Sand Fire Day 7: Containment Improves Overnight To 65%; Regional Smoke Advisory In Place [Thursday Update]

LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA – With most evacuated residents now back home, fire crews worked today to extend their slow progress against the deadly Sand Fire, which has charred more than 38,000 acres in the Santa Clarita area and is 65 percent contained.

Nearly 3,000 firefighters were on the lines working to knock down the blaze, which broke out Friday afternoon near Sand Canyon Road in Santa Clarita along the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway.

Relative humidity in the area was 30 to 35 percent overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

As of Wednesday night, the fire had scorched 38,346 acres and was 40 percent contained, fire officials said. As of 6 a.m. today, the fire's size had remained the same, but it was listed as 65 percent contained.

Eighteen homes were destroyed, along with a western town set on the Sable Ranch, a well-known filming location; one structure was damaged; two firefighters suffered minor injuries battling the flames, and one man was killed after apparently refusing an order to evacuate.

An estimated 20,000 people were evacuated as the fire raged, but most evacuation orders were lifted at 7 p.m. Monday. The orders remain in effect for residents of Little Tujunga Road from the Wildlife Waystation to Sand Canyon Road and Placerita Canyon Road, according to officials at the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff's Station.

Only residents are allowed back into the areas where evacuations were lifted, so people are asked to show identification.

The Escondido and Soledad Canyon Road exits of the northbound Antelope Valley Freeway remained closed today.

Sand Canyon Road was closed south of Placerita Canyon Road. Agua Dulce Canyon Road was closed to all nonresidents at the 14 Freeway, and closed to everyone at Soledad Canyon Road. Little Tujunga Canyon Road was closed north of the Wildlife Waystation. In Acton, Soledad Canyon Road was closed at Bootlegger Road.

Members of the public can follow the latest announcements about the fire online at inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4878/.

Metrolink says full service on the Antelope Valley line will resume today. Fire conditions adjacent to the railroad tracks in Santa Clarita had prompted the agency to suspend service.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District extended a smoke advisory until midnight today in portions of the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains. Air quality could reach unhealthy levels in areas where there's smoke, the agency said. Residents in those areas are advised to stay indoors and avoid using swamp coolers or wood-burning appliances.

Sheriff's officials, meanwhile, warned people not to fly drones in the fire zone, noting drone incursions occurred over the weekend, interrupting aerial firefighting efforts.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby, appearing before the county Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, said fire crews have managed to save "thousands of structures."

Osby said crews are still seeing "erratic fire behavior" amid stiff winds, but he said the vegetation fueling the fire was lighter as the blaze moved toward the Agua Dulce area, making it easier for crews to extend containment lines.

The Board of Supervisors ratified a local emergency declaration issued by the county on Monday. The declaration is the first step in acquiring state funding to help fire-recovery efforts. Hours after the board's vote on Tuesday, acting Gov. Tom Torlakson officially declared a state of emergency to free up state resources.
Torlakson, the state superintendent of public instruction, is acting governor while Gov. Jerry Brown and other state officials are attending the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

The Board of Supervisors also called for a report on the county's aerial firefighting fleet, including a discussion on whether it should purchase or secure a year-round lease on additional aircraft, including possibly a SuperScooper.

The county leases SuperScooper aircraft from Canada during fire season, but they are not expected to arrive in the area until September. Supervisor Michael Antonovich said the LACFD will receive an S-64F Helitanker HT-731 on Monday, two weeks earlier than expected.

The coroner's office Tuesday identified a man who apparently refused orders to evacuate and whose burned body was found in a car in the driveway of a house in the burn area. The body of Robert Bresnick, 67, was discovered at 7:20 p.m. Saturday in the 26700 block of Iron Canyon Road, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

"Evidently, he did not want to evacuate," Winter said.

Following an autopsy, the cause of death was listed as the "consequences of extensive thermal burns," and the death was classified as an accident, Winter said.

Winter said Bresnick was visiting a friend at the location and had been advised by authorities to leave. The friend left, but Bresnick did not, Winter said.

Three firefighters lost their homes in the fire. Two of them were initially battling the Sand Fire, and one lost his home while he was in San Diego County battling a blaze at Camp Pendleton.

With most evacuations lifted, an evacuation center at the Lakeview Terrace Recreation Center at 11075 Foothill Drive in Sylmar was closed. Two others — at Highland High School at 39055 25th St. West in Palmdale and at Hart High School at 24825 Newhall Ave. in Santa Clarita — remained open, according to the Red Cross.

The blaze has been fueled by triple-digit temperatures along with gusty winds and vegetation left dry by the region's five-year drought. Officials said some areas affected have not burned in decades, leaving terrain covered with dry chaparral.

Also see: Expect 'Unhealthy' Air Quality For Next 2 Days In San Gabriel Valley, Nearby

Previous coverage:

• Sand Fire: More Drone Woes; State Of Emergency Issued; Animal Fundraisers Underway; Containment At 40% [Wednesday Update]
• Sand Fire Latest: Blaze Spreads, But Containment Improves [Tuesday Update]
• Sand Fire Latest: 10,000 Homes With 20,000 Residents Evacuated; 2,000 Houses Threatened

--City News Service/Image 1 via Cmdr. Mike Parker ‏@mpLASD: 8am,Wed: Photo from Golden Valley Rd/ Newhall Ranch Roach, Santa Clarita Valley; Image 2 via JoinLASD ‏@joinLASD Firefighter aircraft drops fire retardant saving lives & property, some cars.