A fast-moving wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles forced thousands to evacuate Thursday as crews battled to contain the flames amid triple-digit heat and low humidity.
The Canyon Fire ignited around 1:30 p.m. near Lake Piru in Ventura County, spreading to more than 2.3 square miles within five hours, according to county emergency officials. By late afternoon, the blaze was zero percent contained and moving east toward Los Angeles County.
"The Canyon Fire is currently burning between Los Angeles County and Ventura County in the Piru Lake area. Several zones are under evacuation order and warning," the Los Angeles County Fire Department said in a statement.
In Los Angeles County, evacuation orders covered about 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures, with another 12,500 people under evacuation warnings, said Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd. In Ventura County, the evacuation zones were sparsely populated, though 56 people were removed from the Lake Piru Recreation Area.
Dowd described the fire as a "very dynamic situation" fueled by hot, dry conditions, steep terrain, and heavy brush. About 250 firefighters were on the ground Thursday, supported by water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft refilling from Lake Piru.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger urged residents to comply with evacuation orders. "Extreme heat and low humidity in our north county have created dangerous conditions where flames can spread with alarming speed," she said. "If first responders tell you to leave, go-without hesitation."
The blaze erupted near the site of January's Hughes Fire, which burned roughly 15 square miles in six hours and prompted 50,000 evacuation orders or warnings. Statewide, more than 4,400 wildfires have been reported so far this year, burning over 221,100 acres-up sharply from 83,200 acres by this time last year.
The Canyon Fire is one of at least four burning in Southern California on Thursday. Farther north, the Gifford Fire in the Los Padres National Forest had grown to 154 square miles by Thursday afternoon and was 15% contained, threatening hundreds of homes. That blaze began last Friday as at least four smaller fires along State Route 166 and has injured at least four people.
