SYLMAR (CNS) – A wind-driven fire in the Sylmar area rapidly expanded to 700 acres on Wednesday, Jan. 8, with no reported containment.
The Hurst Fire – one of four major fires burning in the Southland amid fierce Santa Ana winds – was reported around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in the 5900 block of Yarnell Street, and within a half-hour, it had burned more than 100 acres, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
It rapidly grew in size to 700 acres by 11 a.m. Wednesday, with 0% containment.
Evacuations were ordered for the area north of the Foothill (210) Freeway from Roxford Street to the Golden State (5) and Antelope Valley (14) Freeway split, according to the LAFD.
Evacuation warnings were also in effect for areas of Santa Clarita, along Calgrove Boulevard and the Newhall Pass, Wildwood and Eternal Valley, according to Cal Fire.
The 210 Freeway was temporarily closed between Roxford and the 5 Freeway, but eastbound lanes and mainline westbound lanes were reopened Wednesday morning, according to the California Highway Patrol. The connector to the southbound Golden State Freeway was closed, along with a stretch of the 14 Freeway and the Roxford Street off-ramp of the northbound Golden State Freeway.
Evacuation centers were set up in Pacoima, Northridge and Panorama City. They are at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, 10736 Laurel Canyon Blvd. in Pacoima; Northridge Park, 10120 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge; and Sepulveda Recreation Center, 8825 Kester Ave. in Panorama City.
For the evacuation of large animals, the LA Equestrian Center at 480 Riverside Drive in Burbank is available, according to the LAPD.
The governor’s office estimated that more than 44,000 people in the area were under evacuation orders, with 40,000 structures threatened.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the state a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help fund the fight against the Hurst Fire, as it also did for the Palisades and Eaton fires, according to the governor’s office.