Evacuations Urged Amid California Wildfire

The fire near Acton jumped from 350 acres to between 500 and 650 acres when the heat and wind picked up.

Sept. 4, 2007

2 min read

ACTON, Calif. --

A wildfire flared up Monday in the Angeles National Forest east of Santa Clarita, prompting fire officials to call for voluntary evacuations and close a section of road.

Meantime, a second fire, possibly started by lightning on Sunday near Lancaster was 50 percent contained after having scorched about 200 acres.

The fire near Acton, which may also have been started by lightning on Sunday, flared up around 4 p.m. Monday, suddenly jumping from 350 acres to between 500 and 650 acres when the heat and wind picked up, according to officials.

Roads were closed in the area of Soledad Canyon Road and Aqua Dulce Canyon Road and at Soledad Canyon Road and Ravenna Drive, said Officer Patrick Kimball of the California Highway Patrol. Voluntary evacuations were recommended for residents living in the area of Soledad between Aqua Dulce Canyon Road and Crown Valley Road sometime before 6 p.m. Monday.

The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday and grew quickly south of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, about 11 miles east of Santa Clarita.

It was unknown if the fire was caused by lightning, but "it's obviously something we're looking at," said Stanton Florea of the United States Forest Service.

The other fire, reported at about 5 p.m. Sunday near 60th Street West and West Avenue H in the Lancaster area, had grown to 200 acres, but no structures were lost or damaged, said Ron Haralson of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. That fire was about 50 percent contained and no injuries had been reported, Haralson said.