Crews Knock Down 18-Acre Brush Fire In Hollywood Hills

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Fire crews worked to control and douse a small blaze of mostly scattered spot brush fires Tuesday in the Hollywood Hills near the Cahuenga Pass, authorities said.

About 200 firefighters were on the ground with shovels and hoses and were assisted by firefighting helicopters, Los Angeles Fire Department Public Service Officer Margaret Stewart said.

No homes or other structures were immediately threatened by the fire estimated about 18 acres, and no injuries were reported.

Traffic below the fire on the 101 Freeway continued to move and was mostly unaffected by the fire, smoke and firefighting effort.

Jayson Victor, who lives in the hills not far from the fire, said he knew right away it was a brush fire.

"You wonder about embers, other things going on, the drought, you're just grateful that it's not in an area closer to where more homes are," he said.

On social media, witnesses posted dozens of pictures and videos of smoke drifting above the Hollywood sign. The photos looked ominous, but firefighters contained the flames quickly. But if anything, this fire was a reminder about the dangerous drought conditions.

"The tinder is really, really dry," LAFD Battalion Chief Robert Nelson said. "It's a good wake-up call for the community that they should stay vigilant."

Though inspectors initially suspected downed power lines sparked the blaze, the cause of the fire remains under investigation.