New Crews Work Towards Containment In Santa Clarita Fire

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SANTA CLARITA (CBSLA.com/AP) - Evacuation orders have been lifted for about 100 homes near Santa Clarita briefly threatened by flames from a smoky fire that ripped through dry brush amid stifling heat.

The fire Sunday consumed nearly 1.4 square miles of brush and closed State Route 14 before crews stopped the forward progress.

Officials say most of the firefighters who initially responded to the roughly 900-acre fire have been released and replaced by fresh crews to tackle the blaze, which is roughly 50 percent contained Monday.

One structure was destroyed, but authorities did not say if it was a home.

Three firefighters suffered minor injuries, one of them heat-related, according to reports from the scene.

A television news van also sustained major burn damage.

Started by a traffic collision on the southbound 14 Freeway near the Sierra Highway off-ramp, the fire was first reported just before 1 p.m. Sunday when flames "jumped the freeway", according to a Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatcher.