Fire Grows to 700 Acres Near Acton

ACTON, September 3, 2007 (KABC-TV) (KABC) -- The North Fire, burning near Acton, blew up and came back with a vengeance on Monday.

On Monday night, firefighters had a little bit of a reprieve, but they say that's not any reason for anyone to let their guard down.

Monday evening, flames were still burning their way through the Angeles National Forest near Acton. So far flames have charred 700 acres and containment is a long way off.

"We are calling it 20 percent contained. The fire has died down, the winds have died down and this is when we can make some progress in putting some line around the fire," Dee Gechert, of the U.S. Forest Service, said.

The U.S. Forest Service says more than 400 firefighters from agencies all over Southern California are battling this blaze, which was started by lightning Sunday afternoon.

"The wind picked up and it took off. It hit the fuel and off it went. It was in a bowl and it just whipped itself around and shot out," Gechert said.

The assault on the fire was fierce from the air when wind carried the flames over several mountain ridges over Soledad Canyon Road, threatening mandatory evacuations. Strike teams will battle the flames overnight, working the fire from the ground.

"We've got dozers working on the contained areas, strengthening those lines and we have dozers working in the active fire area, trying to prevent it from moving any further," Gechert said.

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