There are two evacuation centers available for these areas at Hart High School, 24825 Newhall Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321 and Lakeview Terrace Recreation Center, 11075 Foothill Blvd., Lakeview Terrace, 91340.
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An emergency shelter for residents was established at Golden Valley High School at 27051 Robert C. Lee Parkway in Santa Clarita.
Vehicles destroyed due to a wildfire are seen in Santa Clarita, Calif., Sunday, July 24, 2016. Most of the homes that were destroyed were in the areas of Sand Canyon, Bear Divide and Little Tujunga, said Marc Peebles, public information officer for the SoCal Incident Management Team.
Planes were unable to make drops over the fire for a long stretch of the afternoon, but helicopters are releasing retardant around the perimeter. Officials didn’t say how many people would be affected.
Officials warn winds could strengthen as the day goes on, creating more challenges for crews working in steep, inaccessible terrain at the edge of Angeles National Forest.
Eighteen homes were gutted and one was damaged on Saturday in the Santa Clarita area, where evacuations were ordered as flames raged through brush withered by days of 100-degree temperatures in a Southern California heat wave. It’s just 10 percent contained. The cause of death was unclear Sunday, but authorities said the death didn’t appear to be the result of a crime. But unpredictable winds led officials to rescind that decision. The fire has charred 22,000 acres, which amounts to almost 35 square miles. About 300 miles up the coast, crews were battling another blaze across 16 square miles north of the majestic Big Sur region.
North on the Central Coast, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection firefighters battled a blaze in rugged mountains north of Big Sur. One body was found in the burn area on Saturday. The fire 5 miles south of Garrapata State Park posed a threat to about 1,000 homes and the community of Palo Colorado was ordered evacuated, Cal Fire said.
Near Santa Clarita, residents of some 1,500 homes were evacuated, and authorities have found a burned body in a neighborhood. Authorities initially said some residents in Sand Canyon will be allowed to return to their homes at 1 p.m. with the exception of those east of Placerita Canyon and Sand Canyon, with the proper identification.
The body of a man was discovered Saturday in a burned sedan outside a home in the city.
After flames driven by gusty winds swept through an evacuated neighborhood, firefighters reported that some buildings had been engulfed, but it was not immediately clear whether they were homes, outbuildings or garages, said Nathan Judy, a spokesman for the U.S. Fire Service.
By Saturday evening, the fire was 10 percent contained.
The Sand Fire is one of several burning in the state.
“This is the fifth year of an ongoing drought, so we have very extreme fire behavior”, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby said at a news conference on Sunday afternoon. Making air quality worse Saturday night was a separate fire that broke out a commercial building in downtown Los Angeles that also sent thick plumes of smoke into the sky.
The fire in northern Los Angeles County grew to 20,000 acres, or more than 31 square miles, spreading smoke across the city and suburbs, reducing the sun to an orange disk at times.
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“Things got in alignment yesterday and that fire came through like a freight train”, said Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp, of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
