By Trevor Morgan & Rylee Holwager
Signal Staff Writers
The Route Fire in Castaic had burned through 5,208 acres and was only 12% contained as of Thursday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
One structure has been destroyed, seven firefighters have been injured and hundreds have been evacuated. Evacuations were still, as of 9 a.m., in place for anything on the Old Ridge Route between Northlake Hills Elementary School and Templin Highway.
The Fire Department released an incident update Thursday morning that detailed the scope and scale of the battle firefighters will face later on in the day.
"Excessive heat, low humidity and steep terrain will continue to pose the biggest challenge for firefighters today," read the update. "The combination has a potential for large plume growth, uphill runs and short-range spotting. Current objectives include keeping the fire west of Castaic Lake, east of Palumas Canyon, south of Fall Creek, and north of Lake Hughes Road."
The statement added that firefighters will attempt to further contain the blaze before the midday heat and that two CL415 Super Scoopers from Quebec will assist in the fight. It's the first official day of service for the Quebec aircraft, which are leased annually by Los Angeles County for the peak fire season.
On Wednesday, the fire completely closed the northbound Interstate 5. On Thursday, only one lane had been opened on the northbound side, according to Capt. Ed Krusey with the California Highway Patrol. Lanes one and four were closed on the southbound side.
"Caltrans is assessing the structural integrity of one portion on the northbound side," said Krusey. "So once that is evaluated by an engineer, we can determine if we can open an additional lane."
Krusey said the two lanes on the southbound side were closed to accommodate fire equipment, which was put in place in anticipation of any fires that may pop up near the freeway. Krusey noted that once it's deemed unnecessary to have fire equipment at that location, those lanes would open back up.
Also during the night, two trucks became stuck on San Francisquito Canyon Road - during separate incidents - after attempting to use the road to bypass the traffic on the I-5. Trucks are not allowed on the road and Greengard said CHP did not direct any trucks onto it.
One truck got stuck on a bridge and another got caught on a guardrail. By midday Thursday, both trucks had been removed and cleanup was under way, according to CHP officers on the scene.
Greengard said the CHP closed off San Francisquito Canyon Road at Copper Hill Drive due to safety concerns and the anticipated path of the fire.
Krusey said that CHP did not have the resources at the time to prevent trucks from going on to San Francisquito Canyon Road.
"We have limited resources and so most of our resources were diverted to the point of most risk, which would be where the fire area was," said Krusey. "Big rigs are not allowed to go up there and we actually frequently cite them up there. So they aren't supposed to go up there... So we did not have resources deployed there to account for anything like that. All [officers] were designated to address the fire and the issue that we have in this area right now."
The L.A. County Public Works Department issued a news release Thursday morning saying San Francisquito Canyon Road was "closed between Copper Hill Road in Santa Clarita and Spunky Canyon Road in the community of Green Valley in response to an overturned semitruck blocking a bridge. Los Angeles County Public Works engineers are inspecting the structure for potential damage."
Traffic in the area was being detoured to Bouquet Canyon Road, the statement said, and advised motorists to visit the L.A. County Public Works website at pw.lacounty.gov/roadclosures for road closure updates.
At the Fire Department's press conference on Thursday, Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Ewald said the cause of the fire was still under investigation and that no theories could be confirmed or denied. Ewald also said that some evacuation orders were expected to be lifted throughout the day, including the Paradise Ranch Mobile Estates.
According to the Los Angeles County Parks & Recreation Department Twitter page, Castaic Lake was temporarily closed on Thursday due to the fire. As of the time of this publication, it is unknown when the lake will reopen.
Two fire shelters have been set up by the American Red Cross.
One is located at West Ranch High School (26255 Valencia Blvd. Santa Clarita, CA 91381) and the other is at Frazier Mountain High School (700 Falcon Way, Lebec, CA 93243). The Red Cross has stated that immediate lodging will be available for affected communities and that more information can be found here: rdcrss.org/3cLjish.
Residents are also being reminded to be prepared for an evacuation and to have their identification, medications, important documents (birth certificates, marriage certificates, etc.), emergency supplies, a change of clothes, and toiletries prepared in a bag.
This is a breaking news story and more information will be provided as it becomes available.