A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles has forced thousands of evacuations, becoming one of two ongoing blazes of concern in California.
The Canyon fire in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, which started on Thursday afternoon, has grown to growing to 4,850 acres. It is 0% contained.
More than 4,000 residents are under an evacuation order, and officials are closely watching 1,400 structures.
“Firefighters continue to battle the blaze as it spreads east toward the community of Castaic in Los Angeles County,” a status report from firefighting officials states. “Throughout the evening and into the early morning hours, firefighting aircraft made repeated water and retardant drops in an effort to slow the fire’s advance and support crews working on the ground.”
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Further north, A wildfire burning in two counties, now the biggest fire in California this year, is threatening more than 1,500 structures and has burned more than 99,000 acres.
The Gifford Fire burning in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara started on Aug. 2. The fire covers San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, and it is 15% contained
“Overnight winds exceeding 30 MPH for over an hour pushed the fire toward Huasna and Willis Ranch, with active spread between Pine Ridge and Haystack Canyon,” a Calfire update states. “This prompted new evacuation orders west of those areas in San Luis Obispo County. The rest of the fire area saw minimal activity last night.”
Nearly 3,500 personnel, 19 helicopters and 243 engines are assigned to the blaze. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.