Illegal Fireworks Cause 400-Acre Brush Fire

ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST —  Three men were arrested after allegedly setting off illegal fireworks that sparked a 400-acre blaze in the Angeles National Forest north of Saugus on Monday, authorities said.

No one was injured and no homes were threatened by the blaze, but firefighters were protecting a power plant and the U.S. Forest Service’s San Francisquito station, which were nearest to the flames, said Randi Jorgensen, a Forest Service spokeswoman.

James Bruggeman, 20; Michael McCune, 19; and Daniel Pearson, 19, all of Saugus, were arrested on suspicion of arson and possessing illegal explosives. They were being held late Monday in lieu of $500,000 bail each in the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station jail, said Sheriff’s Lt. Daniel Castillo.

The three men also were cited by the Forest Service and if convicted will be expected to repay firefighting costs, said Det. Ed Nordskog.

The fire began about 3:50 p.m. about two miles north of San Francisquito Canyon Road and Riverview Road, authorities said. Winds drove the fire northeast deeper into the Angeles National Forest. By nightfall, about 400 acres of tall grass had burned, Jorgensen said.

The spread of the blaze slowed after the temperatures dropped. They had been in the 90s for much of the afternoon, authorities said.

Six air tankers and eight water-dropping helicopters fought the blaze, along with nearly 400 Forest Service, county and city firefighters.

By 9 p.m., the fire was 80% contained and expected to be fully contained by midnight, said Forest Service spokeswoman Margie Behm. Firefighters were expected to monitor hot embers overnight.

Another fire Monday blackened a small area behind a home in the 3000 block of West Avenue L-2 in Lancaster, authorities said. The fire began about 6:20 p.m. and sheriff’s arson detectives were called to investigate, said Lt. Steven Fredericks.

There have been at least 40 fires of suspicious origin in the Antelope Valley this month. Six structures have burned, though most of the brush fires have consumed 30 acres or less.

With unusually dense vegetation in the area caused by heavy rainfall from this year’s El Nino-driven storms, this has the potential to be one of the most dangerous fire seasons ever, authorities say.