Amid Santa Ana wind conditions believed to be the worst in a decade, a brush fire broke out Tuesday in the Kagel Canyon area above Sylmar and quickly raced across thousands of acres, forcing hundreds of people from their homes and closing a stretch of the Foothill (210) Freeway.
The blaze, dubbed the Creek Fire, was reported at 3:42 a.m. in the area of Gold Creek and Little Tujunga roads, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. By daybreak, the fire had expanded to about 2,500 acres, and by about 8:30 a.m. it was listed at about 4,000 acres, with hundreds of people under mandatory evacuation orders.
As of early afternoon, the fire had scorched an estimated 11,000 acres. Los Angeles Fire Department officials said some homes had suffered fire damage, but there was no immediate number on how many homes were affected.
The Los Angeles Police Department, meanwhile, was on a citywide tactical alert, which allows commanders maximum flexibility in deploying resources. One firefighter was hospitalized after a bulldozer rolled over in the Sunland- Tujunga area, but the injury was not considered to be life- threatening. There were no other immediate reports of injuries.
The 210 Freeway was closed in both directions between the Golden State (5) Freeway on the west and the Glendale (2) Freeway. The 210 interchange with the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway was also closed.
As the fire expanded and jumped south of the 210 Freeway, so did the mandatory evacuation area. By late morning, evacuations had been ordered in the area north of the 210 Freeway from Glenoaks Boulevard on the west to the border with La Crescenta on the east.
But by early afternoon, the eastern border of the evacuation area had enlarged to the Haynes Canyon area. Also, an area south of the 210 Freeway was ordered evacuated in the Shadow Hills area, in a roughly triangular area between Sunland Boulevard to the south, Wentworth Street to the north and Wheatland Avenue to the west.
It was unclear exactly how many homes were affected by the evacuation orders.
Evacuation centers were opened at the Sylmar Recreation Center at 13109 Borden Ave. and at the Branford Recreation Center at 13306 Branford St. in Arleta. An evacuation center had been opened at the Sunland Senior Center at 8640 Fenwick St., but that center was closed as the fire expanded toward that area.
An evacuation area for large animals was established at Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave.; and at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, but the latter was filled to capacity by mid-morning. Hansen Dam Recreation Area was also being used as an evacuation center for large animals.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger urged residents in the area with horses and other large animals to consider moving them to alternate shelter even before evacuation orders come through, given how quickly the fire is moving.
“Better safe than sorry,” Barger said.
For small animals, shelters were in place at West Valley Animal Shelter, 20655 Plummer St.; East Valley Animal Shelter, 14409 Vanowen St.; and Sunland Park, 8651 Foothill Blvd, Sunland/Tujunga.
The fire affected a number of schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Students at Harding and Hubbard elementary schools and the Vaughn Early Education Center were directed to report to San Fernando High School, 11133 O’Melveny Ave. Students from Sunland, Plainview and Brainard elementary schools, along with students from Verdugo Hills High School, were diverted to North Hollywood High School, 5231 Colfax Ave.
Students at Mount Gleason Middle School were diverted to East Valley High School, 5525 Vineland Ave., North Hollywood.
Students at Apperson Street Elementary, Mountain View Elementary, Stonehurst Avenue Elementary, and Pinewood Elementary schools were diverted to Grant High School, 13000 Oxnard St, Valley Glen.
LAUSD officials also said the following charter schools were believed to be closed:
— Bert Corona Middle School and High School,
— Vaughn Next Century Learning Center,
— Community Charter Middle School,
— CALS Charter Early College High School,
— Lakeview Charter Academy,
— Pacoima Charter Elementary School,
— Fenton Avenue Primary Center and Elementary School,
— Discovery Charter Preparatory School,
— Corona Middle School, and
— GALS Charter Middle School.
Los Angeles Mission College’s Main Campus at 13356 Eldridge Ave. and the East Campus at 12890 Harding St., both in Sylmar, were closed for the day. However, the college’s Sunland-Tujunga Canpus at 7224 Foothill Blvd. in Tujunga remained open.
At a mid-morning briefing at the firefighting command post at Hansen Dam, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said high winds were hindering the deployment of firefighting aircraft.
Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck warned that given the Santa Ana winds that are expected to continue through at least Thursday, fire and law enforcement officials will be stretched to the limit. He advised people to immediately evacuate if they are told to leave an area.
“If you stay in your homes, you cause our resources to be diverted to take care of you, and you are part of the problem,” he said.
–City News Service