LOS ANGELES - Multiple brush fires erupted across Los Angeles County on Thursday as powerful Santa Ana winds and rising temperatures whipped up critical wildfire conditions across the region.
Red Flag Warning
What we know:
National
Weather Service forecasters issued Red Flag Warnings through 8 p.m.
Saturday, warning that damaging wind gusts—reaching up to 75 mph in
mountain areas—and humidity dropping into the single digits create an
extreme risk for rapid fire growth.
To
lower the risk of power lines sparking new blazes, Southern California
Edison initiated public safety power shutoffs for thousands of LA County
residents, with tens of thousands more facing potential outages.
The
critical weather conditions quickly materialized into real threats on
Thursday afternoon, keeping local fire crews busy on multiple fronts:
Bryson Fire
The Bryson Fire broke out around 4:40 p.m. near Mulholland Highway and Encinal Canyon Road in Malibu.
Within 30 minutes, the fire was estimated at about 20 acres and by
early evening it grew to just over 100 acres, including various spot
fires that erupted as winds pushed the flames forward. No structures are
immediately threatened.
Evacuation warnings
have been issued near the Camp Kilpatrick juvenile detention facility.
Fire officials are requesting road closures as well.
Evacuation Order:
Evacuation Warnings:
- SYC-U016
- LEO-U015
- MAL-C114
- MAL-C113
- WLV-C201
- LBO-U018
- CRN-U019
- MLK-U020
- MCR-U021
- VST-U046
A fast moving brush fire in Malibu has triggered evacuation orders and warnings.
Peak Fire
The Peak Fire burning in the Azusa
area broke out Thursday at 1:15 p.m. in the area of San Gabriel Canyon
Road and Mirador Drive and Ranch Road. By late afternoon, the fire was
mapped at 43 acres, with 31% containment.
Water-dropping
aircrafts were dispatched to assist in protecting structures north of
San Gabriel Canyon Road, in the area of Foxtail and Poppyglen courts.
At
2 p.m., evacuation orders and warnings were issued. Officers were going
door to door in the Mountian Cove community evacuating residents.
By 4 p.m., the evacuation order was reduced to a warning, and all warnings were lifted.
At least 15 acres have been burned, according to officials.
Evacuation center
An evacuation center has been created at the Memorial Park Recreation Center at 340 N. Orange Place in Azusa.
Road Closure
There is a hard closure for Highway 39 at Sierra Madre as crews work to evacuate residents.
Tujunga Fire
The Tujunga Fire was reported around 12:45 p.m. in the area of 6341 W. La Tuna Canyon Road, south of the 210 Freeway.
According
to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire burned about an acre of
medium-to-heavy brush. Due to strong winds, the flames were spreading at
a moderate rate, the department said.
No structures were threatened and no injuries were reported.
Los Angeles County Fire Department resources were also deployed.
LAFD
and LA County firefighters are working to contain a fire that sparked
Thursday afternoon south of the 210 Freeway near La Tuna Canyon Road.
Henderson Fire
The Henderson Fire broke out at Camp Pendleton in San Diego County around 2:35 p.m., prompting evacuations.
According to Cal Fire, structures to the south are threatened.
By 3:25 p.m., the fire had spread to 400 acres. By 6:30 p.m., it burned 1,117 acres, according to Cal Fire.
A fire broke out at Camp Pendleton in San Diego, prompting evacuations.
The Source:
Information for this story came from multiple agencies, including LA
County Fire, Los Angeles Fire Department, Cal Fire, Los Angeles Forest
Services, and the National Weather Service.
