Canyon Fire: Evacuation orders downgraded
The Canyon Fire has burned more than 5,000 acres in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, but containment continues to go up, and all evacuation orders have been downgraded to warnings.
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – A fast-moving wildfire erupted near Lake Piru in Ventura County on Thursday afternoon amid high heat forcing evacuations in two counties.
What we know:
The blaze, dubbed the Canyon Fire, sparked just before 1:30 p.m. southeast of Lake Piru in Ventura County, near the border of Los Angeles County.
As the fire continued to burn toward Santa Clarita, mandatory evacuation orders and warnings were issued in LA and Ventura counties. Firefighters from the two counties, along with assistance from Angeles National Forest personnel, are fighting the flames.
As of Friday, officials said the fire was 5,370 acres and is 28% contained.
Canyon Fire near Lake Piru burns 5,000+ acres
The Canyon Fire near Lake Piru in Ventura and Los Angeles counties has destroyed several structures and pushed thousands out of their homes. One LA County man chose not to evacuate as the flames approached.
The National Weather Service reported that temperatures in the area were hovering around 100 degrees when the fire sparked on Thursday afternoon.
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There was no immediate word on the cause of the fire, and no reports of any injuries.
On Friday, fire officials downgraded all earlier evacuation orders to evacuation warnings. All previous evacuation warnings were lifted.
EVACUATION WARNINGS
Evacuation warnings were issued for the following zones:
Ventura County:
- PIRU-01
- PIRU-04
- PIRU-14
- LAKP-04
- LAKP-05
- LAKP-06
Los Angeles County:
- CAS-GOLDENSTATE-C
- CAS-GOLDENSTATE-D
- CAS-OAKCANYON
- CAS-ROMERO
- CAS-HASLEY
- CAS-VALVERDE-B
- CAS-VALVERDE-D
The evacuations are impacting roughly 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures.
To find your evacuation zone in LA County, click here.
To find your evacuation zone in Ventura County, click here.
EVACUATION SHELTERS
An evacuation center was established at College of the Canyons.
As for those with animals, large animals can be taken to Pierce College in Woodland Hills and small animals can be taken to the Castaic Animal Care Center and the Agoura Hills Animal Shelter.
What they’re saying:
A man visiting his parents from Australia said he was making lunch with his mother when the fire broke out.
“It was pack everything up and get out,” he recalled.
What we don’t know:
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The Source: Information for this story came from Cal Fire.
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