LOS ANGELES, Aug 8: A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles has ignited and spread rapidly, forcing thousands of evacuations. The Canyon Fire, which ignited around 1.30 pm, grew to over 4.1 square kilometers in less than three hours and remained zero percent contained late Thursday afternoon.
The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir in the Los Padres National Forest, and is close by Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January. The fire has put 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. In LA County, around 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures are under an evacuation order, and another 12,500 residents are under an evacuation warning.
The evacuation zones in nearby Ventura County are relatively unpopulated, and 56 people were evacuated from the Lake Piru recreation area. The fire is a “very dynamic situation” caused by hot, dry weather, steep and rugged terrain, and dry fuel. LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger urged residents to evacuate without hesitation.
The new blaze comes as a massive wildfire in Central California became the state’s largest blaze of the year, threatening hundreds of homes and burning out of control in the Los Padres National Forest. Wildfire risk will be elevated through the weekend across much of inland California as a heat wave gripping the area intensifies. (AP)
