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Photos: 500-Acre Calabasas Fire Forces Evacuation Of 5,000 People
2 of the helicopters working the #OldFire are Firehawks capable of up to 1000 gallons per drop (📷@L2_Digital) pic.twitter.com/0K0ckxmH21
— LACoFireAirOps (@LACoFireAirOps) June 4, 2016
A 516-acre brush fire that began Saturday in Calabasas is still raging, and has forced the evacuations of about 5,000 people from approximately 3,700 homes.
As of this morning, L.A. County Fire officials said that the blaze is at 30% containment. So far, two residences have suffered minor damage, and one commercial building has been destroyed.
ABC-7 reports that evacuation orders were lifted for Calabasas this morning around 2 a.m., but that Topanaga Canyon is still under evacuation due to the presence of potentially hazardous dry fuels.
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300 firefighters were working to contain the fire, three of whom were injured over the course of the night, apparently due to the steep terrain. City News Service reports two of the firefighters injured their knees, while the other one suffered a "cardiac episode."
According to the L.A. Times, the fire was reported around 4 p.m. Saturday, and officials believe it might have started when a truck struck a power pole, but it has yet to be determined if the blaze could be linked to the downed power lines.
This video of the fire from the baseball field at Calabasas High school is pretty scary:
View from the baseball fields at Calabasas HS...about 5:30pm @CBSLA #calabasasfire pic.twitter.com/GY8EdQEaGC
— Angela Dallman (@angeladallman) June 5, 2016
Smoke and ash could be seen across L.A. County, from as far as 30 miles away. Even Vin Scully commented on the fire during last night's Dodger broadcast—the smoke could be seen spookily hovering over Dodger Stadium yesterday around sunset.
A little before first pitch at Dodger Stadium, thanks to the brush fire. pic.twitter.com/1TgpC93Kxy
— David Young, Citizen (@DavidYoungTBLA) June 5, 2016
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Coincidentally, Calabasas resident Drake released a new song yesterday afternoon called "4PM in Calabasas"...literally minutes before the fire is believed to have started. The irony was not lost on many of his fans:
.@Drake spit so much fire in 4pm in Calabasas that the city almost burned down. Literally. pic.twitter.com/yrCs6i5hsR
— Cameron Rad (@cameronrad) June 5, 2016
But not everyone found "Drake track fire 4 real tho lol" Twitter jokes very funny!
Everybody tweeting #Drake and #Kardashians w/ the Calabasas fire are clearly lucky enough to have never had family threatened by a fire.
— Holly Marie Combs Ryan (@H_Combs) June 5, 2016
This humble Calabasan expressed her gratitude to the firefighters over Twitter:
Thanks to all the brave firefighters, on the ground and overhead. Appreciate what you do to keep us safe 🙏🏽❤️ God bless #CalabasasFire
— Khloé (@khloekardashian) June 5, 2016
The National Weather Service predicts conditions will be similar to yesterday's, with highs reaching 95 degrees, with wind gusts in the canyons up to 30 miles per hour.
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