LOS ANGELES — Update: 8 a.m. October 31
Acres burned: 4,615
Containment: 100%
Initial Location: 31656 Tick Canyon Rd.
Start date: October 24, 2019 at approximately 1:25 p.m.
Structures Affected: 29 structures destroyed; 45 structures damaged; 10,000 residences threatened.
Cause: Under investigation
Evacuations/road closures: All evacuation orders were lifted as of 6 p.m. Oct. 27.
Twitter Hashtags: #TickFire
8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 31
As of 7:45 a.m. on Thursday firefighters have reached 100% containment of the Tick Fire.
7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30
Containment on the Tick Fire in Canyon Country grew to 98% on Wednesday according to the latest update from the Los Angeles Fire Department. The agency expects to have the fire fully contained Thursday.
9:00 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 30
Los Angeles County will open an assistance center today for people affected by the Tick Fire, which has burned 4,615 acres in the Canyon Country/Santa Clarita area and is now 94% contained as crews braced for what could be some of the highest winds of the season, according to Cal Fire.
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29
Firefighters continued to make progress on the Tick Fire in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Cal Fire's latest update but the fire at 90% contained with acreage holding.
8 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 29
Firefighters made more progress on the Tick Fire overnight upping containment to 86%. The agency also reports the fire has remained at 4,615 acres.
7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 28
More than 500 firefighters remained on the scene of the Tick Fire in Canyon Country on Monday, watching for any hot spots that could rekindle due to the Santa Ana winds that have much of southern California under a red flag warning.
The fire, which started at 1:24 p.m. Thursday, was 82% contained as of Monday night. Its size remained at 4,615 acres, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.
11:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 28
More than 500 firefighters remained on the scene of the Tick Fire in Canyon Country Monday, watching for any hot spots that could rekindle due to the Santa Ana winds that have much of southern California under a red flag warning.
The fire, which started at 1:24 p.m. Thursday, was 78% contained as of Monday morning. Its size remained at 4,615 acres, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.
The latest damage assessments found 29 structures destroyed, including 24 residences, one commercial/residential structure and four outbuildings. A total of 44 structures were damaged by the flames, including 38 residences, two commercial/residential structures and four outbuildings, officials said.
The 509 firefighters remaining on the scene were putting out hot spots and continued to clear containment lines of vegetation around the burn area to prepare for new Santa Ana winds blowing Monday. More Santa Ana conditions were forecast to begin Tuesday night into Thursday.
A red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service to denote a high risk of wildfires as a result of high winds and low humidity was in effect in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys from 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday. Along the L.A. County Coast, in the San Gabriel Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains, it went into effect at 10 p.m. Sunday and was due to expire at 6 p.m. Monday.
Wind-prone areas were forecast to have gusts between 40-50 mph, with isolated gusts of 60 mph, the National Weather Service said. Forecasters warned of "potential for very rapid fire spread, long range spotting and extreme fire behavior with any new fire ignitions."
As of about 1 p.m. Sunday, electricity had been restored to nearly of the nearly 8,400 Southern California Edison customers in Los Angeles County who faced Friday outages under the utility's "Public Safety Power Shutoff" program. Edison said 211 were still without power.
Nearly 105,000 Los Angeles County customers were considered for upcoming outages, according to an update on the utility's website. More than 302,000 customers in the entire SCE service area -- which ranges from Riverside County up through parts of Fresno, Madera and Mono counties -- are on that list.
The program targets areas where weather conditions "may create the potential for elevated fire risk," SCE reported. More information is available at www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps.
Caltrans issued a Saturday statement reminding motorists that they should treat traffic signals as stop signs when the power is off and treat every entrance to an intersection as if it had a stop sign.
College of the Canyons announced its Valencia campus would be open for normal operation. The college said its Canyon Country campus remained closed but students will be notified by instructors if their class will be relocated to the Valencia campus.
Four firefighters suffered minor injuries during the course of the blaze.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Sunday in response to fires across the state, freeing up state resources to assist in the firefighting effort. County Board of Supervisors chair Janice Hahn issued a local emergency declaration Friday.
"We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires," Newsom said.
Newsom has met with first responders, health officials and residents in Los Angeles and elsewhere this week, and held public briefings about the need to hold utilities accountable for decisions to shut down power.
All road closures and mandatory evacuations were lifted as of Sunday at 6 p.m.
