Copters Douse 15-Acre Fire Above Chatsworth

About 15 acres of grass and brush were burned Sunday in a fire above Chatsworth that was quickly doused by helicopters dropping water, the Los Angeles Fire Department reported.

The fire apparently broke out in the ruins of an abandoned house about half a mile north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and the Simi Valley Freeway, Battalion Chief Melvin Lydecker said. Investigators had not determined the cause. No other structures were threatened, he said, and there were no injuries.

The fire was reported about 9:40 a.m. and was contained in 30 minutes, Lydecker said. Four helicopters were used because the steep terrain is inaccessible to fire engines, Lydecker said. More than 100 firefighters from the Los Angeles city and county fire departments assisted, he said.