'Largest Fire In Los Angeles City History' Burns Nearly 6,000 Acres

The La Tuna Fire, believed to be the largest in Los Angeles history by acreage, has burned 5,800 acres, forced people to evacuate their homes and prompted a local emergency declaration. Late Saturday night, authorities in Burbank began letting residents return to their homes, lifting all evacuation orders however evacuation orders still remain in place for Glendale and the city of Los Angeles.

In a Saturday update, the Los Angeles Fire Department said the blaze was 10 percent contained. About 800 firefighters are on scene tackling the blaze that is burning down hill.

The fire, described as "erratic" and driven by strong gusting winds, broke out on Friday afternoon. The 210 Freeway was closed as a result and as of Saturday evening, the east side of the freeway remained closed at Wheatland and reopened at Lowell.

Authorities said erratic wind and weather is the greatest threat to extinguishing the fire.

Police in Burbank said that at about 10 p.m. on Saturday, they began a repopulation effort but the fire flared up near homes in the Burbank Estates and Castleman Lane areas, warranting a new evacuation order for some homes within the estates. According to police, evacuation orders are in place for Castleman Lane, Wedgewood Lane, Kildare Court, Folkstone Court and Logan Court. On Sunday morning, another voluntary evacuation was ordered for Country Club Drive.

In Los Angeles and Glendale, evacuation orders remain in place. In Glendale, evacuations are in place for Whiting Wood Area, Whiting Woods Road, Lockerbie Lane, Lockerbie Court, Hillway Drive, Mesa Lila Lane and Mesa Lila Road. Evacuations for LA city can be seen below.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti declared a local state of emergency on Saturday. Signing the declaration directs relevant departments to take all necessary steps to protect life and property. The declaration also requests that California Gov. Jerry Brown declare a state of emergency so state and federal resources can be provided to the city.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued an air quality alert, noting that areas of direct smoke impact and unhealthy air quality will likely include portions of the West San Gabriel Valley, the East San Fernando Valley, the East San Gabriel Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains.

At least three homes have been destroyed in the fire and two firefighters were transported to the hospital for dehydration but are said to be in stable condition.

Patch will update this report.

Photo: A crew with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) battles "La Tuna" brushfire on the hillside in Burbank, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017. Several hundred firefighters worked to contain a blaze that chewed through brush-covered mountains, prompting evacuation orders for homes in Los Angeles, Burbank and Glendale. Photo by Matt Hartman/Associated Press