Residents were urged to avoid Bouquet Canyon Road because sheriff's deputies and firefighters were using it as a primary staging area.
The last evacuation center at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Valencia, was closed as of midday Sunday. The Local Assistance Center at the City of Santa Clarita Activities Center was scheduled to be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Wednesday through Monday, November 4.
The Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic was no longer receiving evacuated animals as of 6 p.m. Sunday.
The blaze began Thursday near the 31600 block of Tick Canyon Road, earning it the moniker "Tick Fire," according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Initially reported at 200 acres, it rapidly grew to more than 850 acres in less than an hour, fire officials said.
Investigators were in the early phases of working to determine the cause of the blaze.
"We're in the preliminary phases of cause investigation," Los Angeles Fire Capt. Tony Imbrenda told City News Service on Sunday.
Imbrenda declined to offer additional details, saying no determination had yet been made about the likely source of the fire.
About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, a public works employee "stumbled across" human remains around Sand Canyon Road and Thompson Ranch Drive, said Deputy Morgan Arteaga of the Sheriff's Information Bureau. Sheriff's homicide detectives responded to the scene, she said, but it was believed the skeletal remains had been there about a year, concealed in brush and exposed by the blaze.
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6 p.m Sunday, Oct. 27
More than 900 firefighters continued to battle the Tick Fire in Canyon Country and Santa Clarita Sunday as assessment teams increased to 22 the number of structures destroyed in the blaze.
The fire, which started at 1:24 p.m. Thursday, was 65% contained as of midday Sunday. Its size remained at 4,615 acres and 27 structures were found to have been damaged, Los Angeles County Fire Department officials said.
The 925 firefighters remaining on the scene were putting out hot spots and continuing to clear containment lines of vegetation around the burn area to prepare for a new round of Santa Ana winds forecast for Sunday night into Monday.
A red flag warning for dangerous fire conditions was set for 6 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday for the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and the Los Angeles County mountains, according to the National Weather Service. The agency issued the same advisory for the coastal areas and the San Gabriel Valley from 10 p.m. Sunday to 6 p.m. Monday.
As of about 1 p.m. Sunday, electricity had been restored to all of the nearly 8,400 Southern California Edison customers in Los Angeles County who faced Friday outages under the utility's "Public Safety Power Shutoff" program. However, nearly 95,000 Los Angeles County customers were being considered for upcoming outages, according to an update on the utility's website. More than 302,000 customers in the entire SCE service area -- which ranges from Riverside County up through parts of Fresno, Madera and Mono counties -- are on that list.
The program targets areas where weather conditions "may create the potential for elevated fire risk," SCE reported. More information is available at www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps.
Three firefighters suffered minor injuries during the course of the blaze.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency Sunday in response to fires across the state, freeing up state resources to assist in the firefighting effort. County Board of Supervisors chair Janice Hahn issued a local emergency declaration Friday.
"We are deploying every resource available, and are coordinating with numerous agencies as we continue to respond to these fires," Newsom said.
All road closures were lifted Sunday at 6 a.m. with the exception of Tick Canyon Road between Abelia Road and Summit Knoll Road, the last area remaining under mandatory evacuation.
Three lanes of the southbound Antelope Valley Freeway, including the carpool lane, re-opened at 10:30 p.m. Friday. The right lane and shoulder remained closed from Agua Dulce Canyon to Soledad Canyon roads for about three days for guardrail repair from the fire, the California Highway Patrol said. The Soledad Canyon Road and Sand Canyon Road off-ramps will remain closed until further notice, Caltrans said.
Residents were urged to avoid Bouquet Canyon Road because sheriff's deputies and firefighters were using it as a primary staging area.
As of 6 p.m. Sunday, all evacuation orders were lifted by fire authorities.
An evacuation center remained open at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Valencia.
Evacuations of small animals were being handled at the Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic; and evacuations of large animals were being handled at Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 2551 West Avenue H, Lancaster; Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills; and the Castaic Animal Care Center.
Newsom has met with first responders, health officials and residents in Los Angeles and elsewhere this week, and held public briefings about the need to hold utilities accountable for decisions to shut down power.
Caltrans issued a Saturday statement reminding motorists that they should treat traffic signals as stop signs when the power is off and treat every entrance to an intersection as if it had a stop sign.
The blaze began near the 31600 block of Tick Canyon Road, earning it the moniker "Tick Fire," according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Initially reported at 200 acres, it rapidly grew to more than 850 acres in less than an hour, fire officials said.
