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Firefighters Corral Second Brush Fire On Vandenberg Air Force Base

A second major brush fire on Vandenberg Air Force Base has threatened some buildings, and prompted some evacuations. What’s being called the Washington Fire has burned about 250 acres of land on the north end of the base. It started around 2 p.m. Thursday off of Washington Avenue. Despite evacuation orders for a half dozen buildings Thursday afternoon, none were reported damaged, and the forward spread of the blaze was stopped by mid-evening. Firefighters think wind may have knocked down a power line, triggering the fire. Meanwhile, containment is now up to 90% on the Canyon brush fire on the south end of the base. More than 1100 personnel have been involved in efforts to stop that 12,000 acre fire. Some of the crews and aircraft assigned to the Canyon Fire were diverted to help with the new fire on the base Thursday.

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral.