6 Firefighters Injured Fighting 'Cabin Fire'; 20% Contained

GLENDORA (CNS) - The Cabin Fire on the upper slopes of San Gabriel Canyon, in the Angeles National Forest north of Glendora, had scorched 1,448 acres and was 20 percent contained at sunrise.

But it had stopped putting up a huge cloud of smoke, which had been prominently in view from most of the Los Angeles basin Saturday.

Ten firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the fire in medium to heavy brush. The fire broke out for an as-yet undisclosed reason after 1 p.m. Friday off Highway 39 near Rincon Red Box Road, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Officials initially estimated the fire had burned about 2,500 acres, but later downgraded that figure.

The U.S. Forest Service said 462 firefighters will be toiling in temperatures of at least 100 degrees today, among a southwest wind at 5 to 10 miles per hour. Firefighters said they expected to build a containment line with hand crews and bulldozers.

Fire crews from Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties were among those assisting Angeles National Forest crews. Four helicopters and six air tankers helped fight the flames Saturday, Gonzalez said.

Three structures and an outhouse have been destroyed by the fire, and five firefighters suffered minor injuries, according to the USFS.

Within 30 minutes of ignition, the brush fire had spread to a cabin nestled in the woods, and it quickly engulfed the structure. The fast-moving fire also managed to jump the dead-end San Gabriel Canyon Road, Highway 39, as it pushed its way into the forest.

Firefighters have been trying to get the western flank of the fire to burn toward an area that burned last year and has less fuel, creating a natural fire line to slow the spread, an official said.

Highway 39 was closed above East Fork Road and mandatory evacuation orders were issued.

Los Angeles County sheriff's Sgt. Vicki Gregory said about 40 people were evacuated from Crystal Lake campground. The Coldbrook campground also was evacuated, but it was unclear how many people were at the camp.

Glendora police sent an alert to residents about the fire, but said the blaze appeared to be too far from the city to present any immediate danger. Azusa police were also monitoring the fire. No evacuations were immediately ordered in either city.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory, warning that air quality will reach unhealthy levels in smoke-impacted areas in the mountains and downwind of the fire.

People in affected areas were being advised to avoid vigorous outdoor activity, and people with respiratory or heart disease should remain indoors, as should children and older adults, according to the AQMD.

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