As a brush fire raged near the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles on a day of high late-summer heat in Southern California, as many as 200 residences were forced to evacuate.
Around 1:30 p.m., the key north-south highway through California’s Central Valley was completely shut down because the Route Fire had burned at least 4,625 acres near the freeway in Castaic. There was a report of a fire in the area of Lake Hughes Road.
Smoke advisory issued by South Coast Air Quality Management District; remains in effect through Thursday afternoon.
According to LAFD Deputy Chief Tom Ewald, eight firefighters were affected by the heat, and six of them required transportation to a hospital.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has deployed at least 255 personnel to the scene.
According to Ewald, the high temperatures and winds have also contributed to the fire’s rapid spread.
He reassured the public that fire crews would be working into the night, saying that aircraft carrying fire retardant will be flown over the affected districts.
There is no word on whether or whether any buildings were destroyed in the blaze.
Unfortunately, information about the fire’s origin was unavailable at the time of writing.
Craig Little of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said, “We do not foresee any containment at this moment.”
All buildings south of Templin Highway on Upper Ridge Route Road have been ordered evacuated, including the mobile home park Paradise Mobile Estates. The Sheriff of the Santa Clarita Valley has issued an evacuation order for all residents, directing them to head north.
These locations have been ordered to evacuate:
Places to Park Your Mobile Home in Paradise:
Upper Ridge Route Road south of Templin Highway all structures north of Lake Hughes Road east of the Golden Station (5) Freeway west of Castaic Lagoon north of Northlake Elementary School
Supervisor Kathryn Barger of the 5th District in Los Angeles County tweeted that the Northlake Elementary School campus was being evacuated due to a fire.
There is no longer a need to evacuate areas south of Northlake Hills Elementary.
Shelters have been set up at Santa Clarita’s West Ranch High School and Lebec’s Frazier Mountain High School, with assistance from the American Red Cross.
While evacuation orders are in effect, anybody with small animals can drop them off at the Castaic Animal Shelter.
There was a backup in the area, which is in northern Los Angeles County.
At its peak, there were about 15 planes on the scene, dropping water and fire retardant.
According to fire officials, the landscape has proven amenable to the use of bulldozers.
As the start of one of Southern California’s warmest stretches of the year, the fire is occurring at a particularly dangerous time. Through Labor Day weekend, highs will remain in the 90s and 100s.
It’s going to be quite hot on Sunday and Monday. Inland and valley locations will experience temperatures in the triple digits.
Castaic saw midday temperatures of around 100 degrees. Forces of nature were blowing at a rate of 13-17 mph.
