for campers with off-road vehicles. Risser said about 20 people heeded the warning and left the area Saturday afternoon.

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color -- ran in SAC edition only) Above, a super scooper dumps water Saturday on a raging brush fire that has burned 5,700 acres in Bouquet Canyon since it started on Friday. At left, heavy black smoke darkens the sky as flames explode on the back hills of Santa Clarita.

(3 -- ran in SAC edition only) Rene Veluzat of Rene Veluzat Motion Picture Ranch and Blue Cloud Ranch said he used his dirt grader bulldozer Friday to cut a fire line around his prop vehicles - a move that saved his equipment from destruction when the blaze raced through his ranch in Bouquet Canyon.

(4 -- 5 -- ran in SAC edition only) Above, a fire crew puts down hot spots Saturday after wildfires charred the Bouquet Canyon area. Below, Pontiac classic cars owned by Eric O'Hare were destroyed in the fire.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News