Investigators were in the early phases of working to determine the cause of the blaze.
"We're in the preliminary phases of cause investigation," Los Angeles Fire Capt. Tony Imbrenda told City News Service on Sunday.
Imbrenda declined to offer additional details, saying no determination had yet been made about the likely source of the fire.
About 11:30 a.m. Saturday, a public works employee "stumbled across" human remains around Sand Canyon Road and Thompson Ranch Drive, said Deputy Morgan Arteaga of the Sheriff's Information Bureau. Sheriff's homicide detectives responded to the scene, she said, but it was believed the skeletal remains had been there about a year, concealed in brush and exposed by the blaze.
8:00 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 26
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, along with Los Angeles County Fire and other Unified command partners are beginning re-population efforts in the Santa Clarita Valley as they pertain to the #TickFire.
Effective Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 8:00 A.M., evacuation orders have been lifted for the areas listed below:
Any area south of Fire Station 132 (located at: 29310 on Sand Canyon Rd, Canyon Country) and the Sand Canyon off-ramp to Placerita.
Between Whites Canyon Road and Sierra Highway
South of Plum Canyon and North of Soledad Canyon Road
Areas Southwest of Sierra Highway at Linda Vista
AREAS STILL UNDER MANDATORY EVACUATION:
BAKER Canyon Road from Sierra Highway, north of Vasquez Canyon Road, top where it ends near 15142 Sierra Highway
Tick Canyon Road from Abelia Road to Summit Knoll Road
NOTE: These area will be evacuated throughout the day to determine when repopulation is safe.
Hard Closures will remain in effect till further notice for the areas below:
Both Entryways into Tick Canyon Road and Baker Canyon Road will remain closed until further notice.
Deputies will be checking identifications during the repopulation process, and will have a strong presence in the repopulated and evacuated areas for the next several days to ensure the protection of our residents and their property. Sheriff Deputies will continue patrolling the neighborhoods as a crime deterrent.
1:47 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25:
As winds continued gusting across much of the Southland, hundreds of firefighters continued efforts Friday to contain the 4,300-acre Tick Fire burning in Canyon Country and Santa Clarita, while tens of thousands of residents remained under evacuation orders.
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in the county Friday in response to the fire, freeing up state resources to assist in the firefighting effort. County Board of Supervisors chair Janice Hahn also issued a local emergency declaration.
As of mid-morning Friday, more than 600 firefighters were battling the blaze, which erupted early Thursday afternoon. As of midday Friday, the fire was 5% contained.
Six structures have been confirmed destroyed, although fire officials said that number will likely increase when damage-assessment teams finish a sweep through the area. More than 15,000 structures were considered to be threatened in the fire area.
Evacuation centers were opened at College of the Canyons, 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Valencia; and West Ranch High School, 26255 Valencia Blvd., Santa Clarita.
Evacuations of small animals were being handled at the Castaic Animal Care Center at 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road in Castaic; and evacuations of large animals were being handled at Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, 2551 West Avenue H, Lancaster; Pierce College, 6201 Winnetka Ave., Woodland Hills; and at the Castaic Animal Care Center.
Mandatory evacuation orders were in effect within the following general boundaries:
- In Canyon Country: Vasquez Canyon Road and Bouquet Canyon Road on the north; Soledad Canyon Road on the south; Whites Canyon and Plum Canyon roads on the west; and Sierra Highway up to Davenport Road on the east.
- In the Sand Canyon area: areas on the east and west sides of Sand Canyon Road, down to Placerita Canyon Road; and areas near the intersection of Placerita Canyon and Sand Canyon roads.
The Fair Oaks area south of the Antelope Valley (14) Freeway in Canyon Country remained under a voluntary evacuation order as of mid-morning Friday, the sheriff's department reported.
Residents with proper identification who live in the area east of Haskett Road between Davenport Road and the Antelope Valley Freeway were allowed back into their homes about 10 p.m. Thursday.
A series of roads were closed in the fire area, most notably the 14 Freeway between Golden Valley and Escondido Canyon. The California Highway Patrol suggested motorists traveling from the Lancaster area take the 14 Freeway north to westbound state Route 138 to the Golden State (5) Freeway.
Residents were urged to avoid Bouquet Canyon Road, because sheriff's deputies and firefighters were using that roadway as a primary staging area.
