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Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Arson In Connection With 200-Acre Fire In Montebello

MONTEBELLO (CBSLA.com) — A 44-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of arson in connection with a 200-acre brush fire burning in the Montebello area.

PHOTO GALLERY: Lincoln Fire Burns In Montebello

The so-called Lincoln fire started just after 1 p.m. Sunday in the Rio Hondo riverbed near Lincoln and La Merced avenues.

As of 10 p.m., firefighters remained on scene and had put out several hotspots in the area, as well as fixed downed power lines. At last check, the fire was at 20 percent containment.

The fire at one point skipped over Rosemead Boulevard and closed a portion of the 60 Freeway for hours.

Super scoopers and helicopters helped attack the fire from all sides.

"It was devastating," said Manny Mendoza, who watched the fire from his patio. "I thought the fire was gonna come this way. You see all the dry grass right there? So there isn't a way to stop it."

Mendoza was worried about his two dogs that were home alone when the fire started.

"I had no access to come through Rosemead Boulevard or through the Montebello Town Center, so I parked at the mall and I ran over here but I couldn't tell if my house was on fire because like I said, the smoke was all the way up," he said.

In all, 33 homes on Muscatel and Hazel avenues, as well as Darlington Street were placed on voluntary evacuation orders.

"All the neighbors were freaking out. It was pretty intense," said one girl.

The fire also forced 12 transients from the area.

A member of the CBS Los Angeles Street Team captured video of a chopper making a hard landing at Rose Hills Memorial Park. One person was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Another firefighter suffered heat exhaustion.

As of 8:30 p.m., authorities reopened the 60 Freeway, but the off-ramp at San Gabriel remained closed. For traffic conditions, listen to KNX 1070 Newsradio.

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