DUARTE – Authorities reported the Fish Fire was 100 percent contained June 14 at 9:45 a.m.
 
The fire scorched just a little more than 55 acres of the San Gabriel Mountains after it first ignited Sunday, June 12, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
 
All forward progress was stopped June 13 after firefighters worked to establish a line around the majority of the fire, with cliffs having provided difficulty to access, the Los Angeles County Fire Department announced Monday.
 
Encanto Drive was previously reopened along with Mel Canyon Road and Brookridge Road. Encanto Park, the established site for Helicopter water refueling, has since been reopened as well.
 
Firefighters remained on fire watch into Tuesday night to ensure nothing flared up.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UPDATE, 8:20 p.m.: The Fire in the Duarte foothills is 20 percent contained. As of 7:20 p.m., 25 to 30 acres were scorched. The small fire in the San Gabriel Riverbed was 100 contained, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The Mel Canyon area and streets around Encanto Park will remain closed until 10 p.m, according to the City of Duarte.

UPDATE, 5:23 p.m.: Firefighters have requested a second-alarm for the brush fire burning above Duarte. The fire has burned about 15 to 20 acres, according to Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic.

The fire is reportedly burning north of Brookridge Road and Opal Canyon Road. There is no threat to the homes below. Traffic is blocked at the intersection of Mel Canyon Road and Royal Oaks Road, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station.

DUARTE - Firefighters are reporting 3 acres of brush are burning above Duarte Sunday afternoon.

The fire is burning with a moderate rate of spread in an easterly direction above Brookridge Drive and Mell Canyon Road. One structure is possibly threatened, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department radio traffic.

A full brush fire response has been initiated by Los Angeles County Fire.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

UNINCORPORATED MONROVIA - Two people were found wounded after gunfire rang out in an unincorporated neighborhood near Duarte Valentine’s Day.

The shooting occurred on South Felberg Avenue north of Maydee Street around 2:43 p.m. February 14.

Two people were shot. The victims, described as having critical injuries, were transported to two different hospitals, according to Dispatch Supervisor Cheryl Sims of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Deputies are searching for possibly as many as four suspects in the shooting. A black handgun and possibly a black rifle were used in the shooting, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department radio traffic.

The suspects reportedly entered a gray older-model four-door sedan which was driven south towards Maydee Street and out of view.

Hey sheriffs supervisor did not answer a phone call by this reporter seeking additional information. A motive for the shooting is not yet publicly clear.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE - Firefighters pulled the dead body of a man from a mangled mess of electrical equipment Friday morning.

The man was likely electrocuted at a construction site at 1700 Business Center Dr. just before 7 a.m. April 3. The man’s body was found inside an energized substation, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Firefighters believe the man was electrocuted during an attempted copper wire theft overnight.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department Urban Search and Rescue team waited until Southern California Edison de-energized the equipment before extracting the body.

It is unclear how long the body was at the construction site before being discovered.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE - Smashed glass and some damage to the interior was left after a vehicle crashed into the front windows of a nail salon March 3.

The vehicle, only described by Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Hoang as a silver Ford, crashed into Color Nails, 1735 E. Huntington Dr., just before 4:30 p.m.

There was one patient at the scene. It was unclear if anyone was transported, but a paramedic squad from the Los Angeles County Fire Department was called off at the scene, according to Marvin Lin of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The circumstances that led to the crash were not immediate know.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE – Firefighters and deputies are investigating an envelope containing a “suspicious substance” at a City of Hope Facility.
 
The envelope was discovered at the City of Hope FLASH building, 2240 Buena Vista St., around 2:31 p.m. The envelope containing the unknown substance was discovered in the mail room at the one-story building, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
 
100 employees have been evacuated.
 
No injuries or exposure to the substance has been reported.

The building is the Facilities, Logistics and Support Hub for City of Hope Duarte.
 
No other information is available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE - A woman suffered critical injuries after reportedly shooting herself Saturday morning.

Deputies responded to a call of a woman down near a vehicle at Mountain Avenue and Shrode Avenue around 11:25 a.m. January 5. A handgun was recovered from the scene, according to Sgt. Summers of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Temple Station.

Initial information indicated the woman was possibly bleeding from the head.

There were no other reported victims, Summers said.

The woman’s updated condition was not available.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE - Three people who came into contact with a white substance were uninjured at City of Hope Friday after the substance was deemed non-hazardous.

The substance, which has yet to be identified, was rendered safe by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Hazmat Detail, according to Deputy Morgan Arteaga of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau.

The substance was somehow received by City of Hope, 1500 Duarte Rd. Deputies were first called to the scene at 2:40 p.m. Los Angeles County Firefighters were dispatched four minutes later.

It was not disclosed what building was affected, but Sheriff’s vehicles and fire trucks were stationed just west of the Mickey and Alice Kaplan Clinical Research Building.

The substance was isolated to one room in the affected building, while operations at the rest of the campus were unaffected, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The rest of City of Hope seemed unaware of what transpired. The only indication something was amiss were two deputy patrol vehicles with flashing lights stationed near entrances along Duarte Road and the booming arrival of the Sheriff’s Hazmat Mobile Laboratory.

Authorities on scene gave the “all-clear” at 6:43 p.m., Arteaga said.

The three people who came into contact with the substance were treated and released at the scene, according to Sgt. Summers of the Sheriff’s Temple Station.

Detectives at the Sheriff’s Temple Station will investigate the source of the package, Summers said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

DUARTE – Firefighters are determining the source of a white powder that was delivered to City of Hope in Duarte Friday.
 
Three people were exposed to the substance. No hazardous materials were found on the patients. Hazmat technicians with the Los Angeles County Fire Department are on scene, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
 
The package is isolated to one room with no impact to hospital operations.
 
The package was received by City of Hope staff around 2:40 p.m., according to Deputy Morgan Arteaga of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Information Bureau.
 
Deputies with the Temple Sheriff’s Station are on scene with firefighters.
 
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Hazmat Detail is en route, Arteaga said.

Written by AARON CASTREJON
CityWatch Editor

IRWINDALE - Power remains on as crews will work for likely a week or more until a transmission tower is upright after it was knocked over, a Southern California Edison Employee said Tuesday.

The tower was struck and tipped over in the 1300 block of Las Lomas Road just before 5 p.m. on the Irwindale/Duarte border.

additional crews will be brought in to facilitate repairs and traffic may be diverted during the work, according to Steve Conroy, public information officer with SCE.

An investigation is underway to determine why the tower was hit.

Where the collision occurred  is an area where materials are stored. Unspecified work was taking place, Conroy said.

Firefighters remained on scene for more than five hours near the tower. both directions of Huntington Drive at the Irwindale border and southbound Encanto Parkway south of Hacienda were closed after the tower was damaged, according to the City of Duarte.

There were no reported injuries, Conroy said.