A brush fire in Acton that scorched an estimated 345 acres, prompting evacuation orders and warnings, was 74% contained Saturday.
The Crown Fire was reported at 11:23 a.m. Friday near North Crown Valley and Soledad Canyon roads in the remote community near the Antelope Valley, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Firefighters arrived to a second-alarm fire that had burned 80 acres at a “moderate rate of spread,” the department reported. Initially, crews said the fire had the potential to grow to as many as 300 acres, and by 1:30 p.m. it had burned nearly that many and had the potential to burn another 300 acres, according to the county fire department.
Some structures were threatened by the flames, and evacuation orders and warnings were issued in the area, but it was unclear how many people were affected.
The mandatory evacuation area was generally south of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, stretching from Acton west toward Agua Dulce.
An evacuation order downgraded to an evacuation warning at 6 p.m. Friday was canceled sometime Saturday morning, according to an LACFD public information officer, who added that 158 fire personnel remained at the scene of the fire.
The National Weather Service reported northeast winds of about 18 mph were blowing in Acton when the fire erupted, with temperatures around 65 degrees and 15% humidity. Gusts up to 45 mph were expected Saturday in the Antelope Valley, decreasing to 25 mph by evening.
“We are actively monitoring the Springs and Crown Fires, which are outside the city of Los Angeles,” Mayor Karen Bass said Saturday. “Within LA, the Los Angeles Fire Department has pre-positioned strike teams and additional resources to respond to any incidents.”
The LAFD said earlier that Fire Chief Jaime Moore had approved a readiness plan amid forecasts of Santa Ana winds. The plan includes the “dynamic deployment of three additional Engine Task Forces pre-positioned across the Valley and West Bureaus, areas that carry the greatest wildfire exposure during offshore wind events. Two additional Strike Teams are also deployed and standing by to move immediately to any area of emerging fire activity across the region,” the department said.