Firefighters in Southern California worked through Friday to contain the fast-growing Canyon Fire, which surged to nearly 5,000 acres and forced widespread evacuations in northern Los Angeles and Ventura counties.
According to Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd, “We’re trying to build a box around this fire and put it out before it gets into any of the potential communities that are currently under evacuation orders.”
The Canyon Fire is the largest of several blazes sparked by consecutive days of extreme heat in the region. Farther north in San Luis Obispo County, the much larger Gifford Fire has already scorched 100,000 acres. The Canyon Fire erupted during triple-digit temperatures, adding to the challenge for firefighting crews.
Extreme Heat Fuels Rapid Spread
Weather officials reported that while a slight weakening of the high-pressure system and an increase in onshore winds may lower temperatures by 1 to 3 degrees through Saturday, the warmest valleys are still expected to reach 100 degrees. Conditions are forecast to heat back up on Monday, with temperatures likely returning to Thursday’s highs.
In a Friday morning forecast, the National Weather Service noted, “Although a few degrees of cooling is expected through the weekend, a very warm air mass will remain in place. An onshore flow regime will keep temperatures from exceeding record levels, but temperatures are expected remain above seasonal normals as high pressure aloft lingers over the Southwestern United States.”
The Canyon Fire broke out around 2 p.m. Thursday near Holser Canyon Road, northeast of Piru, an unincorporated community close to Castaic Junction. Initially reported at about 30 acres, the fire exploded to more than 1,000 acres within two hours. By Friday morning, it had burned 4,856 acres, advancing east toward Castaic and Interstate 5 in Los Angeles County. It was 0% contained, with at least 400 firefighters engaged in suppression efforts.
“Fire conditions are settling down for the night, the air is cooling off, and we continue to have an aggressive fire attack happening, coordinated between ground resources and helicopters,” Dowd said. “So while we certainly have a significant number of people still evacuated and a significant number of residents that are under evacuation orders, we continue to make good progress.”
