Brush fire in Montebello scorches 370 acres

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Monday, August 17, 2015
Brush fire in Montebello scorches 265 acres
A brush fire in Montebello has scorched 265 acres by Monday, with 65 percent containment.

MONTEBELLO, Calif. (KABC) -- A brush fire in Montebello has scorched 370 acres by Monday, with 80 percent containment.

The wildfire broke out Sunday afternoon along the 900 block of North Lincoln Avenue. The fire sparked a second blaze that burned more than 80 acres near San Gabriel Boulevard by the intersection of Lincoln Avenue.

Residents in the area saw plumes of smoke just before 2 p.m. The fire had spread quickly through the Whittier Narrows Recreation Area and transformers near the flames blew up.

On Monday, 62 people remained without power. Ten power poles were damaged and will have to be replaced.

Authorities said 45-year-old Arturo Aguilar was arrested and booked at the Montebello police station on felony suspicion of unlawfully causing a fire. His bail was set at $35,000.

Lincoln Avenue and San Gabriel Boulevard remain closed in the area.

PHOTOS: Fire scorches Montebello riverbed