Evacuations were issued as firefighters were working to contain a fire, dubbed the "Dam Fire," that sparked in the Angeles National Forest Thursday afternoon near the Morris Dam in Azusa.
Fire officials said that the blaze torched at least 217 acres and as of 8 a.m. Friday, it was 40 percent contained. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents north of Morris Dam to Crystal Lake. Forest officials said residents should take East Fork to Glendora Mountain Road as an evacuation route. Glendora Police said that as a precaution, campers in the West Fork area of the forest were evacuated. At this time, there are no evacuation orders in Azusa, San Dimas, Glendora or Claremont.
Highway 39 was closed in both directions at East Fork Road shortly before 2:45 p.m., forest officials and Caltrans said. Authorities asked motorists to keep the roadways clear and to pull over for emergency vehicles.