Firefighters Thursday continued to battle a wind-whipped brush fire in a sparsely populated rural area east of Palmdale that burned an estimated 450 acres and prompted evacuations before crews managed to stop its advance, authorities said.
The Pine Fire erupted about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday near Antelope Highway and 248th Street East in Llano. It was 15% contained as of about 9 p.m. Wednesday, and was 30% contained as of about 8 a.m. Thursday, the Los Angeles County Fire Department reported.
“Crews are on the line working to strengthen containment lines and handle hot spots within the perimeter of the fire,” the fire department said in a statement Thursday morning.
Mandatory evacuation orders were issued about 3:35 p.m. Wednesday for Antelope Highway to Pine View Road and Buchanan Road to Smoke Tree Road. About 100 homes were evacuated, according to CalFire.
Evacuation orders were lifted for most areas Wednesday evening, though they were still in effect for a small number of homes west of Jubilee Road.
The Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control announced shelter was available for evacuated livestock at the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds and for companion animals at the Palmdale Animal Care Center.
Antelope Highway was closed between 263rd Street and Oasis Road to all except residents due, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The flames were driven eastward toward Piñon Hills and Phelan by winds blowing at about 18 mph, according to reports from the scene.
Two structures were damaged or destroyed. Additional damage inspections were ongoing.
About 500 firefighters were assigned go the firefighting effort, along with three water-dropping helicopters and two air tankers.
The cause remained under investigation.
