Forward progress stopped on 5 acre brush fire in Simi Valley hills

The Ventura County Fire Department responded to brush fire burning in the hills above Simi Valley Friday afternoon.

The blaze ended up burning nearly 5 acres before a large response that included water-dropping helicopters and an air tanker stopped it from getting bigger.

Firefighters responded around 3:40 p.m. to reports of a fire near the 3400 block of Sentinel Court. The area is on the city's north side, where homes back up to open hillsides.

Crews on scene declared it a second-alarm fire, initially saying it had burned up to 2 acres. The Sentinel Fire, as it was named, was burning in an area that was difficult to access.

No threats to homes were reported.

Firefighters reported making good progress on the ground within the first hour, radio traffic indicated, and county firefighting helicopters helped from above. Around 4:40 p.m., an air tanker had made it to the scene.

Within 20 minutes of the air tanker's arrival, crews reported that forward progress had been stopped. Some units started being released a short time later.

An aircraft measured the fire at 4.88 acres before 5:30 p.m., though some earlier estimates exceeded that size.

A bulldozer and multiple hand crews were building and reinforcing containment lines around the blaze, county fire officials said Friday evening. Helicopters also continued to drop water on hot spots.

The cause remained under investigation, said county Firefighter Andy VanSciver.

This story may be updated.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Forward progress stopped on brush fire in Simi Valley hills