| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Fire near Whittier burns grassy area along 605 Freeway
Friday August 15, 2003WHITTIER, Calif. (AP) A brush fire that appears to have been started in several locations Friday charred a grassy area and forced the closure of southbound lanes on the 605 Freeway for more than an hour, authorities said.
The blaze began about 1:15 p.m., between the Beverly Boulevard offramps. County fire officials said homes in the area in this suburb just east of Los Angeles were initially threatened but there were no reports of any damage or injuries.
No acreage count was immediately available.
The cause of the blaze is under investigation, but it appeared to begin in three or four locations, indicating it may have been started deliberately, county fire Inspector Ed Osorio said.
``It's obviously not a natural occurrence that a fire begins at several spots,'' Osorio said.
The fire was contained within three hours, county fire officials said. The southbound lanes of the 605 Freeway were closed for about an hour before the California Highway Patrol opened all but one lane.
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