Wildfire erupts burning more than 11,000 acres near Los Angeles, mass evacuation underway
A major evacuation is underway in Los Angeles County as a vicious wildfire continues to burn thousands of acres.
Authorities evacuated at least 1,200 people on Saturday as the blaze neared a major highway and threatened nearby structures.
The blaze, named the Post Fire, burned more than 3,600 acres near the Interstate 5 freeway in Gorman, about 62 miles northwest of Los Angeles, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
California State Park Services evacuated residents from the Hungry Valley recreation area in Gorman and both Hungry Valley and the Pyramid Lake reservoir were closed as a result of the fire threat, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said on Saturday night.
The flames broke out around 1:45 pm, authorities said.
The fire was moving southeast toward Pyramid Lake and crews were constructing perimeter fire lines while aircraft worked against limited visibility to stop the fire’s progress, the fire department said.
By Sunday the fire had spread across 11,000 acres, helped overnight by strong wind gusts.
No injuries have been reported.
More than 300 firefighters from at least seven agencies were battling the fire including units from the LA, Ventura and Kern counties, the Los Angeles Fire Department, CalFire, Los Padres Fire Protection and Angeles National Forest Fire Management.
“Currently crews are working to construct perimeter fire lines around the flakes of the fire," an official update said. “Aircraft are working to stop forward progress but have limited visibility.”
Officials advised people in the area to limit their exposure by remaining indoors with windows and doors closed or by seeking immediate shelter, avoiding vigorous physical activity and running their air conditioners or air purifiers.
According to the National Interagency Fire Center, the volume of wildfires is above average in 2024, and fire activity continues to increase across the US. To date, 18,211 wildfires have burned more than 2 milllion acres.
On Friday, the agency said 11 large, uncontained fires were being managed under full suppression strategies, and eight are being managed with strategies other than full suppression.
The major fire comes after experts warned that recent extreme heat may exacerbate conditions for more dangerous incidents.
Earlier this month, a fire consumed more than 14,000 acres of land in San Joaquin County, with residents ordered to evacuate. Smaller fires also broke out in the Los Padres National Park in Santa Barbara County.
Last year, intense heatwaves blistered the US due to the climate crisis, with over 113 million Americans under heat warnings at their peaks.
