Sand Fire Update: 33K Acres; 18 Homes Destroyed; Evacuations Continue; 1 Possible Death

SANTA CLARITA, CA – Four helicopters and one fixed-wing airplane made water drops overnight in the Santa Clarita area as firefighters hustled to stop the spread of the fast-moving Sand Fire that has consumed more than 33,000 acres, destroyed at least 18 homes and possibly claimed a life, authorities said. The Los Angeles County coroner's office said today it will take some time to make a positive identification of the badly burned body of a man found at 7:20 p.m. Saturday in the 26700 block of Iron Canyon Road.

Homicide investigators saw the car in which the body was found parked in the driveway of a house, according to Deputy Juanita Navarro-Suarez. The cause of death will be determined by an autopsy.

Containment was still just 10 percent as of this morning.

More than 1,600 firefighters continued to battle the heat and the flames into the night. Resources devoted to the firefighting effort included 70 engines, 36 hand crews, and, during the daylight hours, nine helicopters and four bulldozers, according to authorities.

Officials continued to urge residents affected by the blaze to heed mandatory evacuation orders for their own safety. The newest evacuations were ordered Sunday in Acton as the fire spread northeast.

Residents were ordered to leave their homes on Agua Dulce Canyon Road north to the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway, Crown Valley north to the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway and all of Soledad Canyon between those two areas.

By Sunday evening, residences from Golden Valley Road to Sand Canyon, excluding the Sand Canyon Mobile Home Park, were evacuated. Also by that time, the flames grew from burning 22,000 acres to 33,172 acres, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.

Evacuation centers were in place at Highland High School at 39055 25th St. West in Palmdale; at Hart High School at 24825 Newhall Ave. in Santa Clarita; and at Lakeview Terrace Recreation Center at 11075 Foothill Drive in Sylmar.

"This is a very serious fire, and when we tell people to evacuate, they need to evacuate,'' County Supervisor Mike Antonovich said.

"We have one fatality and 18 homes already destroyed — one partially. So, again, all the orders that have remained relative to road closure and evacuations, please listen to the fire department, listen to the sheriff's department,'' Antonovich said. "We want to save lives, we want to protect property. We want to save the animals. We don't want to lose any more lives.''

More than 1,500 homes were threatened by the massive blaze, according to a United States Forest Service spokesman and the sheriff's department. Some residents in the Sand Canyon area of Santa Clarita who evacuated Saturday were supposed to be allowed to return to their homes Sunday, but shifting winds changed those plans and evacuation orders remained in place.

Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, the fire jumped Placerita Canyon about a quarter mile west of Sand Canyon and was moving north, county firefighters said. They urged residents in the area to evacuate. Capt. Roosevelt Johnson of the sheriff's Santa Clarita station said that at least 140 deputies in Santa Clarita Valley were working on protecting the evacuation areas.

"When we evacuate those areas, it's really important that people don't try and re-enter those areas,'' Johnson said. "Our goal is to make sure that human life is protected at all costs.''

"These are not normal times. When we ask you to evacuate, evacuate,'' said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby. "You need to be ready, in case we ask you to evacuate.''

Many Santa Clarita residents in the evacuation area have large animals that also need to be evacuated. Pierce College in Woodland Hills and the Hansen Dam recreation area reached capacity Sunday afternoon and were no longer accepting animals, but the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds announced they were accepting animals. The Fairgrounds are located at 2551 W. Ave. H in Lancaster.

Community members showed up Saturday at the Wildlife WayStation in Sylmar to help evacuate some 400 exotic animals, according to Lt. Javier Gutierrez of Los Angeles County Animal Care and Control. The 160-acre sanctuary is located at 14831 Little Tujunga Canyon Road. The animals were taken to warehouses to wait out the fire, including the hangar at Van Nuys Airport.

The fire destroyed a western town set on the Sable Ranch, a well-known and well-used filming location, according to authorities. The blaze was fueled by triple-digit temperatures along with gusty winds and extremely dry vegetation, firefighters said. Residents have reported smoke-filled air and falling ash in many parts of the greater Los Angeles area,with smoke advisories issued in the area through midnight Monday.

The SCAQMD issued a smoke advisory through today. The agency said affected areas are susceptible to direct smoke impact and unhealthy air quality, and recommended that people stay indoors and avoid using swamp coolers and wood-burning appliances. There were several road closures declared.

All lanes on the northbound Antelope (14) Freeway from the Golden State (5) Freeway to Santiago Canyon and the southbound 14 Freeway from Avenue N to Soledad Canyon were closed by the California Highway Patrol but re-opened by 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The Sand Canyon exit on the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway will remain closed.

There is no entry into Sand Canyon from Sand Canyon and Soledad Canyon roads; no access to Sand Canyon, Soledad Canyon Road and Placerita Canyon, Agua Dulce Canyon Road or Crown Valley Road from the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway; Sand Canyon Road was shut down east of Placerita Canyon to 12300 Little Tujunga Canyon Road. Metrolink announced there would be no service to and from the Vincent Grade/Acton, Palmdale or Lancaster stations. Train service will operate between Via Princessa and Los Angeles only, Metrolink said.

There will be no bus bridges between the Palmdale and Lancaster stations.

The fire broke out at 2:11 p.m. Friday, near Sand Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, along the northbound Antelope Valley (14) Freeway.

The cause is still under investigation.

• Previous: Sand Fire: 1 Dead; 33,000 Acres Burned; Evacuations Ordered for Fast-Moving Los Angeles County Blaze

• Also see: 3 Firefighters Injured, Apartment Damaged In Blaze On E. Broadway Ave.

— By City News Service/Image courtesy of LACoFireAirOps ‏@LACoFireAirOps on Twitter