All remaining evacuation orders in Monrovia were lifted Sunday afternoon as firefighters had surrounded a brush fire that charred more than 100 acres in the foothills at the northern edge of town since Saturday morning.
Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan announced all residents still evacuated due to the Madison Fire were free to return home shortly after 3 p.m. Only residents were being allowed into the recently evacuated neighborhoods in case the wind should pick up and again.
“The fire has been held to 125 acres,” he said. Firefighters had drawn solid containment lines around 85 percent of the wildfire, he said, leaving only a small portion on the eastern flank uncontrolled.
Though estimates Saturday placed the size of the fire, which ignited shortly after 11 a.m. along the 300 block of Madison Avenue, at 175 acres, the estimate was revised Sunday, Monrovia spokeswoman Jennifer McLain said.
“We do have crews continuing to work the fire line as we speak,” Donovan said Sunday afternoon. Twenty fire engines and 10 hand crews remained assigned to the fire, which was burning in steep, tough terrain, with a water-dropping helicopter on stand-by.
“At the height of the incident, over 400 homes were directly threatened by the fire, and due to the hard work of Monrovia Firefighters and mutual aid partners from across Southern California, no homes were damaged or destroyed,” Donovan said.
Overnight, three to five patrol crews would continue working the fire, Donovan said. Today, crews were expected to finish building the containment lines in the form of a 200-foot-thick layer of fire retardant foam between the wildfire and nearby neighborhoods.
The fire was largely smouldering Sunday, Donavoan said, although “we did have some spot fires.”
Though the weather continued to be cooperative Sunday, an increase in wind remained a concern.
“If we get a significant wind, it can pick up embers and carry them over the containment line,” Donovan said.
About 200 homes were evacuated at the peak of the fire Saturday, McLain said.
“They were pretty aggressive using foam to protect the homes,” McLain said.
“Residents will see smoke in the area from active fire, and you might also spot fire in open areas,” city officials said in a written statement. “Hand crews will be working in the hills, and fire engines will be in neighborhoods supporting this work.”
In an ironic twist, the fire is blamed on a fire prevention effort, officials said.
It was sparked by a gardener’s power tool, Donovan said. The homeowner had hired the gardener to perform weed abatement ahead of fire season.
Having discussed with other fire chiefs the weather and vegetation conditions in the area, “We are anticipating a very bad fire season,” Donovan said.
And to have such a large fire so early in the season seemed to indicate that prediction was accurate.
“I think we’re in for a long road.”

MONROVIA — A brush fire in the hillsides of northern Monrovia quickly grew to 175 acres and prompted mandatory evacuations of about 200 homes Saturday, authorities said.

The fire, which ignited shortly after 11 a.m. along the 300 block of Madison Ave., was 50 percent contained by nightfall, Monrovia Fire Department and city officials said.
As the fire continued to grow Friday afternoon, mandatory evacuations were ordered along the fires eastern flank in an area above Foothill Boulevard in the vicinity of Myrtle Avenue.
The fire was separated by one ridge from neighborhoods, though no homes were “directly threatened” by the wildfire Saturday afternoon, Monrovia Fire Department and city officials said.
“The fire has jumped a critical containment line and continues to burn,” Monrovia Fire Chief Chris Donovan said Saturday afternoon. The blaze was working its way east through heavy brush that has not burned in more than 55 years.
But by nightfall, firefighters appeared to be getting the upper hand. The majority of evacuations — for all but four streets — were lifted at 9 p.m.
Only Highland Place, Heather Heights Court, Briarcliff Road and Alta Vista Avenue remained under mandatory evacuations orders Saturday night, due to concerns over possible overnight winds.
“There is no imminent danger,” Donovan said. “Residents are asked to be patient, but no time has been established at this point to lift the evacuation.”
An evacuation center was set up for displaced residents at the Monrovia Community Center, 119 W. Palm Ave, and the Red Cross was summoned to offer assistance, fire and city officials said. Few residents made use of the shelter Saturday afternoon.
Sixty-five fire engines, five water dropping helicopters, two water dropping fixed-wing airplanes, six hand crews and two bulldozers were assigned to the fire in the afternoon, Donovan said.
Firefighters switched tactics after sunset, relying less on water drops on more on hand crews, officials said. Twenty engines and six hand crews continued working overnight.
“The concern for tonight is downwind draft, which is typical for foothill areas,” Donovan said. “I am comfortable with the situation and the lack of wind.”
Officials used Monrovia High School as a base for them to operate out of, Monrovia spokeswoman Jennifer McLain said.
The fire was believed to have been sparked by power tools from gardening work, Donovan said.
Saturday’s hot weather took a toll on the firefighting effort, and one firefighter was treated for heat-related injuries, officials said.
But the weather was also cooperating in some respects, Donovan said.
Humidity levels were reasonable and an expected increase in wind in the afternoon was less significant than anticipated.
“It’s still a primarily fuel and topography driven fire,” the chief added.
Donovan commended the firefighters.
“The firefighters are doing hard work up there, and they’re doing an excellent job of protecting homes,” he said.
Animal control officials were called to the scene of the fire about 4 p.m. after firefighters spotted a bear, McLain said. The animal control officers shooed the bear away.
The first firefighters who responded to a 9-1-1 call reporting the fire encountered “light smoke with fire burning uphill,” Donovan said.
Residents said firefighters arrived and began attacking the fire very quickly, but it continued to quickly spread through the heavy fuels as it worked its way toward the east.
Within a matter of hours, what began as a narrow pillar of smoke rising from the foothills spread into a haze that obscured the San Gabriel Mountains.
The fire burned within 60 feet or so of Fred Bowden’s Crescent Drive home. Though he said he was concerned, he never thought his house was in serious danger.
He said he took his pets to his office and was ready to make a hasty retreat if he had to, but was confident firefighters had the situation under control.
“Monrovia Fire did a good job. I was impressed,” Bowden said.
At the outset of the fire “the flames were about 50 feet high,” said Bowden’s brother-in-law Paul Pollack. “They jumped on this thing fast. They did a hell of a job.”
A group of residents living along Crescent Drive, near the fire’s origin, decided to make the best of the situation.
They set up lawn chairs and gathered food in the front yard of Terry Blank, who had a closer-than-comfortable front-row view of the fire.
“I’m pretty calm,” she said. “I don’t panic.”
Neighbors brought over some food and drink, and Blank whipped up some snacks as the neighbors gathered for a sort of fire-watching block party.
But it wasn’t all fun, said Blank’s daughter, as the fire still seemed to pose a potential threat to some homes farther to the east.
“We have longtime friend’s up there,” she said.
Evacuees needing a place for their pets were invited to drop them off at the Pasadena Humane Society, which is at 361 S. Raymond Ave. in Pasadena and can be reached at 626-792-7151, or the Wonder Ranch Dog Ranch in Monrovia, which is at 220 Taylor Street and can be reached at 626-205-2501. The Wonder Dog Ranch has offered to board both dogs and cats.

