Jump to: Evacuations | Shelters | Closures: Roads / Schools | Resources | Listen Live
A fast-moving fire that began near Sylmar grew by thousands of acres overnight, forcing mandatory evacuations for Porter Ranch and Granada Hills residents and shutting down LAUSD schools and college campuses in the San Fernando Valley.
The Saddleridge Fire has burned more than 4,700 acres and was 0% contained as of the latest official report. It’s burning mostly within the city of L.A., but also into parts of unincorporated L.A. County.
We’re answering your questions about the SoCal fires. What do you want to know?
“This is a very dynamic fire,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas said at a news conference Friday morning. “Do not wait to leave. If we ask you to evacuate, please evacuate.”
Authorities painted a grim picture of conditions. Sustained winds in the area have been blowing at 20 mph, with gusts over 50 mph, and there’s very little humidity in the air. Officials said the fire is moving this morning at a rate of about 800 acres per hour.
Authorities also said one “civilian male” died Thursday night from cardiac arrest. One firefighter suffered an eye injury.
At least 25 structures have been destroyed. Authorities said they will be able do a more thorough assessment in the daylight.
More than 1,000 firefighters were on the scene, as well as 25 rescue ambulances who have helped evacuate the elderly and disabled. Terrazas said his department is on “recall mode,” meaning firefighters are in for a long weekend.
“Nobody’s going home right away,” he said. “This event’s going to take a few days.”
The blaze started about 9 p.m. near Yarnell Street north of the 210 Freeway in Sylmar and quickly spread west, jumping the 5 Freeway and burning into Granada Hills and Porter Ranch.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said mandatory evacuations are affecting more than 20,000 homes and 100,000 people.
Among the evacuees was U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, whose home is in Porter Ranch.
“October has not been a good month for Porter Ranch,” Sherman said, recalling the 2008 Sesnon Fire, 2015 Aliso Canyon gas leak and the fire burning today.
Tom Stramat said he’s on the board of directors for Porter Ranch Estates, which covers more than 1,128 homes in the evacuation zone. The group had been working on clearing big brush in the area for the past six months, a move that he credits for saving homes.
The fire “got up to the perimeter of the fencing, but it didn’t get into the properties this year,” Stramat said. “We’re very happy.”
LISTEN LIVE>> Special coverage of the Saddleridge Fire on KPCC’s AirTalk
Part of the fire is burning in a CalFire “very high fire hazard severity zone.” The designation is important because, since 2008, all homes built in these zones have had to meet strict building codes designed to prevent them from catching on fire. They must have fire resistant roofs and siding; fine mesh screen on attic vents to keep embers out; decks and patios made of non-flammable material, and heat-resistant windows.You can search and see if your house is in a VHFHSZ.
The fire broke out in red-flag conditions along with scores of other fires statewide. L.A. authorities put the city on tactical alert to respond to the blaze. A command post for the fire has been at Hansen Dam.
Just after 10 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service extended a red flag warning in the region. The warning had been scheduled to expire at 6 p.m. today, but will now be in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday.
L.A. fire officials issued mandatory evacuations for several north Valley neighborhoods. As of 8:30 a.m. Friday, they are in place for:
- Porter Ranch North of 118 Freeway from Reseda Boulevard to Iverson Road
- Oakridge Estates (north of 210 Freeway)
- West of Balboa Boulevard, north of Sesnon Boulevard to the Ventura County border with De Soto Avenue as the western border
As the fire grew, L.A. Department of Water and Power officials said they acted to mitigate risk.
SoCalGas officials said personnel at their gas storage facility at Aliso Canyon had been evacuated by fire authorities. In an email responding to questions, they said multiple fire engines and firefighters from the city and county were fighting the fire “in and around the Aliso Canyon facility.”
They said they were unaware of any damage to the facility at this time and added that they maintain “a detailed and systematic brush clearing program around our facilities to minimize the chances of a brush fire affecting storage wellheads.”
The facility was the site of the largest sustained gas leak in U.S. history in 2015, putting more than 100,000 metric tons of methane and other chemicals into the air.
LAist/KPCC reporter Emily Elena Dugdale has been reporting from evacuation centers and neighborhoods affected by the fire. You can follow her on Twitter for the latest information.
Several freeways and connections in the north Valley, including major routes to and from the Santa Clarita Valley, have been closed. Here’s the latest from Caltrans:
After initially reaching capacity, authories said just before noon that four evacuation centers for people and small pets were accepting new arrivals:
- Van Nuys Recreation Center (OPEN)
- Balboa Recreation Center (OPEN)
- Lanark Recreation Center, 21816 Lanark St. (OPEN)
- Mason Park, 10500 Mason Ave. (OPEN)
Granada Hills Recreation Center,16730 Chatsworth St. (FULL)Northridge Recreation Center, 18300 Lemarsh St. (FULL)Sylmar Recreation Center (FULL)
Shelter for large animals have been opened at Hansen Dam Equestrian Center, the West Valley Animal Shelter and Pierce College.
