Two brush fires erupted in the Angeles National Forest, north of Azusa and Duarte, amid record-breaking temperatures Monday, KABC-TV reported.
The California Highway Patrol received a call at 10:57 a.m. that a pickup truck went over the embankment on Highway 39 near the Morris Reservoir dam, and that the truck was catching fire.
The blaze -- called the Reservoir Fire -- has now spread to 500 acres. The driver involved in the accident was declared dead, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
A second fire, called the Fish Fire, started nearby in the Duarte area about 90 minutes later. That fire has burned approximately 400 acres.
Azusa police have ordered evacuations for Mountain Cove, Ranch Road and Crystal Canyon, KABC reported.
Smoke from the forest fires was seen by residents across the Southland, including West Covina, Alhambra and Brea. KABC's Phillip Palmer said he could see the fires from Industry Hills.
