Firefighters were extinguishing the final embers from an early morning blaze Monday that consumed a food-processing plant in Huntington Park.

The commercial fire at Windsor Foods in the 6700 block of South Alameda Street was tricky to fight because more than 4,000 gallons of highly flammable soybean oil were fueling the flames, said Matt Levesque, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Workers at the plant fill large fryers with the oil every morning, and when the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. the oil acted as an accelerant, he said. 

White smoke still rose from the building's destroyed roof at 11 a.m. as firefighters continued to stream water over the smoldering mess. 

"We're making progress,'' said Levesque, who was on the scene. "It's been a challenging fire."

At the fire's height, more than 150 firefighters battled the blaze. About a third of them remained for the mop up, Levesque said.

An employee who fled the building was taken to a hospital with elbow pain, he said. One firefighter suffered a hand laceration but returned to work after receiving treatment.

The fire's cause was under investigation.

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Photo: About 150 firefighters were battling an early morning commercial fire Monday at a Huntington Park food-processing plant that was throwing up flames and a column of smoke visible for miles. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

About 150 firefighters were battling an early morning commercial fire Monday at a Huntington Park food-processing plant that was throwing up flames and a black column of smoke visible for miles.

Los Angeles County firefighters were dispatched about 5:30 a.m. after smoke was reported rising from a building in the 6700 block of Alameda Street, said inspector Don Kunitomi.

The fire burned through the roof of the one-story building as firefighters battled it with long water hoses and other equipment.

One person who ran from a nearby building tripped and suffered a minor wrist sprain but no other injuries had been reported, Kunitomi said.

The processing plant is in an industrial area between Gage Avenue to the north and Florence Avenue to the south.

There was no word yet on the fire's cause.

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Photo: Firefighters battle an early morning commercial fire Monday at a Huntington Park food-processing plant. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times

View La Habra Heights brush fire in a larger map

Firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand Thursday night in their efforts to battle a blaze that had scorched about five acres in La Habra Heights, officials said.

About half a dozen people were evacuated from a board-and-care facility after the blaze broke out about 7:40 p.m. near Leucadia Road and burned up a steep hillside, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

But the threat to homes diminished as three helicopters made repeated water drops on the blaze. They were assisted by about 60 firefighters on the ground.

Efforts to control the blaze, officials said, were aided by the lack of any wind.

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Map shows location of the blaze. Credit: Khang Nguyen/Los Angeles Times.

View La Habra Heights brush fire in a larger map

Firefighters were battling a blaze Thursday night in La Habra Heights that appeared to be threatening homes.

The blaze broke out about 7:40 p.m. near Leucadia Road east of Skyline Drive, said the Los Angeles County Fire Department, which had dispatched crews to fight the blaze.

About two acres had burned as flames were moving uphill.

[Updated at 8:40 p.m.: Three water-dropping helicopters were attacking the flames as they burned uphill through a mix of grass and thick brush and trees, officials said. At least seven fire engines were on the scene.]

No other details were immediately available.

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Map shows location of the blaze. Credit: Khang Nguyen / Los Angeles Times

Firefighters contained a brush fire on Santa Catalina Island on Tuesday afternoon after it had scorched about 117 acres.

About 120 firefighters were taken to the island by barge and helicopter after the blaze broke out Monday in heavy brush behind a yacht club in the isthmus area of the island.

Ground crews worked through the night to keep the fire from growing and knock down hotspots, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

It was one of several blazes that have flared across Southern California during warm weather caused by dry, offshore winds.

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Firefighters were battling a 20-acre brush fire Tuesday afternoon that broke out in the Antelope Valley.

The blaze was reported shortly before 3 p.m. near the 8300 block of West Avenue I, in an area known as Antelope Acres, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The fire had scorched about 15 acres when the first crews arrived. The blaze was being fanned by dry north winds around 10 mph, fire officials said.

[Updated, 4:57 p.m: The fire has been knocked down after burning about 60 acres, officials said. Crews are mopping up hotspots.]

One home was briefly threatened, but a water-dropping helicopter helped beat back the flames, according to fire officials.

The cause had not been determined.

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A brush fire on Santa Catalina Island was 85% contained Tuesday after charring 117 acres, Los Angeles County fire officials said.

About 120 firefighters were taken to the island by barge and helicopter after the blaze broke out Monday in heavy brush behind a yacht club in the isthmus area of the island.

Ground crews worked through the night to keep the fire from growing and put out slow-burning hot spots, said county Fire Inspector Don Kunitomi. By early Tuesday, the blaze was about 50% contained.

"We were able to extinguish the active flame," Kunitomi said, adding that crews were preparing to use helicopters to drop water on remaining spot fires.

The Catalina fire was one of several that broke out across Southern California on Monday as warm winds blew across the region.

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Firefighters appeared to be gaining the upper hand Monday evening in their efforts to stop a wildfire that had scorched about 30 acres on Catalina, officials said.

[Updated 9:30 p.m.: The Catalina fire was about 40 acres and 30% contained, officials said.]

The blaze was one of several that broke out across Southern California as warm, offshore winds blew across the region.

Earlier in the day, a brush fire in Tujunga Canyon briefly threatened six homes before it was knocked down by about 70 firefighters and water-dropping helicopters, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.  The blaze burned an acre before it was contained about 3 p.m.

In San Luis Obispo County, crews were able to contain a brush fire that burned about 185 acres of grass and light brush near Shandon, about 18 miles east of Paso Robles.

That blaze was battled by crews from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the Kern County Fire Department, officials said.

In the Catalina fire, a strike force was dispatched Monday evening to assist crews with mopping up hot spots burning in heavy vegetation, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

The crews were being transported by barge and were expected to arrive about 1 a.m. Earlier in the day, about 100 firefighters were also sent by barge to help battle the blaze.

Firefighters and water-dropping helicopters fought the fire Monday afternoon as it briefly threatened the Catalina Yacht Club.

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Photo: Helicpoter attacks Tujunga Canyon blaze. Credit: Los Angeles Fire Department

Los Angeles County’s new fire chief said he wants critical communications antenna atop Mount Wilson to be better protected against wildfires, and wants the structures to be protected by a 100-foot zone -- or perhaps a 300-foot barrier in some areas -- devoid of flammable vegetation.

The entities that own property atop Mt. Wilson, including the observatory and the owner of communications equipment, adhere to federal guidelines that require only 30 feet of brush clearance -- far more permissive than standards normally observed in Los Angeles County.

“Long story short: We’re really trying to ask the Forest Service to implement the brush clearance standards in the county into the forest,” county Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby said. “What’s at stake is people’s homes in the forest, private property and the infrastructure we have on the mountain.”

Mt. Wilson is home to antenna for TV and radio stations, cellphones, and fire and police radio equipment. The area was gravely threatened during the Station fire in 2009.

Rescue teams were searching Friday afternoon for a hiker who fell into the San Gabriel River in the Angeles National Forest north of Azusa, authorities said.

The hiker, who apparently was trying to cross the river, was seen floating in the water, but searchers had still not found him several hours after he fell in, said Deputy Mark Pope of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

The incident, which took place near Camp Williams Resort on East Fork Road, was reported at 1:35 p.m., according to a dispatcher for the county Fire Department.

The rescue operation included three helicopters and two dive teams, the dispatcher said.

[Updated at 9:23 p.m.: By nightfall, rescue crews still had not found the hiker. The search was halted for the night and will resume Saturday morning, said Lt. David Vega of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.]

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