A brush fire in La Habra Heights damaged multiple homes, with at least one destroyed and others threatened, authorities reported Monday afternoon. Firefighting crews have since managed to halt the forward progress of the blaze.
The Palos fire ignited shortly after 2:30 p.m. near Las Palomas Drive in Whittier and grew to approximately 20 acres by 4:15 p.m. Evacuation warnings were issued for the area, impacting an estimated hundreds of residents, according to La Habra Heights Mayor Brian Bergman. Fire Department spokesperson Keith Navarre stated that crews had stopped the fire's advance shortly after 4:45 p.m.
Footage from local news outlets showed one structure, identified as a home, engulfed in flames, with another residence also seen burning. Edith Lai, another Fire Department spokesperson, indicated that three homes had been affected by the fire, though the precise extent of the damage remained unclear. No injuries have been reported, although one horse was rescued.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department deployed 76 units and 250 personnel to combat the fire, which involved helitankers dropping water. Firefighters worked to contain the flames in the canyon where the fire started and defended homes along an adjacent ridgeline. The narrow and winding roads of La Habra Heights presented challenges to firefighting access.
A shelter for those affected by evacuation warnings was opened at the gymnasium at the park on Hacienda Road. The affected area is roughly bounded by Puenta del Este Drive and Hacienda Road to the east, Casalero Drive, Lupin Hill Road, and Las Palomas Drive to the west, Windrush and Gun Tree drives to the north, and Encanada Drive to the south. A portion of Hacienda Road was closed to facilitate firefighting efforts, leading to the postponement of a scheduled City Council meeting.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. The La Habra Fire Department, operating under a mutual aid agreement with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, could not be immediately reached for comment.
