Crews are battling a brush fire along the 5 Freeway at Lake Hughes Road near Castaic.
The Route Fire, which began around noon Wednesday was mapped at 5,208 acres as of Thursday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department, but the blaze was 98% contained as of Monday, with crews spending most of the day mopping up hotspots and increasing containment, according to the LA County Fire Department.
Around 250 firefighters with Los Angeles County Fire Department were on hand to assist in battling the blaze, along with 115 U.S. Forest Services firefighters and more than a dozen different water-dropping aircraft, including eight tankers and seven helicopters.
The flames were assisted by a "pretty strong southwest wind pushing the fire," which pushed it over I-5 and further north into heavier fuels, which contributed to the heavy smoke, according to Los Angeles County Fire Deputy Chief Tom Ewald.
Three night-vision enabled helicopters, each capable of dropping up to 3,000 gallons, were expected to work through the night and continue making fire retardant drops to reinforce lines already dropped by aircraft earlier Wednesday.
One home along Ridge Route was destroyed overnight, and a separate outbuilding in a different location was damaged, Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia said Thursday.
I-5 Freeway was severely impacted by the firefighting effort, as traffic heading in both directions was completely blocked. Southbound lanes were stopped at Vista Del Lago, while northbound traffic was stopped at Lake Hughes Road. The northbound lanes were reopened early Thursday morning, and two southbound lanes were opened up to traffic through the area.
Northlake Hills Elementary School staff and students were told to shelter in place until they were evacuated by deputies with the Santa Clarita Valley station at 5 p.m.
At around 4 p.m., mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents of Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates and those south of Templin Highway along Upper Ridge Route Road. By 10 a.m. Thursday, the evacuations were lifted for Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates.
Additional evacuations were ordered for all structures north of Lake Hughes Road, and east of the 5 Freeway at around 6:30 p.m.
Orders were lifted at 8:50 p.m. for structures north of Lake Hughes Road, east of I-5, west of Castaic Lagoon, and south of Northlake Hills Elementary School.
At a mid-morning briefing Thursday, officials said evacuation orders that were issued Wednesday afternoon for the Paradise Ranch Mobile Home park in the Gorman area were being lifted.
And early Thursday afternoon, the evacuations of homes along Ridge Route Road were also lifted, while Old Ridge Route Road was reopened between Templin Highway and Northlake Hills Elementary School for "residential traffic only," the sheriff's department reported. Residents were advised to have their ID ready to show officials.
Eight firefighters were injured as they battled the wildfire, six of which were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment of minor heat-related injuries, according to LA County Fire Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh.
According to authorities, all eight firefighters have been released from the hospital and are said to be doing well.
Evacuation centers were available for those impacted by the wildfire at Frazier Mountain High School, located on 700 Falcon Way in Lebec.
Pet owners were also able to leave their pets at Castaic Animal Shelter on 31044 North Charlie Canyon Road.
Angeles National Forest Service Battalion Chief and PIO Seneca Smith said Southern Californians should be extremely aware of their actions as extremely high fire conditions, paired with a persisting heat wave, increase the likelihood for wildfires.
"With this heat wave, it's very hot and dry. We saw how quickly a small ignition can ignite and spread very rapidly," she said. "The Angeles National Forest moved from 'high' to 'very high' fire danger about two weeks ago, and there's good reason for that. So, just be very, very cognizant if you're out there recreating, traveling, using the public lands, be very, very mindful of your actions and the potential for ignition to unfortunately get to this level."
Deputy Chief Ewald echoed the sentiment, warning that "this is probably not the only fire we're going to see in LA County over the next week or so," as the sweltering heat wave is expected to continue through Labor Day Weekend.
An investigation is continuing into the cause of the blaze.
Firefighters are also battling the Gulch Fire, burning in the Angeles National Forest near San Gabriel Dam, which had burned over 100 acres since ignition on Tuesday afternoon.
Crews report 87% containment
As firefighters continued to battle the massive 5,208-acre Route Fire in Castaic, as well as the triple digit temperatures scorching the area over the weekend, they reported considerable progress Saturday evening with 87% containment.
71% Containment
As of Saturday at 2:05 p.m., the Route Fire was 71% contained, with firefighters battling punishing triple-digit heat along with the flames.
Traffic Alert from Caltrans
The right two lanes of the northbound I-5 are closed near the Route Fire in Castaic. Caltrans said expect a 90 min delay in the area and use the 101 or 14 Freeways instead.
Castaic Lake closed until further notice
Castaic Lake, popular for boating, fishing, wakeboarding, jet-skiing, kayaking, and sailing, will be closed until further notice due to the Route Fire.
5 Freeway fully reopened
All lanes of the 5 Freeway are now open past the Route Fire in Castaic, according to the CHP. The wildfire had jumped the freeway when it erupted on Wednesday, prompting a full shutdown for nearly 10 hours.
All evacuation orders lifted
Residents affected by the Route Fire can now return to their homes after the Los Angeles County Fire Department lifted all evacuation orders.
Authorities have reopened Ridge Route Road to residents, however, those driving through the area will need to show their IDs to prove they live there.
