Los Angeles firefighters contained a small brush fire burning in the Sepulveda Basin near the 405 Freeway on Thursday afternoon.
The blaze was reported at around 12:45 p.m. in the 15700 block of W. Burbank Boulevard, west of the busy thoroughfare, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
While they battled the fire, using water tankers and ground crews, firefighters requested assistance from L.A.’s Department of Transportation for traffic control and to close eastbound lanes of Burbank Boulevard from Woodley to the 405.
Following LAFD’s pre-deployment plan in the event of a fire during an ongoing heat wave, the department requested assistance from air resources and a strike team from California’s Office of Emergency Services.
“Fire is currently between the LA River and Haskell Creek, following uphill topography in the area … and moving towards heavier brush near the south side of Burbank Boulevard,” firefighters said after almost 45 minutes of battling the blaze. Firefighters said the blaze was not being driven by winds.
SkyCal flew over the scene of the fire, where large flames could be seen consuming the dense brush in the basin.
At around 1:40 p.m., firefighters reported that forward progress of the fire had been stopped. Crews were expected to remain on scene for several hours to manage hot spots and “establish a full bare-soil perimeter around the burned area.”
The cause of the fire is unclear.
No injuries have yet been reported and no structures were threatened.
The fire came at a time when much of Southern California is under a red flag warning for critical fire danger due to a sweltering heat wave that could bring record-breaking temperatures to parts of the region.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
