The Route Fire is 56% contained Saturday with a burn area estimated at 5,208 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The fire, which began around noon Wednesday alongside the Golden State (5) Freeway north of Lake Hughes Road, has destroyed two structures, threatened 500 more and led to seven heat-related firefighter injuries.
Overnight, firefighters continued to reinforce fire lines and focused on boxing the fire in because of excessively high temperatures in the forecast.
Triple-digit temperatures are expected in the area through the Labor Day weekend and into early next week.
Bolstered by the addition of two Super Scooper water-dropping aircraft, hundreds of firefighters on the ground and in the air continued their assault, working to extend a containment line around the blaze.
The seven firefighters who suffered heat-related injuries Wednesday while battling the flames had all been released from the hospital and were “doing well,” authorities said.
One home along Ridge Route was destroyed overnight, and a separate outbuilding in a different location was damaged, Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia said. There were no reports of any other injuries.
“There was a lot of opportunity with this fire behavior yesterday (Wednesday) for this to go far worse than it did,” Garcia said. “So, thanks to our partners for keeping the public and our firefighters safe.
“The headline for us on the Angeles National Forest is going to be the conditions we’re in now,” he told reporters Thursday morning. “The fire behavior and what you saw yesterday should be a wake-up call to us all about the potential that we’re in and we’re entering into over the next few days in terms of the fire conditions. Very rapid fire growth and very, very explosive fire behavior.
“And so the message from the Angeles National Forest … is that the days ahead are going to be very challenging,” he said. “So we ask for full cooperation for our public that’s visiting the national forest and those that live in and around the national forest, that based on those conditions we please ask you to heed the warnings of our conditions, our fire danger level, and our fire restrictions and of course closures and evacuations should a fire emerge in your area.”
At a mid-morning briefing Thursday, officials said evacuation orders issued Wednesday afternoon for the Paradise Ranch Mobile Home park in Gorman had been lifted.
Early Thursday afternoon, the evacuation of homes along Ridge Route Road was also lifted, while Old Ridge Route Road was reopened between Templin Highway and Northlake Hills Elementary School for “residential traffic only,” the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
Shortly after 1 p.m. Wednesday, the northbound Golden State Freeway was closed at Parker Road, just south of the fire scene, according to the California Highway Patrol. A short time later, flames jumped the northbound freeway lanes and began creeping toward the southbound lanes, prompting a closure of traffic in that direction as well.
On the northbound Golden State Freeway, two left lanes opened Friday morning north of Lake Hughes Road. Southbound, all lanes were open from Templin Highway to Lake Hughes Road.
The Castaic Regional Sports Complex was closed Thursday and could remain closed through the weekend, officials said.
Firefighters in helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft worked into the night to take advantage of slightly lower temperatures to begin getting an upper hand against the blaze.
“We were very successful in putting a lot of retardant on parts of the fire where we had some challenges,” Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief Tom Ewald said. “Ground resources were able to get hose lines and hand crews in to re-establish and strengthen some of the lines that were being threatened earlier in the fire.”
The aerial attack got a major upgrade Thursday morning with the addition of two Super Scooper aircraft, which arrived in the Southland earlier this week from Canada under an annual contract that puts them in service locally during fire season.
That contract went into effect Thursday, and the bright yellow Super Scooper aircraft were deployed about 6:30 a.m., fire officials said.
Nine “heavy lift” helicopters also were deployed Thursday in the firefighting effort, officials said.
“Excessive heat, low humidity and steep terrain will continue to pose the biggest challenge for firefighters today (Thursday),” fire officials said in an incident update statement. “This combination has the potential for large plume growth, uphill runs and short-range spotting.”
Fire officials said they would work to keep the fire west of Castaic Lake, east of Palumas Canyon, south of Fall Creek and north of Lake Hughes Road.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area, hailed the “Herculean” efforts of fire crews braving the heat and difficult terrain to beat back the flames.
“Their labor is also a reminder for us all to practice responsible and safe recreation as the Labor Day holiday approaches,” Barger said in a statement. “Most wildfires are caused by human carelessness. Campfires, discarding lit cigarettes, playing with fireworks — all can trigger a blaze. We all need to do our part to keep our communities safe.”