A forest fire that spreads quickly forced thousands of people to evacuate a mountainous area north of Los Angeles, California.
The “Canyon Fire” broke out on Thursday afternoon and extended over 19.7 km2 At 11 p.m., according to firefighters from the county of Ventura. At least 400 people were fighting fire, helped by several planes and helicopters. Thursday evening, the fire was still not under control and spread to the east, in the County of Los Angeles, the authorities said.
The fire rages just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the National Forest of Los Padres. It is close to Lake Castaic, a very popular leisure area which was ravaged by the fire “Hughes Fire” in January. The flames had burned about 39 km2 In six hours and forced 50,000 people to evacuate or stay on alert.
According to the national meteorological service, sunny, warm and dry conditions were expected on Friday in the area where the “Canyon Fire” was raging, with maximum temperatures around 38 ° C (100 ° F) and a minimum humidity of around 15 %. The winds had to be weak in the morning and strengthen from south to southwest in the afternoon.
In the County of Los Angeles, around 2,700 inhabitants were evacuated and 700 buildings were the subject of an evacuation order, the authorities said on Thursday evening. In addition, 14,000 inhabitants and 5,000 buildings were affected by an evacuation alert. The areas located in the Val Verde area are from an evacuation order to an alert.
Photo Marcio Jose Sanchez, Associated Press
A man drives a golf cart as he evacuated his property from Hasley Canyon on August 7, 2025.
The evacuation zones in the neighboring county of Ventura were relatively not populated, said Andrew Dowd, spokesperson for the County of Ventura on Thursday. Fifty-six people were evacuated from the Lac Piru leisure area.
Dowd called the fire as a “very dynamic situation” caused by hot and dry weather, steep and accidental terrain and dry fuels.
Kathryn Barger, supervisor of the County of Los Angeles which represents the district, urged the inhabitants to evacuate.
“The extreme heat and the low humidity in the north of our county have created dangerous conditions where the flames can spread at an alarming speed,” said Mr.me Barger in a press release. “If the first speakers tell you to leave, go without hesitation. »»
