A fast-moving wildfire in Southern California has forced thousands of residents in Los Angeles and Ventura counties to evacuate. Ignited in a mountainous area north of LA on Thursday afternoon, the blaze reportedly spread rapidly and, by late afternoon, was zero percent contained and moving east.
AP reported, citing Ventura County emergency response, that the Canyon fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. and grew to more than 6 square kilometers within five hours. The flames are burning south of Lake Piru in the Los Padres National Forest, near Lake Castaic — an area scorched by the Hughes Fire in January.
The Chair of the LA County Board of Supervisors, Kathryn Barger, in a post on X, wrote that the California Canyon fire is spreading quickly and urged the citizens to take the evacuation order seriously.
“The Canyon Fire is spreading fast under extreme heat & dry conditions near Ventura–LA County line. If you’re in Santa Clarita, Hasley Canyon, or Val Verde, take evacuation orders seriously — when first responders say GO, leave immediately. Keep aware–please don’t risk lives,” Barger posted.
She also informed that the LA Red Cross has set up an evacuation center at the College of the Canyons for residents impacted by the wildfire.
Central California Wildfire
IAN reported on Wednesday, citing authorities, that hundreds of structures are threatened by a fast-moving wildfire that had scorched about 332 square km in less than five days in Central California. The wildfire, dubbed the ‘Gifford Fire,’ broke out Friday afternoon when four separate ignitions along a California highway merged into a single wildfire currently burning on the Santa Lucia Road in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, according to the US Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The fire has also prompted evacuation orders for residents in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
There are over 1,900 personnel assigned to the fire, alongside 40 hand crews, 115 engines, 23 dozers, and 30 water tenders supported by air tankers and helicopters, according to a US interagency all-risk incident information management system, InciWeb.
The National Weather Service’s Los Angeles office said that the smoke would affect parts of Southwest California and noted that wildfire smoke is a health risk.
