By CNN Meteorologists Mary Gilbert, Brandon Miller, Briana Waxman, CNN
A wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles is tearing through thousands of acres and forcing evacuations after igniting Thursday afternoon. It’s one of several notable fires in the West that have exhibited explosive growth in recent weeks, spurred by searing heat and dry, gusty wind.
The Canyon Fire started around 1:30 p.m. PT Thursday and quickly burned through more than 4,800 acres of land by Thursday night, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. It was spreading east with 0% containment at that time.
A majority of the fire’s extreme growth unfolded in just over an hour, burning an area bigger than a football field every two seconds. That rate of fire spread would burn through an area the size of New York City’s Central Park in less than 25 minutes.
The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest, and along the Ventura-Los Angeles county border, about 40 miles northwest of center city Los Angeles.
Around 2,700 residents evacuated in Los Angeles County with 700 structures under an evacuation order, fire officials said late Thursday. Another 14,000 residents and 5,000 structures were under an evacuation warning — the level of alert below an order. Areas within the Val Verde zone had been reduced from an order to a warning. Five zones were under evacuation orders in Ventura County, including the Lake Piru Recreation Area, officials said.
The evacuation zones in nearby Ventura County are relatively unpopulated, Andrew Dowd, a spokesperson for the county’s fire department, told the Associated Press. Fifty-six people were evacuated from the Lake Piru recreation area.
The fire was a “very dynamic situation” caused by hot, dry weather, steep and rugged terrain and dry fuel, Dowd said, and 250 firefighters were on the ground coordinating with helicopters and other air support.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the district, urged residents to evacuate, the AP reported.
“Extreme heat and low humidity in our north county have created dangerous conditions where flames can spread with alarming speed,” Barger said in a statement. “If first responders tell you to leave, go — without hesitation.”
Wildfires are a known danger in California, but hazardous fire-weather conditions are coming together more frequently as the world continues to warm due to fossil fuel pollution. At the same time, weather whiplash from climate change is also providing more tinder-dry fuels for the blazes to engulf.
The Canyon Fire is west of Castaic Lake, an area that saw 10,000 acres burned by the Hughes Fire in January. That blaze also spread rapidly due to gusty winds and dry vegetation, and put tens of thousands of people under evacuation alerts.
Thursday was the hottest day of the year so far for much of the region as high temperatures hit or exceeded 100 degrees. Nearby Santa Clarita soared to 102 degrees Thursday afternoon while Los Angeles’ Van Nuys neighborhood reached 103 degrees.
Conditions are primed for fire growth Friday, with temperatures reaching the upper 90s and 100s — more than 10 degrees above average — and the area will remain warmer than normal through the weekend with no chance of rain. Wind will also be a persistent issue, with gusts of 20 to 30 mph expected at times through much of the weekend.
West remains wildfire hot spot
The Canyon Fire comes shortly after a massive wildfire in Central California became the state’s largest wildfire of the year, threatening hundreds of homes and burning in the Los Padres National Forest.
The Gifford Fire had spread to just over 99,000 acres by Thursday evening and was 15% contained. It grew out of at least four smaller fires that erupted last Friday along State Route 166, forcing closures in both directions east of Santa Maria, a city of about 110,000 people. It has injured at least four people and its cause is still under investigation.
Smoke from the Gifford Fire has poured south and east into other parts of Southern California and Nevada, cratering air quality earlier this week. Las Vegas had its worst air quality in over two years on Monday as a result of the smoke.
Massive blazes are also burning in nearby states. Arizona’s Dragon Bravo Fire is still raging along the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The megafire has grown to one of Arizona’s largest in history since a lightning strike set it off on the Fourth of July. It’s burned through dozens of structures, including a historic lodge, and become so intense that it’s created its own weather at times.
Utah’s Monroe Canyon Fire is the state’s largest of the year and had burned through nearly 65,000 acres as of Thursday.
Wildfire season in the US is far from over: The West will remain the major wildfire hot spot through at least September, forecasts from the National Interagency Fire Center show.
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