Support for LAist comes from
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Stay Connected
Audience-funded nonprofit news
Listen

Share This

News

Lake Fire Updates: Blaze Grows To Over 11,600 Acres; Containment At 12%

Firefighters work to extinguish hotspots from the Lake Fire at Pine Canyon Road in the Angeles National Forest, by Lake Hughes, 60 miles north of Los Angeles on Aug. 13, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
()

With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today. 

Fire crews are in the third day of battling the Lake Fire, which broke out Wednesday afternoon and quickly exploded, forcing hundreds of people in the Lake Hughes area to evacuate. The wildfire is burning in the Angeles National Forest between the Antelope and Santa Clarita valleys.

As of this morning, over 11,600 acres have burned and more than 5,400 homes and other structures are threatened. Containment is at 12%.

No injuries have been reported, but three structures have been destroyed, according to fire officials.

A key objective today: keeping the fire "north of Castaic Lake, south of Highway 138, east of Red Rock Mountain, and west of Tule Ridge," officials said in an 8 a.m. incident update. Firefighters are preparing for "near critical fire weather conditions" beginning this afternoon as gusty onshore winds move into the area.

Support for LAist comes from

Here's what we know so far about the blaze and firefighters' efforts to contain it.

THE BASICS

  • Acreage: 11,637 acres
  • Containment: 12%
  • Structures threatened: 5,420
  • Structures destroyed: 5
  • Resources deployed: 1,159 firefighters
A firefighting aircraft drops retardant over a section of the Lake Fire burning in the Angeles National Forest on Aug. 13, 2020 near Santa Clarita. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
()

MANDATORY EVACUATIONS

  • Lake Hughes Road west of Pine Canyon and north of Dry Gulch Road
  • Everything east of Ridge Route Road
  • Everything west of Lake Hughes Road and Fire Station 78
  • Everything north of Pine Canyon and Lake Hughes Road
  • Everything south of Highway 138

EVACUATION CENTERS

For people (due to public health guidelines, evacuees must remain in their cars):

  • Highland High School | 39055 25th St., West Palmdale
  • Castaic Sports Complex | 31230 Castaic Road

For animals:

  • Castaic Animal Care Center (31044 Charlie Canyon Rd)
  • Lancaster Animal Care Center (5210 W. Avenue I)
  • Palmdale Animal Care Center (38550 Sierra Highway)
  • Antelope Valley Fairgrounds - large animals only (2551 W. Avenue H in Lancaster)

ROAD AND TRAIL CLOSURES

Support for LAist comes from

A portion of Angeles National Forest near the Lake Fire has been closed through the end of the year under an emergency order from the Forest Service. Only residents and landowners will be permitted access. You can see a map of the Lake Fire Closure Area above.
The map below shows additional road closures:

This map shows road closures in the area of the Lake Fire as of Thursday, Aug. 13. (Courtesy Los Angeles County Fire Department)
()

  • San Francisquito Canyon Road from Slater Lane to Spunky Canyon
  • Lake Hughes Road from Ridge Route Road to Pine Canyon
  • 3 Points Road from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon
  • Old Ridge Route from Highway 138 to Pine Canyon

WEATHER CONDITIONS

On Thursday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said authorities are bracing for a "very hot, dry weekend" with triple-digit temperatures over the next few days. As of Aug. 1, the Angeles National Forest had increased the fire threat from "very high" to "extreme." Parts of the area on fire had not burned since 1968, according to officials.

HOW WE’RE REPORTING ON THIS

News producer Itxy Quintanilla is reaching out to fire officials. LAist's Ryan Fonseca is anchoring digital coverage. This is a developing story. In all cases, we strive to bring you the most accurate information in real time and will update this story as new information becomes available.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Support for LAist comes from

For the latest information straight from local emergency officials, check the following websites and social media accounts:

We'll update this story as we learn more.

MORE ON THIS YEAR'S WILDFIRE SEASON:

FIRE RESOURCES

Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

At LAist, we believe in journalism without censorship and the right of a free press to speak truth to those in power. Our hard-hitting watchdog reporting on local government, climate, and the ongoing housing and homelessness crisis is trustworthy, independent and freely accessible to everyone thanks to the support of readers like you.

But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.

We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.

Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.

Chip in now to fund your local journalism
A row of graphics payment types: Visa, MasterCard, Apple Pay and PayPal, and  below a lock with Secure Payment text to the right
(
LAist
)

Trending on LAist