Over 250 Firefighters Battle Highlands Fire

At 12:28 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, firefighters were summoned to a brush fire in Santa Ynez Canyon near the 17100 block of Avenida de Santa Ynez in the Palisades Highlands.

More than 250 firefighters and at least three helicopters battled the blaze, containing it to less than five acres and extinguishing it in four hours and 19 minutes.

No injuries were reported and no structures were damaged, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Also, no evacuation orders were placed.

According to LAFD, firefighters remained on the scene throughout the night to watch for hot spots and flare-ups.

The cause of the brush fire remains undetermined. Arson investigators are looking into the cause.

Residents who live on the rim surrounding Santa Ynez Canyon, gathered and watched as the firefighters fought back the flames in the canyon below.

“I was on my computer and smelled smoke and went outside and there it was,” said Bruce Schwartz, a Highlands resident who counted three city helicopters and one from Los Angeles County Fire Department. “I could see some pine trees that just exploded.”

“They’re doing a fabulous job,” Schwartz added about the public safety response.

Ken Adler, a Highlands resident, was on his deck and saw the flames, prompting him to call 911. “Within five minutes, we heard the fire engines, and it took about 15 to 20 minutes for the choppers to get here.”

Another Highlands resident Jim Lockwood said he’s lived in the neighborhood for 11 years and had never seen a fire in the canyon before.

At the scene, Capt. Mike Ketaily from Station 69 estimated that about half an acre had burned by about 1:15 p.m. and said residents should remain in place. He noted a cause had not been determined except that it began in the brush.

By about 1:45 p.m. firefighters on the scene were telling residents the fire was “under control.” Firefighter Leroy Rogers, from Station 63 in Venice, who responded along with crews from the Palisades, Culver City, Santa Monica, Malibu, Beverly Hills and other areas, said the fire “is not getting out of this bowl.”

Down at the bottom of Palisades Drive, anxious residents awaited news about the fire. At about 1 p.m. the northbound lanes of Palisades Dr. were closed so residents were unable to return to their homes. More than a dozen residents chose to wait it out at the Starbucks in Highlands Plaza.

Some residents expressed concern about pets stuck in their homes. Others wanted news about when the street would re-open. For Susan and Jeremy Gordon who have lived in the Highlands for more than 30 years and “seen it all – fires, earthquakes, floods,” it was their groceries that were top of mind. “We have a lot of groceries in the car. We had to run over to Von’s to buy ice to try to keep them cool.”

The couple, along with other Highlands residents, had to wait until about 3 p.m. when Palisades Drive re-opened.

Pacific Palisades Community Council Area Representative Paul Glasgall said Monday there’s been three questionable fires in the Highlands over the last four to five years, and the neighborhood’s governing body has posted flyers for residents to keep an eye out for arsonists.

–Frances Sharpe contributed to this article.