LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA — Flames tore through the hills of Los Angeles County on Monday afternoon as the Palos Fire burned roughly 20 acres near La Habra Heights, destroying at least three structures and forcing evacuations as the blaze pushed dangerously close to homes along steep hillside terrain. Hundreds of firefighters and aircraft were thrown into the fight, and by early evening crews had successfully stopped the fire’s forward spread, though personnel remained on scene working toward full containment.
Fire Erupts in a Canyon Near Whittier
The Palos Fire broke out just after 2:30 PM in the 2400 block of Las Palomas Drive in Whittier, igniting in a canyon before rapidly moving up the surrounding hillsides toward residential ridgelines. Within about an hour, the fire had grown to encompass nearly 20 acres, prompting fire officials to declare a second alarm, a designation that escalates the emergency response and brings additional firefighting resources to the scene.
The fire’s location in a canyon below Casalero Drive created challenging conditions for firefighters, particularly given La Habra Heights’ narrow, winding hillside roads, which local officials noted made firefighting access especially difficult throughout the community.
Homes Destroyed and Residents Forced to Evacuate
The blaze destroyed two homes and significantly damaged two outbuildings, while a third home suffered damage but was deemed livable. Sheriff’s deputies attempted to evacuate residents across 20 to 30 homes in the immediate area as the fire spread, with evacuees directed to a shelter established at Los Altos High School in Hacienda Heights.
La Habra Heights Mayor Brian Bergman noted that hundreds of people live within the area covered by the evacuation warnings, underscoring the scale of the community potentially affected by the fast-moving brush fire before crews managed to gain the upper hand on its spread.
Massive Firefighting Response Deployed
The Los Angeles County Fire Department allocated 76 units and 250 personnel to combat the Palos Fire, deploying helitankers to drop water from above while ground crews worked to establish containment lines across the difficult hillside terrain. The department’s response included firefighters who hiked down into the canyon itself to directly attack the flames, while other crews focused on defending homes positioned along an adjacent ridgeline…