A brush fire that burned 250 acres in the San Gabriel Canyon above Azusa was 70 percent contained Tuesday night, fire officials said.
Dubbed the "Madre Fire," the blaze about 25 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles was first reported at 5:56 p.m. Monday near Fish Canyon near Van Tassel Ridge, and more than 400 firefighters were working to control the flames. Evacuation orders for the area were lifted by 11:30 p.m., Azusa Police Sgt. Andy Sutcliff said.
Crews worked throughout the night to protect properties in the area.
Smoke could be seen early Tuesday from the 210 Freeway in Azusa. The aerial attack Tuesday included a SuperScooper water dropping aircraft and SkyCrane. The first water drops were reported at about 6:30 a.m.
Windy conditions are in the forecast for the area Tuesday. The threat posed to homes will depend on which direction the wind pushes the fire Tuesday, but fire officials no homes are considered threatened Tuesday afternoon.
"We always advise neighborhoods in this area to be careful -- the winds do tend to shift," said Inspector Keith Mora, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "We've made great progress and hope to really gain control before the winds pick up again."
Street closures in the Duarte area included Huntington Drive at Encanto Parkway, and all residential streets that intersect with Encanto Parkway north of Huntington Drive into Fish Canyon. Encanto Park was closed and being used as a staging area for water-dropping helicopters.
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