A small brush fire flared up Sunday afternoon, June 28th, at the southwest edge of
Madrona Marsh, but was quickly extinguished by the Torrance Fire
Department. A passerby reported seeing flames and smoke just before 3
p.m. and two engines were dispatched to the marsh, along with several
police units to block northbound traffic on Madrona Avenue.
Firefighters had to remove two ten-foot sections of the fence that
surrounds the marsh to gain access to the fire, which was inside the
fence along Madrona Avenue about fifty yards north of Sepulveda. A
strong breeze from the south was pushing the fire northward, and
observers estimated the burned area at that time was eighty feet long
and ten to fifteen feet wide.
The fire crew went to work, and within fifteen minutes had the fire
completely contained, but by then the burn area was 120 feet long and
had widened to 25 feet its northern end.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and a report will be filed
this week, but it appears to have been started when several mylar
balloons struck power lines, caught fire and plummeted to the dry grass
below. Charred remnants of balloons were found at the base of a
utility pole where the fire started.
Madrona Marsh, but was quickly extinguished by the Torrance Fire
Department. A passerby reported seeing flames and smoke just before 3
p.m. and two engines were dispatched to the marsh, along with several
police units to block northbound traffic on Madrona Avenue.
Firefighters had to remove two ten-foot sections of the fence that
surrounds the marsh to gain access to the fire, which was inside the
fence along Madrona Avenue about fifty yards north of Sepulveda. A
strong breeze from the south was pushing the fire northward, and
observers estimated the burned area at that time was eighty feet long
and ten to fifteen feet wide.
The fire crew went to work, and within fifteen minutes had the fire
completely contained, but by then the burn area was 120 feet long and
had widened to 25 feet its northern end.
The cause of the fire is under investigation and a report will be filed
this week, but it appears to have been started when several mylar
balloons struck power lines, caught fire and plummeted to the dry grass
below. Charred remnants of balloons were found at the base of a
utility pole where the fire started.
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