Forward progress of a large brush fire in the Antelope Valley was stopped at 2,690 acres as containment grew to 15%, but firefighters warned on Sunday that the area was still not out of danger, with high temperatures and gusty winds expected to persist.
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“Crews have made significant progress on the Summit Fire and forward progress has stopped,” the Los Angeles County Fire Department said Sunday morning. “The northern portion of the fire is difficult to access due to limited roads, and firefighters are dealing with difficult terrain in the southern portion of the fire.
“There is still potential for significant fire behavior and rapid growth,” the department continued. “Hot and dry conditions combined with gusty winds persist across the fire area.”
The blaze was reported at about 12:50 p.m. Friday near Jesus Canyon Road and East Avenue Z in the Llano area, near the Los Angeles-San Bernardino County line.
An evacuation order had been issued for the area of East Avenue Z and Fort Tejon Road, while evacuation warnings were established in other nearby areas, as the fire burned into the Angeles National Forest and advanced toward San Bernardino County.
On Sunday morning, evacuation orders were downgraded and warnings were lifted in some areas, according to Watch Duty, a nonprofit app that tracks wildfires.
But significant wind shifts to the northwest and south Saturday left the potential for rapid fire growth with erratic fire behavior high, officials said.
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“Interior pockets continued to actively burn and challenge containment lines,” the Angeles National Forest stated. “Despite this, hard work on the ground in combination with persistent air attacks limited perimeter growth along the fire’s edge.”
Officials also announced that drones were prohibited over the area while crews were actively working the fire.
“Crews on the ground and in the air will remain vigilant in their efforts to mitigate and contain this fire,” officials said.
As of Sunday morning, the fire had damaged one residence and destroyed one minor structure, officials said. No injuries have been reported.
Local temperatures were expected to be in the mid-90s to 100 on Sunday, but were expected to drop to the lower 90s by Monday before rising again mid-week.
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