Parts of the I-5 Freeway at Lake Hughes Road and Templin have reopened but two lanes on each side still remain closed.
Firefighters have contained 27% of the blaze but it is still uncertain when they will be able to fully extinguish the flames. So far, the wildfire has burned 5,208 acres near Castaic.
Out of the 550 structures threatened by the fire only two were destroyed. The multi-agency effort pulled in 512 firefighters manning 58 engines, eight helicopters and two planes.
For now, crews are trying to hold the fire West of Castaic Lake, East of Palumas Canyon, South of Fall Creek and North of Lake Hughes Road.
Firefighters report 27% containment
After an all-day attack on the remaining flames, firefighters announced an increase in containment at around 7:30 p.m. — up to 27%.
However, late night winds with gusts reaching up to 30-40 miles per hour could increase the growth of the fire. So, crews will remain on scene to address any hot spots that may linger.
Northlake Hills Elementary School closed for the rest of the week
The Castaic Union School District is keeping Northlake Hills Elementary School closed after smoke from the Route Fire filled several classrooms and offices.
Superintendent Steve Doyle hopes to reopen the school after the Labor Day weekend.
"We do apologize and recognize that this does create difficulty for many of you," he said in a statement. "Our priority is to work diligently to get the school ready for Tuesday. We ask for kindness and compassion with each other in these trying times."
While the school was spared from the flames, smoke permeated through the walls of the buildings, leaving a strong odor.
Doyle said a company was hired to reduce the odor and have students return to school Tuesday.
The Route Fire has burned over 5,200 acres and crews have contained 12% of it.
On Wednesday and Thursday nights, fire crews stayed on campus to protect the school from any flare-ups.
Injured firefighters have been released from hospital
According to authorities, all eight firefighters have been released from the hospital and are said to be doing well.
Some evacuations lifted
Authorities have lifted evacuations for the Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates.
Officials to give update on the Route Fire
According to the LA County Fire Department, the acres burned by the Route Fire is now at 5,208, with 12% containment. A news conference is scheduled for 10 a.m. for a more detailed update.
Route Fire grows overnight
Fire officials say the Route Fire grew to 5,100 acres overnight.
However, firefighters have been able to make progress against the wildfire, which shut down both sides of the 5 Freeway Wednesday evening. All northbound lanes were reopened at about 1 a.m. On the southbound side, two lanes are open starting at Vista Del Lago.
Evacuation orders lifted for some
Evacuation orders have been lifted for structures in several locations previously under mandatory evacuation, including:
- north of Lake Hughes Road and east of I-5 Freeway,
- west of Castaic Lagoon
- south of Northlake Hills Elementary School.
Evacuation centers available
Red Cross Los Angeles opened evacuation centers for residents impacted by the Route Fire at Frazier Mountain High School, 700 Falcon Way in Lebec, and West Ranch High School, 262155 West Valencia Blvd. in Stevensen Ranch.
Additionally, pet owners without a place to keep their pets safe could leave them with Castaic Animal Shelter on 31044 North Charlie Canyon Road.
Route Fire burns 4,625 acres
According to fire officials, the Route Fire near Castaic has burned 4,625 acres.
At 5:35 p.m., it had burned 600 acres.
Mandatory evacuation orders are in place for:
- Residents of Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates and those south of Templin Highway along Upper Ridge Route Road.
- People north of Lake Hughes Road and east of the Golden Station (5) Freeway.
Seven firefighters battling the blaze have suffered heat-related injuries, six of whom have been hospitalized.
Additional evacuations ordered
Evacuations have now been ordered for structures north of Lake Hughes Road and east of the Golden Station (5) Freeway as the wildfire continues to rage.
Fire erupts to 600 acres
The Route Fire continues to burn in Castaic, now reaching up to 600 acres of burned land.
Firefighters stave off flames approaching homes
Eight firefighters injured; six hospitalized
As the Route Fire in Castaic continues to grow, firefighters report that eight of their crew members have sustained heat-related injuries as they attempt to battle the wildfire.
Six were taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
Northlake Elementary School evacuated
Deputies with LASD's Santa Clarita Valley station assist in evacuating 10 remaining staff members and students from Northlake Elementary School as Route Fire continues to burn in Castaic.
Helicopters drop water onto Route Fire
Fire burning near homes
Mandatory evacuations ordered
Paintball park destroyed by flames
Warped Paintball Park, located on Ridge Route Road in Castaic has been destroyed by the fire.
Photos from Sky2, over the scene of the blaze, showed the destruction.
I-5 remains closed in both directions as fire grows
Two firefighters hospitalized; fire grows to over 160 acres
1 person hospitalized
One person has been taken to a local area hospital.
5 Freeway close in both directions
The 5 Freeway is now being shut down in both directions.
Traffic alert
According to CHP, the fire is affecting the northbound side of the 5 Freeway at Lake Hughes.
LAFD calls Route Fire a 2nd alarm fire
The Route Fire was balanced to a 2nd alarm fire at approximately 12:32 p.m.
School told to shelter in place
Northlake Hills Elementary School staff and students have been told to shelter in place, but there were no reports of any evacuations.