And as of about 11:30 a.m. Friday, electricity service had been interrupted for nearly 10,400 Southern California Edison customers in parts of Los Angeles County under the utility's "Public Safety Power Shutoff" program. Areas of Los Angeles County affected by the PSPS program include the Leona Valley, Agua Dulce, White Heather, Boiling Point, Mint Canyon, Chatsworth, Oaks, Lincoln Crest, Acton and Val Verde communities.
The PSPS program targets areas where weather conditions "may create the potential for elevated fire risk," SCE reported. More information is available at www.sce.com/safety/wildfire/psps.
The fire prompted the cancellation of classes at numerous schools and two colleges.
In the city of Los Angeles, red flag parking restrictions ordered by the Los Angeles Fire Department will be in effect Friday to keep designated streets clear in case fire trucks have to be deployed.
The fire in Canyon Country was reported about 1:40 p.m. Thursday near the 31600 block of Tick Canyon Road, earning it the moniker Tick Fire, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Initially reported at 200 acres, the blaze rapidly grew to more than 850 acres in less than an hour, fire officials said.
The firefight continued through the night, with firefighters facing "significant" winds, said Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Daryl Osby.
As of late Friday morning, more than 600 firefighters from various organizations, including the L.A. County and Angeles National Forest fire departments, were battling the fire along with four County Fire Department helicopters.
College of the Canyons canceled all classes at its Valencia and Canyon Country campuses Thursday and announced the campuses would remain closed Friday. Classes were also canceled Friday for all schools in the Hart, Newhall, Saugus, Castaic Union and Sulphur Springs Union school districts.
The Los Angeles Unified School District closed all campuses in the San Fernando Valley due to air quality and safety concerns from the Tick Fire and other blazes burning in the area.
Community Elementary, Roscomare Road Elementary, Topanga Elementary Charter, Valley View Elementary, Wonderland Avenue Elementary and Elementary Day School were also closed. All athletic activities at the affected schools were canceled or postponed, according to the LAUSD.
A total of 15 schools run by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys canceled classes scheduled for Friday.
No injuries were reported in the fire. Osby said a Los Angeles County fire Sikorsky water-dropping helicopter was struck by a bird and sustained a damaged windshield on Thursday. The chopper was able to land safely and its windshield was being repaired.
Smoke from the Tick Fire prompted the South Coast Air Quality Management District to issue an unhealthy air quality advisory for residents in portions of northwest coastal Los Angeles County, the east and west San Fernando Valley, the Santa Clarita Valley and the San Gabriel Mountains.
Residents, particularly those with sensitivity to air quality, were asked to avoid outdoor activity and remain indoors as much as possible. It was also recommended that pets be brought inside, particularly at night.
Two other, smaller brush fires broke out in the same general area Thursday while crews were battling the Tick Fire. The first erupted several miles to the west along the Golden State (5) Freeway in the Lake Hughes area, scorching about five to seven acres and burning through the roof of at least one home.
Another fire broke out in the Del Valle area west of the 5 Freeway. According to county fire officials, that blaze damaged a vehicle and a mobile home, along with about one acre of brush.
The series of fires erupted amid red flag conditions prompted by Santa Ana winds and single-digit humidity. The red flag warning is scheduled to remain in place until Friday night.
Gov. Gavin Newsom's office announced Thursday night that the state was awarded a Fire Management Assistance Grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help cover costs of efforts to fight the Tick Fire. The grant allows agencies responding to the fire to apply for 75% reimbursement of eligible firefighting costs.
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11:15 p.m.
Punishing Santa Ana winds that pushed fires into Los Angeles-area neighborhoods, burning six homes, were expected to last through Friday and could prompt more power shutoffs to hundreds of thousands of people.
The wind-whipped blazes broke out Thursday in the Santa Clarita area and the largest remained uncontained. As many as 50,000 people were under evacuation orders.
The threat of hot, dry, winds driving flames far and wide was met with fleets of aircraft and hundreds of firefighters on the ground, who tried to protect homes where backyards were surrounded by trees and brush.
In some places, they failed.
As hot embers flew, subdivision homes and rural ranch properties were damaged or destroyed in the Canyon Country area of Santa Clarita and in nearby Castaic.
"We know of at least six but that number may rise," Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said.
Alejandro Corrales tearfully watched her home burn on a ridge in Canyon Country, taking with it her mother's ashes, other belongings and possibly a pen full of pet sheep.
"You start thinking about all the things you can't get back," she told KCBS-TV.
