At least three fires were burning in Los Angeles County Friday afternoon and hot, dry weather was expected to continue through the weekend.
In Palmdale, firefighters are battling a 300-acre brush fire near North 35th Street East and East Avenue Q. 250 acres, huge plumes of smoke.
The area is popular with hikers and those who want to swim in the San Gabriel River, making conditions particularly dangerous. Video posted on social media site X showed campers walking along the river with smoke billowing behind them.
Two people were treated for possible smoke inhalation and people were evacuated from parking areas at the East Fork of the San Gabriel River and the East Fork Trailhead, Los Angeles National Forest spokesperson Dana Dierkes said.
She could not say how many people were evacuated, but they were all recreational enthusiasts. Residents of the area have been allowed to stay.
As of Friday evening, the fire was burning toward the Sheep Mountain Wilderness, Dierks said. Firefighters from multiple agencies are on scene as well as seven aerial tankers and eight helicopters.
The Los Angeles Fire Department also responded to a 43-acre brush fire between Highway 210 and Latuna Canyon Road in Tujunga.
“As far as fire potential, we’ve just seen a couple of fires in the last hour or two,” National Weather Service meteorologist Brian Lewis in Oxnard said Friday afternoon.
Heat warnings continue through Wednesday for the Antelope Valley and the mountains of Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties, where temperatures could reach 106 degrees. Low humidity is expected to persist through at least the weekend.
Coastal plains and valleys are expected to be cooler.
Lewis said that while hot, dry weather is more likely to spark fires, the conditions are not severe enough to warrant a red flag warning.
As of 5 p.m. Friday, Palmdale firefighters were making progress in extinguishing the so-called Deer fire. Los Angeles County Fire Department dispatch supervisor Jeremy Stafford said there was no obvious fire and crews were checking for hot spots.
In Tujunga, officials said firefighters had stopped the fire from spreading as of 7:39 p.m. Friday and would work through the night.
Air and ground support are fighting the Fork fire. The California Highway Patrol blocked East Fork Road from Highway 39 to Glendora Mountain Road.
(Angeles National Forest)
In the Angeles National Forest, the Fork Fire forced the closure of Glendora Ridge Road and East Fork Road between Highway 39 and Glendora Mountain Road.
“Our goal is to extinguish the fire as quickly as possible,” Dierks said.
