Bushfires raged in Southern California and across the state on Sunday, destroying multiple structures and forcing evacuations in some areas while engine crews braced for strong winds expected overnight.
The largest fire burned about 15,000 acres in the Gorman area and was only 2% contained by late Sunday night, officials said. The fire in Sonoma County burned about 1,013 acres, destroyed an unknown number of structures and prompted evacuation orders and warnings in the Upper Dry Creek Valley, according to Cal Fire.
An exact number of people who were asked to evacuate was not available late Sunday night, Cal Fire spokesman Jason Clay said. The fire is 15% contained.
“We’re trying to see what the winds are going to do,” Clay said. “Crews are going to be working hard tonight.”
Firefighters had better luck in the Lancaster area, where the blaze burned about 340 acres and damaged some buildings. For a time, it threatened nearby homes, officials said.
Some buildings were damaged by a fast-moving bushfire in the Lancaster region on Sunday afternoon.
(KCAL News)
According to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, the fire broke out near 80th Street West and Avenue K. Department spokesman Craig Little said crews had the fire under control by early evening and there was no threat to any other buildings.
“Forward progress has stopped,” Little said. “The fire isn’t going anywhere.”
The number of structures damaged was not immediately available.
Oscar Flores was riding an off-road vehicle with his 12-year-old son in Hungry Valley State Park, south of Gorman, on Saturday afternoon when he noticed smoke rising in the distance.
The 33-year-old Oxnard resident wasn’t too concerned, thinking it was a car fire on Interstate 5, but then he was approached by a park ranger who told him he needed to leave the off-road recreation area immediately.
“It looked like it was the last day of the world. People were rushing in and getting out, driving as fast as they could. The ranger said you have 10 minutes to get whatever you need to pack,” he recalled Sunday. “Some people were angry, upset that they had to leave.”
Flores and his family and friends got out safely, and they left the recreation area west of the freeway along with about 1,200 campers and visitors who were evacuated after the wind-driven fire broke out just south of Ralphs Ranch Road about 2 p.m.
Videos and photos posted on social media showed motorhomes, back-to-back ATVs fleeing campgrounds filled with groups celebrating Father’s Day weekend at the 19,000-acre park. I-5 was briefly closed at Quail Lake and Gorman Post Road on Saturday, causing traffic snarls, with some accidents reportedly caused by drivers who stopped to take photos of the flames.
The fire quickly grew to 500 acres, and strong winds overnight in the Tejon Pass fanned the Post Fire, causing it to advance parallel to I-5, and head southeast toward Pyramid Lake, which officials closed off. According to The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection reported the fire had grown to 14,625 acres and was 2% contained by Sunday evening as high winds, low humidity and steep slopes hampered firefighting efforts. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
The fire burned an auto repair shop, damaged another building and threatened other structures south and west of I-5, officials said. Los Angeles County Fire Department crews responded quickly, providing air strikes from air tankers and helicopters dropping water. The Ventura County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service were assisting in the effort. About 400 firefighters and 70 engines were on scene at one point Sunday, according to Cal Fire.
Firefighters monitor a fire near Hungry Valley Road in Gorman on Sunday.
(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)
Temperatures are forecast to reach the 80s in the hills on Sunday, up from 90 degrees on Saturday. Winds gusting to 50 mph in the afternoon and humidity of 15% to 20% added challenges. “They’re going to have a tough time fighting the fire,” said Carlos Molina, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Meanwhile, firefighters were battling another fire in the San Bernardino County community of Hesperia, which broke out in the 18000 block of North Highway 173 just after 6 p.m. Saturday.
Due to this, roads were closed in the area and Evacuation warning to the nearby Lake Arrowhead Estates community, according to Cal Fire. The brush fire was moving east and had reached 1,131 acres by Sunday evening after minimal activity overnight. Crews were reinforcing lines around the fire, which was 20% contained, and clearing hot spots.
“They’re making really good progress in establishing some containment lines,” Cal Fire spokeswoman Chloe Castillo told The Times.
The cause of the fire is being investigated.
The forest fire broke out while experts were trying to assess its potential severity. This year’s fire season. A wet winter has led to potentially heavy fuel loads from thick grasses, which are drying out as temperatures rise. wind-driven wildfire A fire burned more than 14,000 acres earlier this month in San Joaquin County, south of Tracy.
LA County Fire Department crews were trying to contain the Post Fire just days after the death of one of their colleagues. was killed and another man was injured while trying to control a mine fire in Antelope Valley.
