An out-of-control campfire might have started a 1,700-acre brush fire that destroyed two homes as it raced down a hillside and cast wind-blown embers into a foothill community south of Southern California's Angeles National Forest.
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Three men were arrested in connection with the fire, which forced evacuations involving about 1,000 homes as firefighters on the ground and in the air continue the attack in Glendora, a San Gabriel Valley city located about 30 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. The Colby Fire, reported at about 6 a.m., quickly grew to 1,700 acres and sent thick smoke that could be seen throughout the Los Angeles region.
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Embers blown by 30-mph wind gusts into a neighborhood set palm trees ablaze like matchsticks and sparked several small spot fires.
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Wes Purkiss and his family evacuated early Thursday. He saw thick, black smoke coming from near his home above Sierra Madre Avenue.
"I can't see my house, but there's some black smoke rising from my house or (the) house across the street," said Purkiss, who has resided in the house for 30 years. "There's nobody up there now."
The fire was estimated at 30 acres at about 6 a.m. before growing to 125 acres by 7:45 a.m. At 9 a.m., fire officials estimated the acreage at 200 before the fire exploded to 1,700 at 10 a.m.
Watch: Homeowner Wakes to Brush Fire Outside House
"It was growing pretty rapidly," said Jim Tomaselli, U.S. Forest Service. "The fire was initially inaccessible to our engines, it wasn't up against a road."
One person suffered minor burns, according to fire officials.
The fire might have started with an out-of-control campfire, according to Glendora police.
The U.S. Forest Service detained one person near the origin of the fire, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Glendora police arrested two other people after a 911 caller reported "suspicious" activity in the area after the start of the fire.
More Coverage: California Wildfires | Aerial Video: Embers Light Trees on Fire
The men were booked on suspicion of recklessly starting a fire, said Glendora Police Chief Tim Staab. They were identified as 20-year-old Clifford Henry, of Glendora; 23-year-old Jonathan Jarrell, of Irwindale; and 21-year-old Steven Aguirre, whose most recent residence is listed as Los Angeles.
"They are being cooperative," said Staab. "One reported that they started a camp fire and the wind picked up."
The suspects are being held on $20,000 bond each.
Firefighters Save "Hundreds, If Not Thousands, of Homes"
One resident told NBC4 the wind-blown embers were "torching everything they touch," including parts of houses and the dry fronds of palm trees.
"As the fire moved down the hill, it set the patio cover on fire, but the neighbors got out there with hoses and put that out," said resident Lois Sparking. "There's unburned ground above it, so apparently that was from embers."
The fire burned amid thick, dry brush during a stretch of hot, dry and windy weather in Southern California. By Thursday afternoon, calm winds appeared to push the fire away from residential areas and into the forest. Image may be NSFW.
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Members of Glendora Seventh-Day Adventist Church also fought flames with garden hoses. A palm tree on the property burned, but no structural damage was reported.
Red Flag fire weather warnings are in effect through Friday. The warnings include increased staffing levels for fire agencies and pre-deployment of firefighting resources in the warning area.
"Due to the dry vegetation and summer-like conditions we've had, our department was over-staffed today," said LA County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. "Because of that preparation, we were able to save hundreds, if not thousands, of homes."
The warnings come after the driest year on record in California and what could be the driest January in the state. The all-time low rainfall record in January occurred in 1984, when just 0.3 inches of rain fell across California.
The firefighting arsenal includes SuperScooper air tankers, water-dropping helicopters and at least 700 personnel.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the area south of the fire and east to Azusa. Aerial video showed residents, some carrying pets, running to vehicles and leaving the neighborhood through thick smoke that could be see throughout Southern California.