Brush Fire Scorches 5 Acres In Pacific Palisades

PACIFIC PALISADES, CA — Firefighters battled a 5-acre fire burning in Pacific Palisades Tuesday. The blaze burned closed to homes and sent smoke billowing over the Santa Monica Mountains.

The blaze broke out at 2:16 p.m. and was burning uphill in heavy brush in the 7700 block of West Calle De Palermo, according to Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Nicholas Prange. The fire burned very close to a small cluster of homes backing up to Topanga State Park. However, the blaze was burning away from the homes into the wilderness, and no evacuations were ordered.

By 3:30 p.m., firefighters had stopped the forward progress of the blaze with an aggressive use of air and ground crews.

"Air and ground crews have knocked down most of the active flames in the brush fire that burned uphill and away from the nearby homes," Prange said. "Crews continue to work to completely eliminate all hot spots in the area...."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation. No injuries have been reported.

The blaze broke out as National Weather Service officials warned of elevated fire danger in the LA area due to spiking temperatures, low humidity and very dry vegetation.

Humidity levels are ranging from single digits to mid teens, according to the NWS. Forecasters blamed the hot spell on an upper-level ridge of high pressure combined with weakening onshore flow.

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