Fire crews are working to contain a north Los Angeles County blaze initially reported as a brush fire of less than a square mile that by the afternoon of June 17 had increased to engulf 24 square miles.
“We have well over 1,100 firefighting personnel both on the ground and in the air fighting this coordinated attack by a bunch of different agencies,” Craig Little, spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told The Epoch Times. “It’s really an impressive thing to see with both the land attack and air attack.”
When the Post fire was first reported Saturday afternoon, at least 1,200 hikers and campers from the Hungry Valley recreation area near Gorman, California, were evacuated. So far, one person has been injured, multiple cars destroyed, and a commercial building that appears to be an auto body shop has been damaged, according to Mr. Little.
Firefighters are working to maintain a perimeter east of the fire, while aircraft are fighting its forward progress near Pyramid Lake but face limited visibility.
“There’s a lot of different topography around there. There’s a lot of large flatland areas and there are also a lot of hilly areas that are very steep, that don’t contribute to helping our ground troops get to the fire,” Mr. Little said.
The Post fire started at Ralph’s Ranch and Gorman School roads, near the Golden State (5) Freeway, quickly reaching 2,000 acres by 2:45 p.m. and 4,400 acres by 7:15 p.m., according to the department. It reached 10,5 acres by midnight. One square mile is 640 acres.
The fire has since moved. A fire helicopter was seen dropping water about 12 miles south of its origin, with high winds continuing.
According to Mr. Little, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has issued an evacuation order south of Pyramid Lake, west of the 5 Freeway, east of the county line, and just north of Templin Highway.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, according to CalFire, which said in a 12:29 p.m. update that the fire is 8 percent contained and had expanded to 15,610 acres and stretched as far south as Pyramid Lake. Those numbers should be updated by 7 a.m. June 18, according to Mr. Little.
Wind gusts of up to 60 mph were forecast overnight by the National Weather Service, which said they should fall Tuesday to 25 to 45 mph with warmer temperatures and high humidity.
The South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a wildfire smoke advisory for the Castaic and Santa Clarita areas, with northwesterly winds expected to push smoke from the fire toward Santa Clarita, the San Fernando Valley, and parts of the Angeles National Forest.
The agency warned people nearby to stay indoors, close doors and windows, avoid using their fireplaces, and to not run their air conditioners or air purifiers.
“It’s best to avoid using swamp coolers or whole-house fans that bring in outside air. … And, if they absolutely must be outside, a properly fit N95 mask or P100 respirator may provide some protection,” they said.
A four-acre fire in San Diego County has also been 70 percent contained, near the Campo Truck Trail in Campo, according to an update Sunday by Cal Fire.
In Northern California a 86-acre fire dubbed the Elgin Fire is 45 percent contained. It started Sunday near Elgin Road and Henry Miller Road in Merced County, according to Cal Fire.
In Sonoma County, crews have contained the 1,100 Point Fire by 20 percent. It also began Sunday near Stewarts Point Skaggs Springs Road in Healdsburg.
