Campfire Suspected in 40-Acre Blaze

A brush fire that erupted before dawn Monday in a Topanga Canyon clearing that teen-agers use as a hangout scorched 40 acres and shut down a canyon road but damaged no structures, authorities said.

The fire began about 3:50 a.m. near Old Topanga Canyon and Zuniga roads. By 7 a.m., about 200 firefighters had circled the blaze, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Frank Lopez said. One minor injury to a firefighter was reported.

The fire’s cause was not known, but an illegal campfire was suspected.

The blaze started at a local landmark known as “the swings,” a clearing in a brushy and wooded area that sheriff’s deputies regularly patrol to clear out young people who go there to drink, light bonfires and play on swings installed on several trees, a sheriff’s deputy said.

The fire closed Old Topanga Canyon Road between Mulholland Highway and Topanga Canyon Boulevard.