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Brush fire causes destruction around Lemon Grove Trolley Station

Crews are responding to the scene of a fire in Lemon Grove that started just after 5 p.m.

LEMON GROVE (NEWS 8) — Firefighters were able to quickly put out a brush fire in Lemon Grove Sunday evening, but several homes and part of the trolley infrastructure in the area were damaged in the blaze.

Flames damaged power lines, trolley rail ties, a fence and the eaves of some houses, according to Heartland Fire and Rescue.

The fire was reported just after 5 p.m. Sunday, according to authorities. It took crews from several agencies nearly an hour to stop the fire from advancing and they continued clean up efforts Sunday night. 

The incident was reported as palm trees on fire in the 1500 block of San Altos Place. The fire later jumped Imperial Avenue and was said to be threatening structures on Angelus Avenue. 

Responding firefighters -- who came from Lemon Grove, Le Mesa, San Diego and San Miguel -- found two palm tree crowns ablaze near a house.

The fire the spread down to the trolley tracks and into nearby grass, threatening about 20 homes, he said.

A water-dropping helicopter was used, and firefighters knocked down the flames in about 40 minutes.

Flames damaged power lines and railroad ties to the trolley, a nearby fence and the eaves of some houses, department spokesman Sonny Saghera said. The trolley was temporarily shut down because of the fire, which burnt an area amounting to about 130 yards in total.

The cause of the fire was being investigated by the Orange County Sheriff's Bomb and Arson squad, Saghera said.

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