Home » Santa Clarita News » Castaic Fire Now 100 percent Contained; 715 Acres Have Burned UPDATE

Castaic Fire Now 100 percent Contained; 715 Acres Have Burned UPDATE

 

PHOTOS AND VIDEO BY JESSICA BOYER FOR KHTS NEWS

The evacuation order for 19 homes was lifted by Los Angeles County Fire officials Friday afternoon as a 575-acre Castaic fire headed toward Castaic Lake, a natural break.


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The fire is 60-percent contained, fire officials said.

“We have a lot of resources battling this fire, and a lot of interagency cooperation,” said Inspector Miller of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

“It’s blowing up, but it’s blowing up northwest toward Castaic Lake, which is a natural fire break,” said Inspector Keith Mora of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, adding that containment was still at 0 percent.

The fire was initially reported at Lake Hughes Road, near Interstate 5, shortly after 1 p.m., and had burned more than 40 acres within about an hour, according to Fire officials. 

“It’s burning away from the school,” Mora said. “The defensible space around the school, which was created prior to the fire, was really good. It’s allowing firefighters a chance to walk the flanks and pinch off the flames.

Nineteen homes were ordered to be evacuated around 3 :30 p.m. but that order was later lifted and no homes were lost

“(The evacuations included) four homes on Elk Ridge Road, and 15 on Vista Pointe Place. The elementary school was evacuated to a street down the road where family members can pick up (their children),” Mora said.

“It looks like they’re making really good progress,” he added. 

“If the winds shift they can evacuate,” he added, noting buses are available in the area.

Sheriff’s Station officials are looking to support Fire Department officials with transportation for those who are in the area, in the event that evacuations are called for. 

“We don’t have any closures, right now, we’re just trying to get up there right now,” said Lt. Rush of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station. “We’ve got some buses rolling up there to get the kids out in case we need to do that.”

A second-alarm response has been ordered. Several crews are battling on the ground with a coordinated air attack, according to Los Angeles County Fire officials.

The most recent count of officials on the scene included 12 Fire Stations, a paramedic squad, nine fire camp crews, two water tenders and three helicopter units.

“There are fixed wing aircrafts being used in addition to our helicopters,” said Stephanie English of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Homes in the area are being threatened, which are within 100 yards of the fire. 

The cause of the fire is not known at this time.  


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at community@hometownstation.com.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Castaic Fire Now 100 percent Contained; 715 Acres Have Burned UPDATE

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.