Ranch Fire Burns Thousands Of Acres, Threatens Homes In Azusa Foothills
AZUSA (CBSLA) - A fast-moving brush fire in the San Gabriel mountains above Azusa burned thousands of acres Thursday afternoon.
The Ranch Fire was reported just before 3 p.m. near North San Gabriel Canyon Road and North Ranch Road, according to officials.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for areas including Mountain Cove and west of Turning Leaf and Boulder Ridge, according to the Azusa Police Department.
By 4:30 p.m., the Los Angeles County Fire Department said the fire had grown to 600 acres but was "burning away from Foothill cities and into the forest."
By 10 p.m., the fire had grown much larger, spreading to around 2,500 acres.
Fire officials said the fire is still at 0% containment, as of 10 p.m.
There were about 100 homes at the base of the mountain where the fire was burning.
Structure protection was in place, officials said. However, there is a large homeless encampment in the area that officials and neighbors said may be threatened.
The Ranch Fire was just one of three wildfires in Southern California fire crews were battling Thursday.