The Dec. 6 Skirball fire was caused by an illegal cooking fire at an encampment in a brush area.
Authorities revealed Monday that the Skirball fire Dec. 6, which saw many in the area surrounding Brentwood forced to evacuate their homes, was caused by an illegal cooking fire.
The source fire ignited an encampment brush next to the area where Sepulveda Boulevard crosses under the San Diego (405) Freeway. The fire, which was 85 percent contained as of Monday afternoon, scorched 422 acres since it broke out shortly before 5 a.m. on Dec. 6, the Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) reported.
No one was at the scene of the fire’s origin when firefighters arrived, and no one has been arrested, according to LAPD.
The flames destroyed six homes and damaged 12 others, and at one time prompted the evacuation of about 700 homes and an apartment building in the Bel Air area. One firefighter suffered neck burns and was treated at a hospital. Two other firefighters suffered minor injuries.
Classes in Brentwood were cancelled and the Archer School For Girls’ groundbreaking ceremony on its “Moving Archer Forward” with its Campus Master Plan, which was slated to take place on Dec. 8, has been postponed until Monday, Jan. 8.
