WILDFIRE SCORCHES 400 ACRES; PLACERITA BLAZE CLOSES FREEWAY; RESIDENTS FLEE.Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Daily News Staff Writer A fast-moving blaze erupted Thursday in Placerita Canyon, blackening black·en v. black·ened, black·en·ing, black·ens v.tr. 1. To make black. 2. To sully or defame: a scandal that blackened the mayor's name. 3. 400 acres near Disney Ranch and forcing the evacuation of residents, hikers and even animals, officials said. About 350 firefighters and water-dropping planes attacked the blaze in 100-degree heat and 10 mph winds, officials said. Authorities closed the Antelope Valley Freeway The Antelope Valley Freeway is a freeway in Los Angeles and Kern counties in southern California. It is signed as California State Highway 14 along its length. It connects Greater Los Angeles to the rapidly developing Antelope Valley. , which was clogged with motorists leaving Los Angeles for the three-day Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. holiday weekend. ``It got really close to Disney, but the air tankers stopped the fire in its path,'' said Inspector Henry Rodriguez of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La . Although no structures were damaged by the afternoon blaze, there were moments of panic as the unpredictable fire threatened Disney's Golden Oak Ranch studio and two separate neighborhoods. With the blaze headed toward her back yard, one woman stood atop her roof spraying it with a garden hose and screaming to her children to flee their house. ``Oh, my God!'' she cried. ``Get out of the house. Run!'' But only brush burned, and by 7:40 p.m., the fire was contained. ``These guys are heroes,'' said resident Cathy Zamora of the team of firefighters who saved her house. Also evacuated was the Placerita Canyon Nature Center, where hikers were ordered to leave and snakes, tarantulas, hawks and other creatures on display were carted by volunteers and park officials to Hart Park in Newhall. ``I had a car full of snakes, some with attitude,'' said Heidi Webber, treasurer of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates. ``One of the king snakes got loose in my car and it was poking around.'' A second fire near Santa Clarita in Bouquet Canyon flared up at about the same time, destroying an outbuilding outbuilding n. a structure not connected with the primary residence on a parcel of property. This may include a shed, garage, barn, cabana, pool house, or cottage. and burning five acres of dense brush. Meanwhile Thursday, fire officials warned that with high temperatures, fireworks fireworks: see pyrotechnics. fireworks Explosives or combustibles used for display. Of ancient Chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to and extremely dry brush conditions, the county's foothill areas are facing especially dangerous conditions. Backyard fireworks - even the so-called Safe and Sane variety - have been outlawed in the city of Los Angeles
Many other cities also have outlawed them. Fire officials warn that even though fireworks can be legally purchased in some parts of Los Angeles County and surrounding areas, it is against the law to bring them back into areas where their use is outlawed. They also warn residents in areas where backyard fireworks are allowed that the danger is extreme - both to dry brush areas and to the users themselves. ``I'm a paramedic par·a·med·ic n. A person who is trained to give emergency medical treatment or assist medical professionals. paramedic . I've seen children with burnt flesh coming off their hands and arms as a result of fireworks injuries,'' said Brian Humphrey, spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. In Los Angeles County last year, ``Safe and Sane'' fireworks accounted for 25 of the 66 reported injuries caused by fireworks, according to records. CAPTION(S): map, 3 Photos PHOTO (1) Sheriff's Deputy Wayne Waterman yells for more hose from a nearby home as flames jump the 14 Freeway. Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News (2) Northbound traffic is being taken off the 14 Freeway at San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the city and county of Los Angeles. It starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita and the Newhall Pass, where upon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State (I-5) and the . (3 -- color) A Los Angeles County firefighter watches flames converge into a fireball as the fire burns north along the Antelope Valley Freeway. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News Map: Fire started here |
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