- Largest wildfire in Los Angeles history has exploded to over 8,000 acres since Friday
- The blaze has forced 700 homes to be evacuated as the fire continues to rage
- A mere 10 per cent of the fire has been listed as under control as of Saturday
- Heat and wind is making it difficult for firefighters to control the massive blaze
- La Tuna Fire, named after the canyon where the fire began, shut portions of the 210 Freeway
By
Jessica Finn For Dailymail.com
and
Reuters
The largest fire in Los Angeles history is engulfing thousands of acres of land and forcing residents to evacuate homes throughout the county.
The
fire, dubbed the La Tuna Fire after the canyon where it erupted, has
already burned through 8,000 acres of land, and the heatwave in the area
along with erratic winds are proving major obstacles for firefighters
trying control the blaze.
The fire
broke out Friday and has already forced the partial closure of the 210
Freeway, a major thoroughfare. The 210 is closed between the Glendale
Freeway and Sunland Boulevard.
La Tuna Fire is seen raging behind the Burbank Town Center Mall early morning Saturday as fire and smoke burns the hills
A crew with California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection battles La Tuna on a hillside in Burbank
La Tuna Fire rages behind the Hollywood Hills on Friday, with the famed Hollywood sign in the front, right
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A firefighter gets into position to battle the LaTuna fire burning alongside the 210 freeway in Sunland on Saturday
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The blaze comes dangerously close to this hillside property where emergency responders have parked in the driveway
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Firefighters monitor the LaTuna
fire burning alongside the 210 freeway in Sunland where flames are shown
licking the side of a hill
The blaze raging along the hillside in Burbank engulfs brush and trees and flames lick up the hillside
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A helicopter fights the blaze from above in an effort to save people's homes as flames are seen just above this home's roof
The massive blaze is fought from the air by a helicopter trying to save a property where the fire is creeping dangerously close
It's unclear when the freeway will completely reopen, according to the LA Times.
The blaze started with just one acre of brush on Friday.
The
enormous blaze led authorities to evacuate more than 700 homes in a
north Los Angeles neighborhood and in nearby Burbank and Glendale,
officials said.
The wildfire on the
northern edge of Los Angeles rapidly grew on Saturday into what the
mayor called the largest blaze in the city's history.
'We can't recall anything larger,' Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Ralph Terrazas during a 10am news conference Saturday.
'Our priority is saving people and saving property,' Terrazas said, according to the LA Times.
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The fire raged alongside the 210 Freeway in Sunland, California leading authorities to close portions of the busy thoroughfare
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A resident stops along the 210 Freeway to check on his home and survey the fire and smoke engulfing areas of Sunland
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People watch flames of La Tuna Fire blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills neighborhood Saturday. Smoke completely fills the sky
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A fire truck passes by burning brush along La Tuna Canyon Road, closed to traffic, in the Verdugo Mountains
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A deer runs along the 210 Freeway, normally packed with vehciles, escaping the fire in Sunland on Saturday
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Residents on the 210 freeway try
to see their house on the other side of thick smoke and flames near
the community of Tujunga during the La Tuna Fire
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People carry their belongings and dog to a car to evacuate the area as the La Tuna Fire approaches in the Shadow Hills
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People in Burbank watch the smoke and flames below in a canyon. Smoke engulfing the canyon below
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Bonnie Murphy is able to evacuate her horses with the help of good Samaritan neighbor Bill Ray Orme (L) in Shadow Hills
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Bonnie Murphy struggles to evacuate her horses as the La Tuna Fire covers the Shadow Hills neighborhood Saturday
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Units of the LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank as fire trucks park to survey the area
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The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank as a canyon in covered in thick smoke and flames can be seen close to homes
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The La Tuna Fire rages in Burbank as flames eat through brush and trees on a hillslope
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The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank Saturday as fire weaves through the hillside eating brush and trees in its path
The La Tuna Fire comes dangerously close to properties as large flames loom in the distance on Saturday
Firefighters use hoses and helicopters to fight the La Tuna Fire on Saturday near Burbank
'There is a lot of un-burned fuel in this area,' he added, noting this is the first fire in the area in 33 years.
Fire
in thick brush that has not burned in decades was slowly creeping down a
rugged hillside on Saturday toward houses, with temperatures in the
area approaching 100 degrees, the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an
alert.
Authorities warned of erratic
winds that could force them to widen the evacuation zone, after the fire
destroyed one house in Los Angeles on Saturday.
'Our biggest concern is the wind and
weather,' the chief said. 'The erratic weather is our number one
challenge. If there's no wind, this is a relatively easy fire to put
out. But when the wind changes, it changes our priorities because other
properties become at risk.'
The fire
could make air unhealthy to breathe in parts of Los Angeles, the
nation's second-largest city, and nearby suburbs, the South Coast Air
Quality Management District said in an advisory.
The fire was only 10 per cent contained Saturday with more than 500 firefighters battling it.
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LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank where flames devour a hill
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A helicopter drops water on the La Tuna Canyon fire at night in the hills above Burbank in the early morning hours of Saturday
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Firefighting helicopter passes over the scorched hillside in Tujunga as the aerial attack of La Tuna Fire continues
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LAFD on scene responding to fire
along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank. Additional resources from
Assisting Agencies LACoFD, Verdugo Fire, Burbank Fire, Pasadena Fire,
Glendale Fire and Angeles National Forest are assisting
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A helicopter helps battle the
blaze in Burbank. Ground crews from several municipalities throughout
the area continue to battle back the fire
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A plane assists battling the blaze over Burbank as various aerial attacks on the blaze are happening in the area
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The La Tuna Canyon fire burns in the hills above Burbank early Saturday as the fire marches along hillsides
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People watch as flames from the La Tuna Fire blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills and a man wears a protective mask
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Houses being evacuated during the La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank and a fire truck readies its position
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The La Tuna Canyon fire over Burbank where thick clouds of smoke loom behind a facility
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Units of the LAFD on scene responding to fire along La Tuna Canyon Road near Burbank as a firefighter surveys the area
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Sunland resident Willow Bosco uses a fire hose to soak the foliage around the McGroarty Arts Center in Tujunga
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Flames from the La Tuna Fire
blaze on a hill in the Shadow Hills on Saturday come dangerously close
to this home in the foreground
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As firefighting helicopters
douse the smoldering hillside, Tujunga resident Benjamin Grupp uses a
fire hose to soak the foliage around the McGroarty Arts Center in
Tujunga
More than 400 miles to
the north, the so-called Ponderosa Fire has burned 3,880 acres, or about
1,570 hectares, and destroyed 30 homes in Butte County since it broke
out on Tuesday. It prompted authorities to issue evacuation orders
earlier this week to residents of some 500 homes.
The blaze is 45 per cent contained.
California
Governor Jerry Brown issued an emergency declaration on Friday to free
up additional resources to battle the Ponderosa blaze.
Wildfires
in the U.S. West have burned more than 7.1 million acres since the
beginning of the year, about 50 per cent more than during the same time
period in 2016, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.
La Tuna's path of destruction. Map showing the fire broke out at La Tuna Canyon Road and worked its way along the freeway
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4847606/Largest-wildfire-Los-Angeles-history-force-700-evacuations.html#ixzz4rgz6fOPu
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