As the 33,000-acre Sand fire in Santa Clarita spread on Monday, officials proclaimed a local emergency.
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As California fires continued to rage north of Los Angeles, authorities released more details on the discovery of a burned body of a man found outside a home in Santa Clarita.
A man’s body was found in a burned-out auto as the inferno blazed through neighborhoods, and homicide detectives were working to determine the cause of death.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection says more than 1,300 personnel are battling the fire burning in hard-to-reach, rugged mountainous terrain.
Almost 3,000 firefighters are battling the flames, which are only 10% contained. The cause is under investigation. He noted that crews heading into burn areas have encountered residents still lingering in evacuation areas. It includes about 10,000 homes.
Eighteen homes were lost to the fire by Sunday night as thousands were forced to flee their homes, worrying if they would still be standing by Monday morning. He said calmer winds were helping to keep the fire stationary.
“The sense is this is becoming the norm”, said Inspector Gustavo Medina of the Los Angeles County Fire Authority.
One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries and one structure was destroyed, Cal Fire spokeswoman Amber Anderson said.
This would assist in the “reimbursement for all of the fire fighting, but more importantly, helping those who have been in danger as a result of that fire”, said county Supervisor Mike Antonovich. The fire has claimed six homes and left some residents wondering whether theirs were spared.
Evacuation centers were established at Highland High School at 39055 25th Street West in Palmdale; at Hart High School at 24825 Newhall Ave.in Santa Clarita; and at Lakeview Terrace Recreation Center at 11075 Foothill Drive in Sylmar. The fire grew from 2,000 acres to 5,500 acres overnight, then exploded into 20,000 by 7 p.m. Saturday as the winds began to shift.
A helicopter maks a drop on a wildfire near Placenta Caynon Road in Santa Clarita, Calif., Sunday, July 24, 2016.
“When we evacuate those areas, it’s really important that people don’t try and re-enter those areas”, Johnson said. “I recognize for some of our citizens, they have seen fires before, but these are not normal times”.
Firefighters have been working a fire up and down ridgelines since Friday that has blackened 31-square miles of brush on the edge of Santa Clarita and the Angeles National Forest.
The creatures have been transported to the Antelope Valley Fair Grounds, Hansen Dam and Pierce College. Volunteers showed up with trucks and trailers to help with the rescue. They took him to Castaic Animal Care Center.
Aided by dry fuel and the state’s five-year drought, state fire officials have expected extreme fire behavior this season. More than a dozen homes have already been destroyed and a man was found dead in a auto inside the fire zone on Saturday.
On the weekend, Los Angeles was covered by a blanket of smoke which reduced the sun to a small red dot and deposited a layer of ash on homes and cars on the city’s outskirts.
Now the city is under a smoke advisory and it is easy to see why. Officials recommended that people stay indoors and avoid using swamp coolers and wood-burning appliances. These three areas will remain closed.
Soledad Canyon Road between Agua Dulce and Crown Valley.
Metrolink commuter rail service has been canceled between the Acton, Palmdale and Lancaster stations.
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Melley reported from Los Angeles.
