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Railroad Fire Burns Homes In Santa Clarita
A brush fire broke out in Santa Clarita early Monday evening, threatening homes and prompting evacuations. (Photo Courtesy of Los Angeles County Fire Department)
A brush fire that erupted in Santa Clarita early Monday evening quickly overtook at least a few homes and threatened many more before crews managed to stop it from spreading farther.
The Railroad Fire started at about 4:30 p.m. in an area surrounded by residential developments. Within an hour it had burned 10 acres and damaged three buildings, according to Santa Clarita city officials.
By 6:20 p.m., officials said the fire was 50 percent contained and its forward progress had been stopped. Crews were begining to mop up. TV news footage showed mostly smoldering hillsides.
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WHERE TO FIND UPDATES
This story was last updated at 6:40 p.m. and will not be updated again. For the latest information, check out the resources below:
- Bus route updates from Santa Clarita Transit on Twitter
- Emergency update page from the city of Santa Clarita
- City of Santa Clarita on Twitter
- LA County Fire Department on Twitter
Thank you to our first responders for their help with the #RailroadFire! 🔥🚓🚨👩🚒👨🏽🚒 @SCVSHERIFF @LACoFDPIO pic.twitter.com/daCGZl7Dwk
— Santa Clarita City (@santaclarita) July 31, 2018
The fire burned in an area bounded by Newhall Avenue, Dockweiler Drive, Sierra Highway and Valle Del Oro and threatened the Terrace Apartments, prompting officials to call for residents to evacuate.
Officials said they were working with the Red Cross to set up a shelter at Golden Valley High School.
The Sheriff's Department advised of road closures at Newhall Avenue between Sierra Highway and Railroad Avenue, as well as Dockweiler Drive at Sierra Highway.
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❗️ROAD CLOSURES #RailroadFire
— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHERIFF) July 31, 2018
- Newhall Ave. between Sierra Hwy/Railroad Ave.
-Dockweiler Dr. at Sierra Hwy.
To re-route: Use Golden Valley Road@LASDHQ @LACoFDPIO @santaclarita
Transit services were also impacted, with bus lines temporarily avoiding stops along Newhall Avenue:
Attn passengers: we are unable to service stops along Newhall Ave between Sierra Highway and Valle del Oro due to the #RailroadFire. SB Route 12 will use the freeways to access Lyons and resume routing at Newhall Metrolink.
— SantaClaritaTransit (@SCTBus) July 31, 2018
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