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LOS ANGELES-Fierce winds pushed a stubborn fire that began in the Angeles National Forest through dry brush near Castaic, causing it to grow from 29,000 acres on Monday morning to 41,000 by Monday night, authorities said. The three major fires-the Ranch, the Buckweed and the Magic fires-are projected to merge in about 48 hours into a more than 80,000-acre fire, according to Roger Richcreek of the Angeles National Forest. The Ranch Fire was 10 percent contained by Monday morning, but "as the fire grows, the percentage sinks. The prognosis as of Monday night was that containment is not expected until Oct. 31, more than a week from Monday. Richcreek said that 500 residences and 50 commercial buildings are threatened. Three homes and four outbuildings were destroyed. All fires would merge as they burned in a westerly direction toward Piru and Fillmore in Ventura County. The reason for the fires merging is "topography and fuels. There's nothing to keep them from burning together. It also depends on weather mostly. The humidity is expected to stay in the single digits for the next day," Richcreek said. What might help is that the winds are supposed to die down in the next day or so. The Ranch fire, which broke out about 9:45 p.m. Saturday eight miles northwest of Castaic near Townsend Peak, was burning south-southwest, away from the Golden State (5) Freeway, the U.S. Forest Service reported. Ed Gililland of the U.S. Forest Service said the cause of the fire was under investigation. No injuries were reported. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Halsey Canyon, Val Verde, Oak Springs and parts of Piru, Gililland said.State Route 126 was closed in the area, as was Old Highway 99 at Templin Highway.About 650 firefighters were assigned to battle the flames, which were being fanned by winds of 25 to 45 mph. A mobile home and an outbuilding were destroyed, but flames were advancing on other structures in the area.Inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center-South Facility at 29300 The Old Road were transported to the North County Correctional Facility as a precautionary measure, said Dana Camarillo of the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management.Chaparral in the area is about 40 years old, according to Kathy Peterson of the U.S. Forest Service said.Several homes and ranches have been evacuated, and an evacuation center was set up at the Veterans Memorial Building, at 511 S. Second St., Fillmore, Gililland said.To read more go to:
As in the days of Noah....