Her daughter managed to take some small pets.
"Everything in the house is gone," Corrales said. "The panels on one of the pens where we have some rescued sheep was too hot for my daughter to open and so she couldn't let them out ... so I'm probably sure that we lost them, too."
Her three children were safe.
"I'm just a little overwhelmed and I'm literally seeing sticks and fire of what used to be our home," she said.
Some residents tried to fight the blaze with garden hoses.
In the rural areas, where at least two ranch houses burned, people rushed to rescue dozens of horses, donkeys, goats, a pig and even an emu.
No injuries were reported but fire officials say a firefighting helicopter was struck by a bird and its windshield damage, forcing it out of the fight until Friday.
Southern California Edison, which cut power to more than 31,000 customers on Thursday, was considering additional power cuts to more than 386,000 customers.
The shutdowns were designed to prevent fierce winds from hurling branches into power lines or toppling them, sparking wildfires.
By nightfall, crews reported they had slowed the forward progress of the flames but the winds, accompanied by hot weather and bone-dry humidity, were expected to pick up overnight and possibly increase into Friday, with gusts of 45 to 60 mph in places, before easing off.
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8:45 p.m.
Authorities say crews will work through the night battling a wind-whipped wildfire that has damaged or destroyed at least six homes north of Los Angeles.
Authorities say the blaze that erupted Thursday in Canyon Country has spread to 6 square miles (15 square kilometers) and is uncontained.
Authorities say the initial fire spread embers that started spot fires that have been contained.
No injuries have been reported, but at least 40,000 people remain under evacuation orders.
The fire was spread by hot, gusty Santa Ana winds that eased a bit after nightfall but are expected to resume, possibly with greater force, overnight into Friday.
To prevent power lines from being toppled by the winds and sparking wildfires, Southern California Edison cut power to more than 27,000 customers on Thursday. The utility is considering additional power cuts to more than 386,000 customers.
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6 p.m.
Authorities say they've ordered at least 40,000 people to evacuate as wind-driven fires rage near neighborhoods north of Los Angeles.
Several homes burned Thursday as two fires fanned by powerful winds swept through dry brush to the edge of communities in the Santa Clarita area. No injuries have been immediately reported.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl Osby says there is no containment of either blaze.
The flames are fed by dry winds that are predicted to strengthen across the region. Forecasters say peak gusts could top 70 mph (112 kph).
4:35 p.m.
At least two houses burned when flames raced up a hillside to the edge of a Southern California neighborhood, not far from a larger blaze that's threatening hundreds of homes.
People used hoses Thursday to try to protect their properties before aircraft began dropping water on the area in Castaic, north of Los Angeles. Television news footage showed the roof of one house on fire.
About 10 miles away, authorities ordered people in 500 homes in Santa Clarita to evacuate after heavy winds pushed a fire that started on rural hillsides toward a subdivision.
That blaze called the Tick Fire has consumed 3,700 acres. No injuries have been reported.
Authorities closed northbound lanes of Interstate 5, a key artery between Los Angeles and areas north.
Several areas have been put under mandatory evacuations due to the Tick Fire, according to the LA County Fire Department.
3:20 p.m.
Firefighters are protecting homes from a wind-whipped fire that’s roaring toward subdivisions north of Los Angeles.
Los Angeles County officials say the fire has grown to some 850 acres in just a few hours in the Canyon County area of Santa Clarita.
No homes have burned, but some evacuations are underway. Heavy smoke is shrouding the area, which is consuming brushy hills surrounded by neighborhoods.
The flames are fed by dry winds that are predicted to strengthen throughout the day across the region. Forecasters say peak gusts could top 70 mph (112 kph).
2:53 p.m.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department reported just before 3 p.m. that the Tick Fire has grown to 850+ acres.
2:40 p.m.
Firefighters are protecting horse farms and other rural properties from a fast-growing blaze in a Southern California canyon.
Los Angeles County officials say the fire quickly consumed more than 200 acres of dry brush after breaking out Thursday in the Canyon Country area of Santa Clarita.
Television news helicopter footage showed outbuildings and at least one car on fire on a property about an hour north of downtown Los Angeles.
The flames are fed by dry winds that are predicted to strengthen throughout the day across the region. Forecasters say peak gusts could top 70 mph (112 kph).
To the southeast, firefighters have made good progress against a fire that prompted evacuations earlier the day near the city of San Bernardino.