'Large bird' sparks 156-acre fire in Chino Hills, California

The Spark Fire in Chino Hills, California, was reportedly ignited when 'a large bird' caught fire on a power line, then fell into the dry grass below, according to fire officials on Sunday.

The Chino Valley Independent Fire District first reported a 50-acre vegetation fire, but it quickly escalated to 156-acres, causing substantial damage to a multimillion-dollar home.

Three firefighters sustained injuries, two were treated on scene, and one was transported to nearby hospital.

"After viewing the power pole with representatives from So Cal Edison, it has been determined there was not a transformer installed on the power pole, or involved in the fire as initially reported," Chino Valley Fire said in a Twitter post on Monday.

Jackson County Fire District 5 Captain Steve Maziarski confirmed that the incident was reported at 5:59 p.m. near Neil Creek Road.

"Our crews were right around the corner at our Station 2 and were able to hold the fire to one-eighth of an acre," he said. "They had initial knockdown within the first 10, 15 minutes... I would call that luck."

On Monday night, the fire department provided an update that the fire was held at 80 percent contained.

The brush fire started in a rugged area near Falling Star Lane and Chino Hills Parkway, according to fire officials.

"There were no Santa Ana winds, but there was a breeze blowing from the west around 15 mph when the fire started around 2 p.m. PDT Sunday," AccuWeather Meteorologist David Samuhel said.

"Humidity was around 30% during the afternoon, which is typical for a July afternoon. The temperature was above 90 all afternoon with a high temperature of 95, which was cooler than Saturday afternoon when the high was 101, near the Chino Airport," Samuhel said.

"The wind diminished Sunday night. The breeze Monday afternoon was around 10-12 mph," Samuhel said.

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