Now Playing Calif. wildfire burns thousands of acres
A brushfire chewing up tinder-dry ridges north of Los
Angeles is a threat to 1,000 homes and could endanger 45,000
residences, fire officials said Saturday.
Southern California firefighters toiled in another
day of triple-digit heat from a dome of high pressure over the region,
and while Central Coast temperatures were more moderate, conditions
included winds and low humidity.
The fire in northern Los Angeles County grew to more
than 17 square miles, spreading smoke across the city and suburbs,
reducing the sun to an orange disk at times. Containment was estimated
at just 10 percent.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District
warned that at times air would reach unhealthy levels. Suburban Pasadena
and Glendale closed their municipal pools due to smoke and falling ash.
The fire erupted Friday afternoon in the Sand Canyon
area of suburban Santa Clarita near State Route 14 as the region was
gripped by high heat and very low humidity. Winds pushed it into the
adjacent Angeles National Forest.
The fire was a threat to 1,000 homes by Saturday
afternoon and those communities were advised to pay attention to news,
said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp.
"But if we were to get very extreme fire behavior
we're up to 45,000 homes ... mainly down in the San Fernando Valley,"
Tripp said.
Neighborhoods within the city of Los Angeles lie
along the so-called urban-wildland interface at the northeast edge of
the valley. Tripp said the Los Angeles fire chief was ready to join the
incident command and 15 strike teams were put on alert in case flames
made a push in that direction.
Hundreds of county and Angeles National Forest
firefighters battled the blaze, aided by three dozen water-dropping
helicopters and retardant-dropping airplanes. Forest Fire Chief Robert
Garcia said early in the day smoke kept aircraft waiting for the air to
clear.
Some 400 animals were being evacuated from the
Wildlife Waystation, a nonprofit sanctuary for rescued exotic creatures
within the national forest.
The sanctuary's Facebook page appealed for donations
of flatbed and enclosed trucks as well as an air-conditioned warehouse
to house the animals.
Over many years, the sanctuary has cared for thousands of animals ranging from lions and tigers to primates and exotic birds. More than 220 horses, dozens of goats and other animals were taken from the fire area, animal control officials said.
Metrolink train service in the area was halted Friday and on Saturday was subject to delays.
About 300 miles up the coast, California Department
of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighters battled a nearly
3-square-mile blaze in rugged mountains north of the majestic Big Sur
region.
The blaze 5 miles south of Garrapata State Park posed
a threat to 1,000 homes and the community of Palo Colorado was ordered
evacuated, Cal Fire said. A middle school in Carmel-by-the-Sea was
readied as an evacuation center.
Jerri Masten-Hansen and her husband said she and her husband watched the fire creep in.
"We felt threatened this morning and decided we needed to go," Masten-Hansen told KSBW-TV.
Her sister also left her home down the road.
"I grabbed all the pictures of the kids and then I
took the paintings of my parents that had been done by a local artist,"
Ellen Masten said.
More than 300 firefighters were on the lines.
Highway 1 and businesses in the Big Sur area, a major summer tourist destination, remained open. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Also regarding the Fire near Big Sur, residents of Palo Colorado Canyon have been evacuated from their homes. So far, there is a way out Highway 1 both north and south still open both ways.
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