Porter Ranch resident Sherry Johnston, who evacuated to the Granada Hills Recreation Center in the early morning with five family members and several pets, said it was clear the fire was bad.
“All we had to do is walk on the front yard and see the fire,” she said. Shortly after that, she said they got a call telling them to get out.
“The guard gate called and then they were going door-to-door by the time we left,” she said.
“One of my friends at work, [during] the last set of fires, last year actually, he was the one person in all of this west area that lost family,” said Paul Moriak of Porter Ranch, his voice breaking with emotion. “His mother and his brother. I don’t know what happened, they just lost direction and ended up on dead end street. All I’m thinking about is I want to get the boys out of there I don’t really give a damn about the house.”
Peter Greenhood, a 21-year-long resident of Porter Ranch, said his evacuation had been chaotic from the very start, and that information from authorities has been lacking.
Greenhood said he was sleeping last night when his partner woke up him up to say that the LAPD is “going up and down our street with their bullhorns saying mandatory evacuation.”
The couple was directed to Granada Hills High School, but once they arrived they noticed barely anyone there and realized they had been given the wrong location.
“Communication is really, really poor actually,” Greenhood said. “I’m just frustrated.”
The couple wound up sheltering the Granada Hills Recreation Center but Greenhood said it has been a struggle to get updates about the fire.
“I’m just concerned about the homes up there,” Greenhood said. “I’d like to know what’s going on but meanwhile nobody knows anything at all.”
Greenhood said when he’s needed information, he’s had to leave to go to the nearby Starbucks to ask around.
Los Angeles Unified School officials said fire danger and poor air quality led to the decision to close more than 35 schools on Friday (this list has been growing throughout the morning and may be updated):
- Bert Corona Charter School
- Bert Corona High School
- Birmingham Community Charter High School
- Castlebay Lane Charter
- Danube Avenue Elementary
- Discovery Charter Preparatory School #2
- El Camino Real Charter High School
- El Oro Way Charter for Enriched Studies
- Fenton Avenue Elementary Charter School
- Fenton Avenue Primary Center
- Fenton Charter Leadership Academy
- Fenton STEM Academy Elementary Center
- Frost Middle School
- Granada Hills Charter High School
- Haskell Elementary STEAM Magnet
- High Tech Los Angeles Middle School
- Ingenium Schools (all locations)
- Ivy Academia Charter School
- James Jordan Middle School
- Jane Addams Continuation High School
- John F. Kennedy High School
- Knollwood Preparatory Academy
- Magnolia Public Schools 1,2,5,7
- Montague Charter Academy
- New Academy Canoga Park
- North Valley Military Institute
- Our Community Charter School
- Porter Ranch Community School
- PUC Valley Schools (all locations)
- Rinaldi Adult School
- Valley Charter Elementary School
- Valley Charter Middle School
- Valley International Preparatory High School
- Valor Academy Charter Schools (all locations)
- Van Gogh Charter
- Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
- Village Charter Academy
- West Valley Occupational Center
LAUSD officials said a minimum-day schedule is in place for “all schools in Local District Northwest and Northeast” due to poor air quality.
HOW WE’RE REPORTING ON THIS
Reporter Emily Elena Dugdale and photojournalist Chava Sanchez are on the ground near the scene of the fire. Reporter Jacob Margolis is reporting from the command center at Hansen Dam. Our KPCC newscast producers have been making calls all morning. Digital producers Ryan Fonseca and Lisa Brenner are keeping this story updated.
For the latest information straight from local emergency officials, check the following websites and social media accounts:
FIRE RESOURCES
- Every Day Is Fire Season. Here’s How Angelenos Can Prepare Right Now
- How To Find Out About Fire Evacuations In Your Area
- How To Keep Yourself Safe From Wildfire Smoke
- The Air Is Brown — Should I Wear A Mask?
- This Is Why Fire Officials Don’t Want You To Stay And Defend Your Home
- What To Do — And Not Do — When You Get Home After A Wildfire
- How To Avoid Getting Towed During LA’s Red Flag Parking Restrictions
UPDATES: There will be frequent updates to this developing story.
This article was originally published at 6:39 a.m.
WE’RE ANSWERING YOUR QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FIRES.
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
Source Article from https://laist.com/2019/10/11/saddle-ridge-fire-porter-ranch-sylmar-granada-hills-los-angeles-evacuations.php
Comments