A large wildfire has torn through dry bushes north of Los Angeles, burning almost 15,000 acres, while another wildfire has swept through Sonoma County, north of San Francisco. The Post Fire, California’s first major fire of the year, started on Saturday afternoon, forcing the evacuation of about 1,200 people from Hungry Valley campground and surrounding areas. Evacuation orders remain in place for areas west of Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, with strong winds expected to continue throughout the day. Residents in neighboring areas, including Castaic and Lancaster, have been urged to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice.
As of Sunday afternoon, the Post Fire has been ranked as the state’s largest wildfire so far this year, with only 2 percent of the fire contained. Efforts to contain the fire have been hindered by strong winds, making it difficult for aircraft crews to effectively drop water and fire retardant. The blaze has burned over 10,000 acres within the first 12 hours, with continuous heat and strong winds sparking new fires in the surrounding areas. The Los Angeles Fire Department is working to extinguish the fire, with CAL Fire deploying almost 1,200 firefighters in 34 crews, along with multiple water tenders and dozers.
CAL Fire has reported that at least 15,000 acres have burned across Sonoma County due to the Point Fire, which started near Lake Sonoma. Hundreds of people have been evacuated, with a red flag warning issued in the area. Some buildings have been damaged, but the extent of the damage is unclear at this time. Schools in the district south of Lake Sonoma have been canceled, and there are several other small fires burning across the county. CAL Fire’s Butte County unit is confident that over 50 percent of these fires will be contained by later this afternoon.
Record-breaking heat in the southwest this spring has led to vegetation drying out, creating ideal conditions for wildfires to spread. Cities like Las Vegas have already experienced extreme heat and broken records, with the heat expected to continue in the coming weeks. Los Angeles County officials have closed several roads, including the Golden State Highway and Mulholland Highway, due to the blaze. Despite the challenges posed by the wildfires, firefighters remain hopeful that they will be able to contain the blazes soon and prevent further destruction.
