Los Angeles firefighters made major gains in battling the Sunset Fire, which prompted mandatory evacuations for Hollywood and the Hollywood Hills late Wednesday.
“It’s a miracle the house didn’t burn down here,” one firefighter told the Times. Hours earlier, flames had approached the homes lining North Carson Avenue. By 10:30 p.m., flames were barely visible on the hillside in the distance.
“This is a really nice house,” one firefighter said to another as helicopters flew in to drop water. Firefighters on the scene said the fire, which at its peak measured 50 acres, is now down to 42.3 acres and is receding.
Although the fire was short-lived, it caused alarm throughout Hollywood. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for areas north of Hollywood Boulevard and south of Mulholland Drive, east of Laurel Canyon Boulevard and west of Highway 101 around 5:30 p.m.
It was reported at 2350 N. Solar Drive in the Hollywood Hills.
Iconic locations that were evacuated included the TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood Pantages Theater, Dolby Theater, and Ovation Hollywood shopping center.
Early Wednesday morning, 66-year-old David Potts was standing on his front porch, just a few hundred meters from the scene of the fire, as a fire truck parked directly across from him.
Just over the hill, the low noise of engines and running water was interrupted by the crackling of flames. About every seven minutes, another helicopter came and dropped water, raining down on the neighborhood. He stopped to see if the water had extinguished the burning wood he saw from his perch.
His home of 11 years is next to Runyon Canyon. Around 4:30 p.m., I saw on the news that there was a fire nearby, and when I went outside I could smell the thick smoke. He could see the flames only a few hundred yards up the hill, and there was a property between him and the flames.
Shortly thereafter, a mandatory evacuation order was issued, and his wife, daughter, and son-in-law quickly packed up and left.
It took two hours to drive to Glendale in the chaos, but David stayed there and got the hose out.
“This morning, a friend of mine lost his home in Altadena, and I knew I was going to stay until the last moment,” he said.
He packed his truck with supplies and began spraying the house and yard.
No help came for a while. “The moment I was about to throw in the towel, two helicopters came,” he said. They dropped water and he saw a cloud of white steam that sent embers flying everywhere.
He went on to say, “I could see progress from the helicopter.”
Potts knows his neighbors well, so everyone left except for him, he said. He ended up texting them updates while he scrambled to find a mask, got a ladder and continued spraying everything he could reach.
Late Wednesday, about 50 people, some wearing masks, stood in a police line at the foot of Carson Avenue, a winding street that climbs up the hill bordering Runyon Canyon from Franklin Boulevard, watching as gunfire erupted. Some people even had smartphones in hand to take pictures. At one point there was a slight glow on the hillside.
Firefighters and residents alike agree that effective water spray helped extinguish the fire. Firefighters said the nearby Hollywood Reservoir allowed them to travel back and forth frequently. By 10:30pm, water drops were occurring every 10 minutes. From his position, the Times reporter could see the last remnants of the fire and felt the drizzle falling from the water droplets.
Several firefighters stood guard on the hill, while others walked hundreds of yards above with chainsaws and garden tools, cutting fire lines near the top of Runyon Ravine. Flashlights swung from left to right as the dozen or so men walked in single file along the top of the hill.
The majority of the mandatory evacuation zone has been lifted, except for a few city blocks that affected areas north of Franklin Avenue, west of Camino Palmero Avenue, and east of Sierra Bonita Avenue. Fire crews hoped an evacuation order would be placed in the area to prevent vegetation in the area from catching on fire.
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