Firefighters protected homes Tuesday from a brush fire that burned uphill in the Tujunga area of the northeast San Fernando Valley.
The small fire was reported on a hillside in the 10200 block of North Mahogany Trail. Thick clouds of smoke drifted over a nearby neighborhood, but no homes were damaged.
The fire burned uphill in what firefighters described as medium density brush in the Blanchard Canyon area, just south of the San Gabriel Mountain wilderness.
A cause was not immediately determined. The fire was fully contained by 9 a.m. after what firefighters described as a well-coordinated air and ground attack involving the Los Angeles city and county fire departments, and Glendale firefighters.
Firefighters will remain at the scene to watch for hot spots that could flare up.
The fire began during a week of mild late-summer temperatures and calm wind conditions. More than 4,860 fires have been reported this year in California, making this summer one of the most destructive on record. About 4,770 fires were reported through mid-September last year.
This year's wildfires have burned more than 617,200 acres. Last year at this time, about 236,000 acres burned throughout the state.
