The Canyon Fire on the Los Angeles-Ventura county line that has burned over 5,000 acres and destroyed two homes was 91% contained Monday, Cal Fire reported.
Crews have steadily surrounded the fire, which has charred 5,370 acres in an area east of Lake Piru since Thursday.
At least one Kern County firefighter assisting the effort was injured severely and transported to a hospital Friday when a fire pickup truck overturned, according to published reports. Three other firefighters suffered minor injuries in separate incidents, fire officials said.
“Firefighters continue to make good progress … (and) worked through the night to monitor and extinguish isolated heat sources,” according to Cal Fire on Monday morning. “Minimal fire activity allowed crews to continue improving control lines. Overnight infrared flights along the northeast portion of the fire identified areas of remaining heat which are being used to guide today’s suppression priorities.”
Officials said the northeast section of the blaze in LA County continues to have the most remaining heat. Infrared mapping scheduled for Monday “will further help crews locate and extinguish hot spot areas, prevent flare-ups and protect the fire perimeter,” Cal Fire reported.
Dozer lines on the wildfire’s eastern edge will be strengthened to reduce the chance of spread, officials said. Throughout the blaze’s footprint, “firefighters remain prepared to respond quickly to any flare-ups while suppression repair and backhaul will continue to address impacts from firefighting operations.”
Hot, dry conditions will persist Monday with high temperatures from 96-104 degrees, relative humidity dropping as low as 15% and wind gusts up to 20 mph, Cal Fire reported.
All evacuation warnings in Los Angeles and Ventura counties were lifted as of Sunday morning.
Damage assessment teams have reported two single residences and five outbuildings were destroyed in the fire.
Around 400 firefighters from the LA and Ventura county fire departments were on-scene with help from Angeles National Forest, Cal Fire personnel and other agencies.
Helicopter crews made water drops on the fire through the night Thursday into Friday, taking advantage of diminished winds, according to the LA County Fire Department. The water drops were effective in helping to jump-start containment efforts, officials said.
The Canyon Fire moved fast after breaking out Thursday about 1:30 p.m. near Lake Piru in Ventura County. The flames then spread eastward into LA County, prompting evacuation orders in the Val Verde area west of Castaic. The blaze quickly reached second-alarm status as it burned in a remote area east of Lake Piru, spreading swiftly through the brush from around 30 acres to 1,051 within two hours, officials said.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, who represents the area, issued a local emergency proclamation Thursday afternoon to ensure all resources are made available to fight the blaze.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved a grant that will reimburse a large share of local governments’ firefighting expenses.
