CASTAIC BRUSH FIRE BURNS 30 ACRES DAY CAMP EVACUATED; I-5 LANES CLOSED.Byline: SUE DOYLE Staff Writer CASTAIC -- An army of firefighters descended Thursday on a brush fire in Castaic that sent flames racing toward a hillside neighborhood, forced the closure of a stretch of Interstate 5 and prompted the evacuation of a day camp. About 30 acres burned in this first big brush fire of the season in the Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley is the valley of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. It stretches through Los Angeles County and Ventura County. Its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,672. . No serious injuries or damage were reported. Shelby Nehus, 11, and her sister Jessica, 12, were among the 25 youngsters evacuated e·vac·u·ate v. e·vac·u·at·ed, e·vac·u·at·ing, e·vac·u·ates v.tr. 1. a. To empty or remove the contents of. b. To create a vacuum in. 2. from a day camp program at Northlake Hills Elementary School elementary school: see school. . The children saw the black smoke rising over a hill; some thought it might be storm clouds approaching, but the acrid smell of burning brush left no doubt. ``I was scared because you could see the flames coming over the hill,'' Shelby said. ``All these other kids in school started crying. They sky was black.'' The cause of the fire was under investigation, but Inspector Jason Hurd of the Los Angeles County Fire Department Not to be confused with Los Angeles Fire Department. The Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD), serves unincorporated parts of Los Angeles County, as well as 58 cities and towns that choose to have the county provide fire and EMS services, including the City of La said the first firefighters to arrive initially saw several separate spots burning. A number of smaller blazes over the past month in the immediate area are believed to be arson. From the distance, gray smoke billowed from the hills, giving smoke signals of a mountain in trouble. A hilltop surrounded by homes was scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. and still smoldering smol·der also smoul·der intr.v. smol·dered, smol·der·ing, smol·ders 1. To burn with little smoke and no flame. 2. as residents who considered fleeing learned the fire was fizzling. Nearby on Ridge Route The Ridge Route, officially the Castaic-Tejon Route,[2] is a narrow two-lane highway in the northern Greater Los Angeles Area of the U.S. state of California. Road, traffic backed up, and stranded motorists heading home got out of their cars to find out what was going on. Four helicopters and bulldozers helped some 200 firefighters on the ground knock down the blaze in less than two hours. County police working at Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² evacuated the day camp as thick ash fell, said Sgt. Kevin Empey. The children were taken to a nearby fire station where their parents picked them up. Later Jerry Nehus, his girls safe at home, was hosing down his front yard as a precaution. ``That same hill burned five years ago when we moved in,'' he said. ``We're lucky with the lake right there. The helicopters go there and get water.'' Southbound lanes of the freeway were shut down when flames spread to the brush in the center divider divider See European currency quotation. and sent thick black smoke across lanes, Hurd said. The fire started near Big Oak Lanes and burned right up to Rich Kelly's backyard. Kelly said he was eyeing the hillside earlier this week and noted it was filled with brush and prime to burn. ``It's a relief that it burned now,'' he said. ``It's always been a big concern.'' Next-door neighbor Ed Rough said the homes in the Northlake tract have concrete roofs and other fire safety features. The residents, though, must share their space with wildlife that lost its habitat. As he headed home, he spotted coyotes, rabbits and scores of grasshoppers Grasshoppers may refer to one of the following:
``The whole side of my house was covered in grasshoppers,'' Rough said. ``I wish I was going fishing.'' sue.doyle(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-525 CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1 -- color) Flames burn close to homes along Ridge Route Road in Castaic on Thursday afternoon. The fire closed down southbound lanes of the I-5 and briefly threatened nearby homes. (2) A helicopter makes a water drop against a backdrop of stopped traffic on the southbound I-5 Freeway on Thursday afternoon. David Crane/Staff Photographer |
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