Canyon fire explodes to nearly 5,000 acres; thousands evacuated in LA, Ventura counties

LOS ANGELES – Firefighters Friday continued battling the Canyon fire, which exploded to nearly 5,000 acres late Thursday, forcing thousands of residents in northern Los Angeles and eastern Ventura counties to evacuate.

Taking advantage of cooler temperatures overnight, crews were able to make some inroads against the fast-moving blaze on the ground and in air, particularly with repeated water and retardant drops, Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd said Friday morning.

“We’re still expecting hot and dry conditions today,” Dowd said. “We still have record-low fuel moisture in the area, so we’re not letting our guard up.”

The Canyon fire quickly became the largest of several fires sparked during days of intense heat in Southern California, which officials have repeatedly warned can foster extreme fire growth. To the north in Santa Barbara and San Luis Opisbo counties, the much larger Gifford fire has burned 100,000 acres.

The Canyon Fire broke out amid 100-degree temperatures and moderate onshore winds that hit up to 25 mph – compounded by exceptionally dry vegetation.

“Yesterday we were seeing significant plume development, we were seeing very rapid fire growth … within certain areas of the fire,” Dowd said.

And those conditions were again expected Friday and into the weekend, though temperatures may drop a degree or two.

“It’s ripe for fires and fire spread,” said Mike Wofford, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Oxnard. He said temperatures may peak Friday at 98 degrees around the Canyon fire, but the heat, winds, low humidity and parched landscape would continue to create elevated fire conditions through the weekend.

“Although a few degrees of cooling is expected through the weekend, a very warm air mass will remain in place. An onshore flow regime will keep temperatures from exceeding record levels, but temperatures are expected remain above seasonal normals as high pressure aloft lingers over the Southwestern United States,” the weather service said in a Friday morning forecast.

The fire broke out around 2 p.m. Thursday near Holser Canyon Road, northeast of Piru – a small, unincorporated town not far from Castaic Junction, according to Ventura County officials.

The fire was initially reported to be about 30 acres, but within about two hours that estimate jumped to more than 1,000 acres, according to Ventura County officials. By Friday morning, the fire had burned 4,856 acres and was spreading east toward Castaic and Interstate 5 in L.A. County. It was 0% contained and at least 400 firefighters were battling the blaze, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

About 2,500 residents and 700 structures remained under evacuation orders, mostly in northern Los Angeles County near Castaic, while an additional 14,000 people and more than 4,700 structures were affected by evacuation warnings, according to Dowd.

There were some reports of structures damaged, Dowd said, but the extent hadn’t yet been confirmed.

L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the Santa Clarita Valley, urged residents to heed evacuation alerts.

“Extreme heat and low humidity in our north county have created dangerous conditions where flames can spread with alarming speed,” Barger said in a statement. “If first responders tell you to leave, go – without hesitation. The Eaton Fire showed us how quickly devastation can strike.”

An evacuation center was opened in the East Gymnasium of the College of the Canyons, at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.

Lake Piru Recreation Area is closed until further notice, as is Piru Canyon Road, which connects the town of Piru to the lake.

The American Civil Liberties Union raised concerns about the fire’s proximity to the Pitchess Detention Center, where about 5,000 inmates are housed in four jails. The center is east of the 5 Freeway and fell just outside an evacuation warning zone Thursday evening.

Senior staff attorney Melissa Camacho said she was “gravely concerned” about the growing fire.

“January’s Hughes fire burned within a half-mile of the jails and not a single person incarcerated there was evacuated,” Camacho told the Times. “It’s heartbreaking that, less than eight months later, the 5,000 people in the jails and their loved ones will spend another sleepless night watching a fire and praying that it doesn’t reach them.”

The L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, which operates the facility, said it was actively monitoring fire conditions and was in constant communication with fire and county officials.

“Similar to evacuation plans implemented at Pepperdine University in Malibu, the Fire Department has advised that a shelter in place strategy is the safest option for custody staff and inmates, given the building construction type and current fire behavior,” agency spokesperson Nicole Nishida said in a statement. The area around the building has been cleared of brush and has wide defensible space, she said.