Canyon Country Tick Fire Burns At Least 3,000 Acres, Evacuations Were Ordered

A bush fire in near Santa Clarita quickly exploded in size to at least 3,000 acres on Thursday, October 24, amid dangerous red-flag conditions. The disaster destroyed homes and prompted hundreds of evacuations.

The Tick Fire broke out before 2:00 p.m. local time in the area just the south of Summit Knoll Road. It quickly spread as it burned downhill into the dry bushes with the help of strong Santa Ana winds.

Marvin Lim, a spokesman for the L.A. County Fire Department, told the Los Angeles Times that the firefighters had raised to the third alarm by about 2:20 p.m. as the fire was threatening other residences and establishments.

Evacuations were directed for homes in the area of Soledad Canyon Road to Shadow Pines Boulevard along the 14 Freeway. About 50,000 residents have been evacuated.

Additional evacuations were ordered for the areas of Davenport Road east of Sierra Highway, south of Vasquez Canyon Road, north and east of Whites Canyon Road, and north and east of Plum Canyon.

An evacuation shelter at the Valencia campus gym at 17200 Sierra Highway, Santa Clarita, and College of the Canyons was set up by the Red Cross. A separate temporary shelter is placed at the Newhall Community Center.

Some outdoor structures were visibly damaged as the flames were coming dangerously close to homes in some areas. At least one home appeared to be on fire.

Schools and colleges throughout the Santa Clarita area - including Newhall School District, Saugus Union School District, and William S. Hart Union High School District - were closing on Thursday and Friday because of the fire danger and air quality.

The blaze also forced the closure of all northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway at Hasley Canyon, the California Highway Patrol said. By 6:40 p.m., all northbound lanes of the 5 were open, according to the California Department of Transportation.

Sean Rios, a spokesman for the county Fire Department, told the Los Angeles Times that they were doing everything to subdue the fire from spreading. He added all aerial and ground resources are used "to the best of their capabilities."

However, several homeowners decided to stay put despite living less than three miles from where the Tick fire erupted. One resident explained that he did not think his residence was under threat since the wind was going in the opposite direction.

Another resident, who runs a pony shelter, said that she had received a text message saying that everyone "needed to evacuate." However, she said she's not worried. She explained if the fire got closer, she could pack up and leave in no time and put the horses in the trailer of her property.

The tick fire was one of many blazes raging across Southern California. A fire broke out and began spreading in the Castaic area, only a few miles to the west, damaged the homes and threatening dozens more.

Keily Delerme, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Oxnard, explained that the weather conditions near the fire were helping to promote its growth with a combination of warm temperatures, humidity hovering around 6% and wind gusts of up to 29 mph.