Santa Ana Winds Fan Flames Of Multiple Wildfires In Southland
SCHOOL CLOSURES | POWER OUTAGES | FORECAST
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — A number of brush fires broke out Thursday across the Southland, prompting thousands of people to flee their homes.
Red flag warnings will remain in effect throughout the area until 10 p.m. Friday, with winds expected to pick up in the early morning hours and throughout the day. An air quality alert was also issued Thursday night for parts of the Southland. It will remain in effect until Sunday evening.
The largest of the fires, the Tick fire, broke out near Canyon Country and quickly spread to roughly 4,000 acres — including a roughly 20 acre fire nearby, the Tick Branch 10 fire, which firefighters said was connected to the larger fire. By Thursday night, firefighters had reached 100% containment on the Tick Branch 10 fire, and 5% containment of the larger Tick fire. Mandatory evacuations were underway early Friday morning as the fire jumped the 14 Freeway.
Earlier Thursday morning, a wind-driven vegetation fire broke out in the San Bernardino National Forest, scorching about 105 acres in the hills above San Bernardino and forcing dozens of residents to flee their homes. The fire, known as the Old Water fire, was said to be 30% contained and evacuated residents were able to return to their homes around 8 p.m. Thursday night.
Around the same time, a fire near Val Verde — called the Verde fire — broke out, burning a number of mobile homes. Firefighters were able to contain the 1-acre blaze shortly after it broke out, sending extra resources back to the fire line of the Tick fire.
And in the Sepulveda Basin, a brush fire broke out late Thursday afternoon prompting widespread evacuations and school closures as air quality declined and flames grew. As of 10 p.m., the 60-acre fire was 80% contained.
There were also two small brush fires that popped up Thursday afternoon — one in Irvine and the other in Eagle Rock — but firefighters were about to put them out without incident.
