Firefighters on Defensive in Tujunga

Tujunga (myFOXla.com) - City firefighters worked themselves into defensive positions today along the winding, narrow roads in Tujunga's "Rustic" neighborhood, where flames from the monster Station Fire crept downhill toward some 300 homes.

The foothill neighborhood bordering the Angeles National Forest was evacuated at noon Monday, and four strike teams, comprising about 100 firefighters were monitoring the flames as they were "backing down the hill" this morning, LAFD spokesman David Ortiz said.

"We've been pre-planning for years in this area. We knew this was one of the most vulnerable places along the foothills," Ortiz said this morning at the Hansen Dam command post.

Fire engines were staged at homes at the mouths of Zachal, Rowley, Haines and Bluegum canyons, where many of the cottage-style homes were built out native stone in the 1920s as retreats for asthmatics.

"Those are very narrow streets, and there are lots of trees, and the houses on small lots," Ortiz said. "Because of the narrow streets and the tree canopy, it makes it hard to get apparatus up there."

Crews were staged along streets such as Lonzo, Terracita Road, Parsons Trail and Grenoble Street. Bulldozers were deployed on fire roads.

As of about 9:30 a.m., firefighters were holding their own, but the wind was starting to pick up as an onshore air flow returned to the region after a week of 100-degree-plus weather. Spotters were on the lookout for any "down- canyon" winds that might drive embers into housing.

Overall, the nearly week-old Station Fire is about 5 percent contained. County fire commanders said hand crews and firefighters on bulldozers and they had established fire lines around about a quarter of the 120,000-acre-plus wildfire.

About 28 miles of fire lines have been established, but county fire spokesman Mark Whaling said another 75 miles of fire line was needed to contain the blaze.