More than 12,000 homes threatened

LA CAÑADA — Thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate their homes during the weekend after an approximately 35,200-acre, quick-moving brush fire came dangerously close to communities.

The blaze is only 5% contained and has destroyed three homes in the Angeles National Forest and 30 cabins, fire officials said. Three residents in the Big Tujunga area and Highway 2 were burned after they reportedly refused to leave during evacuations, fire officials said. The injured residents were flown by helicopter to area hospitals .

More than 10,000 residents have asked to leave their homes under mandatory evacuation orders.

During a Sunday morning news conference at the fire commond post in Lake View Terrace, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked residents in the evacuation zones to heed fire officials' orders.

"There will be people who don't listen," Schwarzenegger said. "...Move as soon as [fire officials] say to move."

Glendale officials lifted mandatory evacuation orders Sunday morning for neighborhoods north of Santa Carlotta between Lowell and Pennsylvania Avenues. City officials had ordered mandatory evacuations Saturday afternoon as a precaution to move residents safely before the fire got close.

Glendale Unified School District schools will be closed Monday due to heavy smoke and unhealthful air quality.

• Station Fire photo galleries (Glendale News-Press)
• Station Fire photo galleries (La Cañada Valley Sun)

“Do not risk your life to save your home,” county Supervisor Mike Antonovich said in a news conference Saturday. “Save your life and let the public safety save your home.”

The Station fire started at 3:20 p.m. Wednesday near the Angeles Crest Highway just north of La Cañada in the Angeles National Forest. Firefighters lost control of the fire when it jumped a main ridge Thursday night.

The fire remained 5% contained this morning, but 1,800 homes and 52 building are still threatened.

“Our strategy right now is to kick the fire when it’s down and fall back to a defensive mode when we need to and go back after it again,” said Mike Dietrich, the fire’s incident commander.

So far, the blaze’s intense heat has resulted in one firefighter being rushed to a nearby hospital for dehydration and renal failure, officials said. The firefighter was going to be released from the hospital Saturday.