BLAZING BRUSH; FIRE BURNS 250 ACRES IN SUNLAND-TUJUNGA.

Byline: Dominic Berbeo Staff Writer

The first major brush fire of the season burned more than 250 acres in the Sunland-Tujunga area Thursday, but firefighters said compliance with brush clearance rules saved homes from the path of the intentionally set blaze.

``I just cleared my brush last weekend, and I'm glad I did,'' said Richard Boctor, one of dozens of residents who stayed near their homes. The fire came within 10 feet of some structures.

By sunset, firefighters had the fire almost contained and were cutting a safety border around it, LAFD Capt. Steve Ruda said.

Ruda called the area a tinderbox of dry brush and said the last major fire there was 44 years ago. The 200 feet of brush clearance the city requires around homes helped firefighters invaluably, he said.

``You give us compliance, we'll save your homes,'' Ruda said.

The fire started around noon near the La Tuna Canyon exit off the westbound Foothill Freeway, burning just above a rural enclave of several hundred homes.

Gusting winds of 20-25 mph actually helped firefighters by pushing the blaze northwest toward the freeway.

The California Highway Patrol closed the westbound side of the Foothill Freeway around 3 p.m. so firefighters could use it as a fire barrier.

Ruda said the fire appeared to be caused by ``an intentional act'' but declined to say what evidence arson investigators had gathered.

More than 450 firefighters and half a dozen helicopters and airplanes from the city and county of Los Angeles, the city of Glendale, Ventura County and the U.S. Forest Service worked the fire throughout the day.

Also key in protecting the homes, Ruda said, was the use of a newly developed fire retardant foam called ``barricade gel,'' as well as ``class A foam,'' which looks like snow and was applied by ground crews to houses and surrounding landscape. It was the first time the gel had been used in a major fire.

The only thing burned was a small children's playhouse in the canyon below Boctor's home.

A dramatic sight during the fire was watching repeated passes overhead by an Air Crane helicopter, which was able to precisely drop 2,023 gallons of water on the burning brush, compared to the 300 dropped by regular choppers.

The last major blaze in the area was in November 1955, when a fireman lost his life in the La Tuna Canyon brush fire. That blaze burned more than 4,500 acres over three days.

Fireman James Catlow, assigned to the Van Nuys fire station, died six days after receiving third-degree burns in a valiant refusal to abandon a water pump control, an act LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey said saved the lives of many of his fellow firefighters.

The area, in the northeast corner of the city, is home to many small houses and horse ranches, with a few scattered upscale homes.

Humphrey said there was ``clear reason to believe that the fire was an incendiary act'' and urged witnesses to contact the city's arson hotline at [phone].

The area, tucked into a canyon just north of the Foothill Freeway, is also the site of a dispute between local residents and Duke Development over the number of homes that can be built in the area.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, Map

Photo: (1--Color) A firefighter sprays the flames to keep the 250-acre fire burning in the Sunland-Tujunga area from jumping the Foothill Freeway.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News

(2--Color) From left, Rick Rogers, Sydney Thornberg and Lucy Burger watch as flames approach their homes Thursday.

(3) As the fire threatens homes in the area, a resident throws belongings into the back of a pickup.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Map: Tujunga fire burned more than 250 acres