Mandatory Evacuation Ordered Due to Saddleridge Fire in Sylmar, North LA
A bush fire broke out on Thursday night in Sylmar, northern Los Angeles. The LA Fire Department has said that this is a “Major Emergency.”
The fire broke out shortly after 9 p.m. along the 210 Freeway, near Yarnell Street. Sylmar is the northernmost neighborhood of Los Angeles, California.
UPDATE: The fire is rapidly moving west towards the northern portions of Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Chatsworth, in the vicinity of the 118 Freeway. Residents there should also prepare and be ready to evacuate.
#BREAKING: Brush fire breaks out in Sylmar shutting down 210 Freeway in both directions. WATCH NOW: https://t.co/Bey4j7onXd pic.twitter.com/GcqNT72HQr
— CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) October 11, 2019
Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for Oakridge Estates community north of the 210 Freeway.
The #SaddleridgeFire appears to have damaged power lines in the area; aerial video shows the blaze continuing to rapidly grow https://t.co/BEMDLeeDur pic.twitter.com/wDDqMHNCz1
— KTLA (@KTLA) October 11, 2019
The LAPD has issued a citywide tactical alert and is working with LAFD to carry out evacuations.
Margaret Stewart with LA City Fire is asking residents in the Sylmar area to “grab your valuables and go” and said not to wait for official evacuation orders. The blaze is now about 40 acres, she said.
#UPDATE: We have not seen any burned down houses driving around Yarnell st. Here is video from when the fire first kicked off near the 210. @ABC7 pic.twitter.com/NMhKQgNq1V
— Veronica Miracle (@ABC7Veronica) October 11, 2019
LADWP says their grid operators have shut off power flow along major transmission lines in the vicinity of the Saddleridge to assist firefighting operations. There are currently no outages from transmission lines being out, as power is being rerouted into the City of L.A. using other paths away from the affected area.
The fire is rapidly moving west towards the northern portions of Granada Hills, Porter Ranch and Chatsworth, in the vicinity of the 118 Freeway. Residents there should also prepare and be ready to evacuate.
As of 12:30 am, the size of the fire is 1600 acres with 0% containment. There are at least 350 firefighters on scene.
The fire jumped the 5 Freeway… The 2nd evacuation zone has been extended to Mason to the west (West of Balboa, North of Sesnon and Mason as the western border).
There are currently two evacuation centers open for residents and small pets:
- Sylmar Rec Center (13109 Borden Av)
- Granada Hills Rec Center (16730 Chatsworth St)
Two shelters for large animals are open — Hansen Dam and West Valley Animal Shelter (20655 Plummer St).