Saddleridge Fire Burns 5000+ Acres in Los Angeles

A fast-growing, wind-driven fire sparked near Yarnell Road off Interstate 210 just north of Sylmar in northern Los Angeles around 2100 PST Thursday night. By late Thursday it was less than 100 acres burning parallel to the 210 Freeway. Overnight, the fire grew to more than 4,000 acres jumping both the I-5 and I-210, burning into neighborhoods. The western branch of the fire got established near the I-5 and began burning westerly through medium to heavy brush threatening thousands of homes in the Porter Ranch and Granada Hills areas. The original fire or eastern branch has backed upslope with topography and is growing to the north and east above Sylmar. At least 25 homes were damaged reported in the morning press conference. 1,000 firefighters are working the fire, along with numerous helicopters and air resources. Additional resources will be implemented with the daylight, including 2 super scoopers. Angeles National Forest officials are in a unified command with Los Angeles City and Los Angeles County fire departments.

The region remains under Red Flag Warning until 1800 today due to the ongoing strong Santa Ana wind event and very low humidity. Winds blowing between 20 and 30 mph are expected to continue through the early afternoon with gusts up to 50 mph in the fire area, according to the National Weather Service. The fire continues to burn about 800 acres per hour. Conditions are extremely dynamic and communities along the 118 corridor heading west towards, first Porter Ranch, northern Chatsworth, then the Rocky peak area and Simi Valley remain threatened.

Saddleridge Fire Facts

• Location: Sylmar, CA
• Size: 5,200 acres
• Containment: 0%
• Fire Behavior: Rapid fire spread through medium and heavy brush.
• Structures Impacted: 25 (estimated)
• Evacuations: 23,000