Officials said one firefighter sustained a minor injury, and that structures had been destroyed or damaged in the Bear Divide and Sand Canyon areas. It remained 10 percent contained on Tuesday, authorities said.
Advertisement
At the fire’s peak, about 10 percent of Santa Clarita’s 200,000 residents had been ordered out of their homes, before most were allowed to return Monday night. Officials said all residents entering the area will need to provide identification.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby lamented the unwillingness of some residents to follow evacuation orders during the height of the battle against the flames, saying fire crews encountered residents while heading into the fire zone. Speaking at a Monday morning press conference, authorities implored homeowners to heed evacuation orders.
Officials said civilians are creating a hazard for firefighters when they wait until the last minute to leave or try to get back to their homes when it is unsafe.
Winds suddenly picked up Sunday and pushed the fire in three directions – north toward Agua Dulce, east toward Acton and west toward Santa Clarita – according to Los Angeles County fire Deputy Chief John Tripp. It wasn’t clear exactly how many would remain on Monday night.
Fed by dense brush left desiccated by five years of drought, flames were initially stoked by triple-digit heat and extremely low humidity. L.A. County Board Supervisor Michael Antonovich addressed the topic of Super Scoopers.
Antonovich said a SuperScooper aircraft that the county leases from Canada will not be available until August. Antonovich said the supervisor board will take another look at that contract and will move to declare a state of emergency on Tuesday. By September, all the firefighting money had been spent, and the agency began using money initially intended for recreation and other projects.
While firefighters and home owners have saved hundreds from devastation.
Update 6:30 PM 7/23: Sand Fire is now estimated to be 20,000 acres with 10% containment, with over 900 personnel fighting the flames. “An acre is a football field, so imagine that, 10,000 football fields a day”.
Morgan Franklin, who lives across the street from the home, said the couple had three dogs.
One person has died in the fire and 18 homes have been consumed by the blaze.
On Saturday evening, firefighters discovered a man’s body in a burned vehicle on Iron Canyon Road. The blaze broke out Friday afternoon along the northbound 14 Freeway near Sand Canyon.
The causes of the two fires were under investigation. According to the coroner, the man did not want to evacuate the area. An evacuation center is opened at the Carmel Middle School in the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The Evacuation Center at Golden Valley High School was closed. “Large animals will be able to return as well”. They can be evacuated to Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 2551 W. Avenue H, Lancaster and Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka, Woodland Hills, Hansen Dam, 1798 Foothill Blvd, Lake View Terrace.
Advertisement
Santa Clarita is within an hour’s drive of downtown Los Angeles, and the Sand Fire’s effects have been widespread, with ashfalls reported in some parts of the metropolitan area.
