Support for LAist comes from
Local and national news, NPR, things to do, food recommendations and guides to Los Angeles, Orange County and the Inland Empire
Stay Connected
Listen

Share This

News

Small Brush Fire Breaks Out In El Sereno

A firefighter on scene at the El Sereno fire. (Frank Stoltze/LAist)
()

Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.

Despite resources being spread thin across the county, Los Angeles firefighters surrounded flames that broke out on Friday in El Sereno.

The flames were first reported at about 11:30 a.m. Friday in the 2800 block of North Eastern Avenue and have since spread to 40 acres. No structures were threatened, but a plume of visible smoke could be seen across a wide area.

The latest outbreak is one of at least six fires in Southern California that firefighters have been battling since Thursday.

Support for LAist comes from

While the fire is much smaller and slower moving than others in the Southern California area, firefighters are facing a different challenge -- most available resources are elsewhere. That means workers are moving just seven trucks around Soto Hill as they go, pulling a hose up one side of the hill, putting out flames, pulling the hose back and then climbing up another side of the hill to do the same.

"With limited resources, they are doing a lot of work up there -- more tasks than we normally asked of them," said Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Kady Kepner. "They are doing a lot of hiking, a lot of moving."

Firefighters have the blaze fully surrounded, and water drops are ongoing.

Kepner added that winds near the El Sereno fire were lower than elsewhere in the county, at about five miles per hour.

"We are lucky we don't have as much wind here," she said.

The fire has burned heavy brush, and a few fences behind homes.

Support for LAist comes from

MORE FIRE COVERAGE

HOW WE'RE REPORTING ON THIS

Reporter Frank Stoltze is at the scene and is talking to the incident commander, we will have more shortly. Editor Melissa Leu and digital producer Jessica Ogilvie are in the office monitoring for the latest and updating this post.

FIRE RESOURCES

YOUR QUESTIONS OR IDEAS

UPDATES:

3:40 p.m.: This article was updated with information about how the fire is being fought, and its increase from 20 to 40 acres.

Support for LAist comes from

4:56 p.m.: This article was updated with quotes and information from Los Angeles Fire Department Assistant Chief Kady Kepner.

This article was originally published at 2:15 p.m. on Oct. 11, 2019.

As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.

Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.

We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.

No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.

Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.

Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist