A series of brush fires burned in Southern California and across the state on Sunday, destroying structures and forcing evacuations in some places, as engine crews prepared to face strong winds overnight.
The largest fire had blackened nearly 15,000 acres in the Gorman area and remained only 2% contained as of Sunday evening, officials said. In Sonoma County, a fire ravaged approximately 1,013 acres, destroyed an unknown number of structures and triggered an evacuation order and warning in the upper Dry Creek Valley, according to Cal Fire.
A precise count of the number of people ordered to evacuate was not available Sunday evening, Cal Fire spokesman Jason Clay said. The fire was 15% contained.
“We’re trying to see what the winds are going to do,” Clay added. “The teams will work hard tonight.”
Firefighters had better luck in the Lancaster area, where flames consumed about 340 acres and damaged some structures, officials said. For a time, neighboring homes were threatened.
A fast-moving bushfire damaged some buildings in the Lancaster area on Sunday afternoon.
(KCAL News)
The fire started near West 80th Street and Avenue K, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. By early evening, crews had the fire under control and no other structures were threatened, department spokesman Craig Little said.
“Progress has been stopped,” Little said. “The fire isn’t going anywhere.”
The number of damaged structures was not immediately available.
Oscar Flores was driving an all-terrain vehicle with his 12-year-old son in Hungry Valley State Park, south of Gorman, on Saturday afternoon when he spotted smoke in the distance.
The 33-year-old Oxnard resident wasn’t too concerned, thinking it was a car fire on Interstate 5, but he was then contacted by a park ranger who told him said he needed to leave the off-road recreation area immediately.
“It felt like it was the last day of the world.” People were charging quickly and merging, driving fast. The ranger said you had 10 minutes (to collect) whatever you could take,” he recalled on Sunday. “Some were angry, upset that they had to leave.”
Flores, his family and friends escaped unharmed, joining some 1,200 campers and visitors evacuated from the recreation area west of the highway after a wind-driven wildfire that broke out reported around 2 p.m. south of Ralphs Ranch Road.
Videos and photos posted to social media captured an exodus of campers, dragging ATVs, from campgrounds crowded with groups celebrating Father’s Day weekend at the 19,000-acre park. I-5 was briefly closed Saturday at Quail Lake and Gorman Post Road, leaving traffic congested, with some accidents apparently caused by drivers stopping to photograph the flames.
The fire quickly grew to 500 acres, and strong, gusty winds overnight in Tejon Pass fanned the Post Fire as it moved parallel to I-5, heading toward southeast to Pyramid Lake, which authorities have closed, according to the California Department of Forestry. and fire protection. The fire had grown to 14,625 acres and was 2% contained as of Sunday evening as high winds, low humidity and steep terrain hampered firefighting efforts. The cause was under investigation.
The fire burned an auto repair shop, damaged another building and threatened other structures south and west of I-5, authorities said. Los Angeles County fire crews responded quickly, launching aerial assaults with water tankers and helicopters. The Ventura County Fire Department and the United States Forest Service assisted in this effort. At one point Sunday, about 400 firefighters and 70 engines were on scene, according to Cal Fire.
Fire crews are monitoring flames near Hungry Valley Road in Gorman on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Temperatures in the mountainous area are expected to reach the low 80s on Sunday after surpassing 90 degrees on Saturday. Wind gusts of up to 50 mph and humidity of 15 to 20 percent in the afternoon presented other challenges. “They’re going to have a tough time with the fire,” said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, firefighters were battling another brush fire in the San Bernardino County community of Hesperia, which broke out after 6 p.m. Saturday in the 18000 block of North Highway 173.
This led to road closures in the area and an evacuation warning for the neighboring community of Lake Arrowhead Estates, according to Cal Fire. The brush fire was moving east and, after minimal activity overnight, expanded to 1,131 acres as of Sunday evening. Crews were reinforcing lines around the fire, which was 20% contained, and mopping up hot spots.
“They’re making really good progress building some of the containment lines,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Chloe Castillo told the Times.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
The wildfires erupted as experts struggled to assess the potential severity of this year’s fire season. A wet winter has nurtured a potentially heavy load of thick grasses, which dry out as temperatures rise. A wind-driven wildfire burned more than 14,000 acres in San Joaquin County, south of Tracy, earlier this month.
Los Angeles County Fire crews were battling the Post fire just days after one colleague was killed and another injured while responding to a quarry fire in the Antelope Valley.
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News Source : www.latimes.com
