Max Fire burns 45 acres near Stevenson Ranch homes in Santa Clarita Valley; evacuations lifted

A brush fire burned dangerously close to homes in the Stevenson Ranch community in the Santa Clarita Valley on Monday afternoon before Los Angeles County firefighters extinguished the flames.

The fire, which was being called the Max Fire by firefighting crews, was reported at around 4:20 p.m. in a hiking area of Pico Canyon Park near Magnolia Lane and Autumn Place, Los Angeles County Fire Department crews said. 

Aerial footage showed large flames burning through dense brush on a hillside near a cul-de-sac of homes. Two helicopters dropped off hand crews, who began to shovel in the area to establish containment lines. 

Another helicopter was seen dropping flame-retardant material on the hillside as the fire continued to burn towards a second neighborhood of homes near Jasmine and Summerhill lanes. 

Some homes were placed under a mandatory evacuation order, while others were issued evacuation warnings, as firefighters continued working to control the flames. All orders and warnings have since been lifted.

As of 6:40 p.m. on Monday, firefighters said the fire had burned about 45 acres. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Firefighters took the incident as another opportunity to remind the public about the dangers of flying unauthorized drones over fire zones. 

"Actually putting that drone in the air is a serious issue that can potentially cause that fire to be a bigger hazard than it actually would have been," said LACoFD Captain Aaron Katon.