A fire in Los Angeles County has consumed nearly 15,000 acres
Originally Published: 16 JUN 24 08:14 ET
Updated: 17 JUN 24 09:55 ET
By Paradise Afshar, CNN
(CNN) — A fire in Los Angeles County that forced the evacuations of hundreds of people from a state park has burned nearly 15,000 acres, authorities said Sunday, just one day after it started.
The Post Fire is 8% contained, as of Monday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The agency, also known as Cal Fire, said 400 personnel, 70 engines and two dozers were battling the blaze.
“Numerous firefighting air tankers from throughout the State are flying fire suppression missions as conditions allow,” Cal Fire said.
The National Weather Service in Los Angeles warned wind gusts could reach up to 60 to 70 mph Sunday night, creating conditions that could potentially fuel the flames. A red flag warning was issued for the I-5 corridor in Los Angeles County and the Ventura County mountains until 5:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.
The wildfire began Saturday afternoon in Gorman, an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
California State Park Services evacuated 1,200 people from Hungry Valley Park, Cal Fire said. The fire had damaged two commercial properties by Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Evacuation orders are in place for areas west of Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, and evacuation warnings are in place for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the Los Angeles County line.
Crews are working to contain the fire and “aircraft are working to stop forward progress but have limited visibility,” according to the fire department.
Pyramid Lake is also closed because of the threat posed by the fire, the fire department said.
The impacted area was expected to experience slightly higher temperatures and lower humidity through the rest of the weekend, the fire department said. Winds were expected to increase through the evening with gusts up to 30 mph, with stronger winds at the ridge tops reaching over 50 mph.
Meanwhile in Northern California, the Point Fire, has burned more than 1,000 acres in Sonoma County and destroyed structures, according to Cal Fire.
Evacuation orders were issued Sunday for some residents, with first responders going door to door to assist, the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office said.
Overnight, officials deployed 36 fire engines, three helicopters, seven dozers, six hand crews and three water tenders to fight the fire, which was about 20% contained by Monday morning, Cal Fire reported.
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