PHOTO by Sarah Reingewirtz

MONROVIA — Coroner’s officials Friday released the name of a 58-year-old man found dead inside his burning mobile home over the weekend in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia.
Michael Patrick Mullins died at the scene of the fire, which was first reported about 8:45 a.m. Saturday at a mobile home park in the 2500 block of South Peck Road, Los Angeles County Department of Coroner Assistant Chief of Operations Ed Winter said.
An autopsy had been performed, however Mullins’ cause of death was deferred pending further examination, Winter said.
Neighbors described Mullins as a chef and a friendly man who largely kept to himself and maintained a close relationship with his mother and step-father. He had lived in the complex for more than five years, but had moved into the mobile home he was living in over the past few months.
Firefighters found Mullins’ badly burned body to the rear of the mobile home while extinguishing an extensive fire in the structure, Los Angeles County fire and coroner’s officials said.
The cause of the fire was being investigated by sheriff’s arson investigators, which deferred comments to the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, which was conducting a death investigation. The handling homicide detectives could not be reached for comment.

MONROVIA — A fire blamed on a malfunctioning heater scorched a couple’s home Sunday, however no injuries were reported, officials said.
The fire was first reported about 9:25 a.m. in the 700 block of East Lime Avenue, Monrovia spokeswoman Jennifer McLain said.
Four fire engines and two trucks from the Monrovia Fire Department extinguished the fire by 10:15 a.m., she said.
Officials estimated the fire caused $100,000 worth of damage to the home and its contents.
“It looks like the cause was a faulty heating unit,” McLain said.
The husband and wife living in the home managed to get themselves out prior to firefighters’ arrival, McLain said.
The home remained structurally sound and the couple was allowed to re-enter, she added, though electricity remained shut off due to the fire.

MONROVIA — A 58-year-old chef died Saturday in a fire that destroyed his mobile home in an unincorporated county area near Monrovia, authorities and neighbors said.
Officials did not release the dead man’s name pending positive identification and confirmation that his family had been notified.
The fire was first reported at 8:46 a.m. at a mobile home park in the 2500 block of South Peck Road, Los Angeles County Fire Department Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims said.
Prior to firefighter’s arrival, neighbors did what they could to help, officials said.
“There were residents on the street that were initially trying to knock it down themselves,” Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Larry Burke said.
But the garden hoses and handheld fire extinguishers did little to combat the fire, which fully engulfed the mobile home when firefighters arrived, according to fire and sheriff’s officials.
While it was not immediately clear on arrival whether anyone was inside the burning mobile home, neighbor’s informed firefighters that the occupant’s vehicle was present in the parking lot and he was “unaccounted for,” Burke said.
So firefighters began searching the mobile home as they worked to extinguish the flames, he said. The body as discovered in the rear portion of the mobile home.
It took firefighters about 15 minutes to extinguish the fire, which did not spread to any other units.
The cause of the fire was being investigated by fire department arson investigators, Los Angeles County sheriff’s arson investigators and the Sheriff’s Homicide Bureau, sheriff’s Sgt. Abel Moreno said.
Sergio Aranda, the manager of the mobile home park, said the resident had lived in the complex for more than five years, but had moved between mobile homes within the park several months ago.
The man lived alone remained very close with his mother and step-father, Aranda said. “He worried about them.”
“He would keep to himself,” Aranda said. “He was nice.”
Neighbors said the man was also struggling with cancer, but was able-bodied.
Aranda said he last saw the man Friday, and nothing struck him as unusual as they exchanged greetings.
“He was friendly,” said the mobile home park groundskeeper, Richard Ross.