North Fire Near Santa Clarita Burns 640 Acres; Evacuation Orders Lifted

A fire that broke out near the 5 Freeway in Castaic early Wednesday afternoon grew to at least 640 acres by late in the evening, initially prompting mandatory evacuations in some Santa Clarita neighborhoods. But by Wednesday night, firefighters had stopped forward progress of the blaze and evacuation orders were lifted.

The North Fire began as weather officials warned of dangerous fire conditions through Saturday.

The Basics

• Acreage: 640 (downgraded by fire officials from 650 after an "IR mapping flight")
• Containment: 25%
• Structures destroyed: n/a
• Structures threatened: n/a
• Resources deployed: n/a

Evacuations Issued, Later Lifted

L.A. County Fire officials announced the following areas were under mandatory evacuation orders as of 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, but all evacuations were lifted at about 10 p.m.

• North and west of West Hills Drive
• North of Iron Village Drive North and west of Tesoro Del Valle
• North of Copper Hill Drive

Evacuation warnings were in effect for the areas of Rye Canyon Loop and Iron Village Drive and Sterling Lane in Valencia.

Weather Conditions

The NWS is reporting:

The Background

The fire broke out just west of the 5 Freeway in Castaic, near open space. The L.A. County Fire Department is the lead agency responding to the fire. Cal Fire lists the cause as "under investigation."

Climate Change

Fires are a critical part of the landscape in the Western U.S., but according to the Fourth National Climate Assessment, “the area burned by wildfire from 1984 to 2015 was twice what would have burned had climate change not occurred.” Put simply, hotter, drier conditions present throughout more of the year have made fuels more susceptible to burning across the state.

How We’re Reporting On This

This is a developing story. We fact check everything and rely only on information from credible sources (think fire, police, government officials and reporters on the ground). Sometimes, however, we make mistakes and/or initial reports turn out to be wrong. 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.

Official Sources

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

• Follow L.A. County Fire on Twitter
• Cal Fire Incident page
• Follow the City of Santa Clarita on Twitter

Fire Resources

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