San Gabriel Complex fire has scorched 5,400 acres

The extreme heat wave has led to a pair of brush fires — dubbed the San Gabriel Complex fires — which have ravaged more than 5,000 acres of the San Gabriel Valley.

It’s now moving westward above Azusa, Duarte and Monrovia. Nearly 800 homes have been evacuated.

Officials believe both fires were caused by humans. The first was caused by a car crash on Highway 39. The second is under investigation. 

The fire hasn’t damaged any homes as firefighters were able to extinguish the flames on the hills closest to them, Los angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp told the L.A. Daily News.

On the east side of Duarte, where the fire ignited, firefighters have made substantial progress, Tripp added. He said the biggest threat as of this morning is the west side of the fire.

“Our big threat today is still that left side of the fire – the west flank,” he said. “There is a fire line from the bottom of the slope all the way to the top of the mountain.”

Authorities have set up an evacuation center at 1600 Huntington Drive in Duarte. [LADN] — Cathaleen Chen