LUCERNE, Calif. – Firefighters late Tuesday reached the halfway point in the effort to contain a wildland fire burning in the hills above Lucerne.
The Foothill fire was first reported at approximately 5:17 p.m. Tuesday in the area of Foothill and Country Club drives, according to Fire Captain Specialist Russell West of Cal Fire.
Agencies responding to the fire included Cal Fire, Northshore Fire, the United States Forest Service and the Lake County Sheriff Office, West said.
The fire extended up into the area's hillsides, where Cal Fire's air resources – including six air tankers and three helicopters – worked aggressively on it throughout the evening, according to reports from the scene.
Two helicopters, including Cal Fire's Copter 104, dropped water on the ground at the Marymount California University Lakeside Campus, known as “The Castle,” located on Country Club Drive, so they could land and stage at the building early Tuesday evening.
By nightfall, West said the fire had burned 60 acres of grass and brush, with forward progress stopped.
West reported late Tuesday that the incident was 50-percent contained.
Early in the incident, the sheriff's office had reported evacuating five homes. By the time of West's nighttime report, he said the structure threat had been mitigated and no evacuations or road closures were in place.
He said no structures were damaged in the fire.
Resources committed to the incident Tuesday night included 130 fire personnel, eight overhead/command personnel, 17 engine companies, four fire crews, two volunteer companies and two water tenders, according to West.
West said the fire's cause has not yet been determined.
The incident is the largest so far in the 2016 fire season.
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