Firefighters aided by diminishing winds beat back the Saddleridge Fire in the San Fernando Valley that damaged or destroyed more than 30 structures and sent a blanket of smoke across a swath of neighborhoods.
A helicopter drops water to help fight flames during the Saddleridge Fire in Porter Ranch on Oct. 11, 2019.(Credit: Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images)
Authorities said the blaze, which scorched 7,965 acres, or 12.4 square miles of land, hadn’t grown significantly since Friday, and ground crews were tamping down lingering hotspots.
The blaze was 41% contained as of Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Tens of thousands of residents were ordered out of their homes because of the wind-driven wildfire that broke out Thursday, though authorities lifted all evacuation orders Saturday evening.
“We thank members of the community for promptly heeding the evacuation orders and their patience as we worked to contain the fire,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Mayor Eric Garcetti told residents to be cautious returning home to neighborhoods.
“As you repopulate the previously evacuated areas, we ask you to remain vigilant, and drive cautiously, as there are still public safety personnel working in the area,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
In Porter Ranch, one man who tried to fight the blaze died of a heart attack, and two firefighters were injured, one of them reporting a minor eye injury.
The fire’s cause is under investigation, and authorities warned that the threat of flare-ups remained.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said the bulk of the fire at the city’s edge had moved away from homes and into rugged hillsides and canyons where firefighters were making steady progress slowing its advance. Aerial video from Sky 5 showed plumes of smoke rising from the area but no walls of towering flame, as a water-dropping helicopter moved in to dump another cascade on the blaze.
“The bulk of the fire has moved toward wildland,” Humphrey said.
Firefighters worked under sunny skies, but air quality was poor as smoke dispersed over much of greater Los Angeles. Air quality officials urged people to limit outdoor activities.
The forecast called for low humidity — in the 10% range — with light wind and an occasional gust up to 15 mph (24 kph).
Interstate 5, the main north-to-south corridor in the state, was shut down for much of the day Friday, choking traffic until finally reopening.
The smoky scent spreading through much of Los Angeles was a reminder of the threat of a fire season just beginning.
The region has been on high alert as notoriously powerful Santa Ana winds brought dry desert air to a desiccated landscape that only needed a spark to erupt. Fire officials have warned that they expect more intense and devastating California wildfires due, in part, to climate change.
Fire danger remained high for much of Southern California, with warnings in place for large swaths of Ventura and Santa Barbara counties west of Los Angeles.
The cause of the blaze wasn’t immediately known, though arson investigators said a witness reported seeing sparks or flames coming from a power line near where the fire is believed to have started, said Peter Sanders, a spokesman for the Los Angeles Fire Department.
