California Wildfire: Hundreds Evacuated as Over 12,000 Acres Burn

A California wildfire approximately 65 miles northwest of Los Angeles ignited on Saturday and has burned over 12,000 acres and prompted the evacuation of at least 1,200 people in the area, according to the state’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

Named the “Post Fire,” it’s believed to have started at 1:47 p.m. on Saturday “in Gorman near Hungry Valley Park,” according to Cal Fire’s initial report on Saturday evening. Additional reports show the fire and its smoke are near Interstate 5, a major highway, towards Lake Pyramid. As of Sunday afternoon, it has burnt 12,265 acres, over 19 square miles. The cause for the fire remains unknown.

Approximately 1,200 people have been evacuated from Hungry Valley Park by the California Park Services, according to Cal Fire on Sunday. Evacuation warnings have been issued for areas west of Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, as listed on the Cal Fire and Los Angeles County websites.

“Currently crews are working to construct perimeter fire lines around the flakes of the fire. Aircraft are working to stop forward progress but have limited visibility,” the latest Cal Fire update reads.

The firefighting effort includes 400 personnel, 70 engines, and two dozers. Cal Fire reported that the fire was only 2 percent contained as of Sunday afternoon. Containment percentage can change overnight largely due to winds, Craig Little, a firefighter specialist and public information officer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told Newsweek in a phone call on Sunday.

He said this fire “isn’t atypical, it just happens to be early and larger,” adding that “it’s a very large fire” driven by wind.

Wildfires are common in California, with 1,769 recorded so far this year, as reported by Cal Fire. Majority of fires typically take place between late April and October, with the latter months experiencing the bulk of the fires.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles issued a “Red Flag Warning,” along the I-5 corridor due to sustained, strong winds and low humidity.

“Wind gusts of 45-55 mph today, increasing to 60-70 mph tonight, strongest across ridgetops,” the NWS Los Angeles’ wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

Little told Newsweek said the expected wind gusts of 60 miles per hour are “where we have an issue with water-dropping aircrafts” because it becomes extremely difficult to hit targets without the water spraying ineffectively.

Two commercial buildings have been damaged so far and no residential homes, according to Cal Fire. No injuries have been recorded.

Several agencies are working to stop the fire, including the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Ventura County Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest Service, among others. Cal Fire continues to update its website with data and reports every few hours.

Regarding the expected duration of the fire, Little said that “there’s no way to predict” how long it will burn. “We know definitely that we will be here tomorrow.”

Newsweek has reached out to Cal Fire and Los Angeles County for comment and information via email on Sunday.

Meanwhile, a video posted to X by the Angeles National Forest’s X account shows firefighters working to contain the fire, with large plumes of smoke billowing in the background.