Sand Fire (2016)

Last updated
Sand Fire
Sand Fire from Hansen Dam 23 July 2016jpg.jpg
View of the smoke plume of the Sand Fire from Hansen Dam, July 23, 2016
Date(s)
  • July 22, 2016 (2016-07-22)
  • August 3, 2016 (2016-08-03)
Location Santa Clarita Valley, Los Angeles County, California
Coordinates 34°25′52″N118°23′53″W / 34.431°N 118.398°W / 34.431; -118.398
Statistics [1]
Burned area41,432 acres (168 km2)
Impacts
Deaths2
Structures destroyed18
Map
U.S. - Los Angeles Metropolitan Area location map.svg
FireIcon.svg
Location in Los Angeles

The Sand Fire was a wildfire in 2016 that burned in the Angeles National Forest, east of the Santa Clarita Valley in Los Angeles County, California. [2] The fire, named for the area's Sand Canyon, was fueled by heavy chaparral and brush. [3]

Contents

The fire

Afternoon winds on July 24 increased the intensity of the Sand Fire Sand Fire July 24.jpg
Afternoon winds on July 24 increased the intensity of the Sand Fire
A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane flies over the fire on July 25th. Sand-Fire-July-25.jpg
A Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane flies over the fire on July 25th.

The fire started around 2:10 p.m. on July 22, 2016, near the intersection Soledad Canyon Road and Sand Canyon Road. [4] By 10 P.M., less than 8 hours after it was reported, the fire had burned at least 3,300 acres (13 km2). [2] At the time the fire broke out, temperatures were over 110 °F (43 °C) with sustained winds of 15 miles per hour (24 km/h) gusting up to 25 miles per hour (40 km/h). [2]

The Santa Clarita Valley remained under a Red flag warning throughout the 23rd with temperatures reaching 106 °F (41 °C) and sustained 10-mile-per-hour (16 km/h) winds.[ citation needed ] By the evening of Saturday July 23, the fire had grown to 20,000 acres (81 km2) with 10% containment.[ citation needed ] Mandatory evacuations had been issued for parts of Sand Canyon, Placerita Canyon, and Little Tujunga Canyon areas.[ citation needed ] Hundreds of birds and animals were also evacuated from the Wildlife WayStation sanctuary in Little Tujunga Canyon. [5]

Officials from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed Saturday night that a male's body had been found in the burn area. [6] The body, which was located on North Iron Canyon Road well within the mandatory evacuation area, was identified as Robert Bresnick, a 67-year-old man who had been visiting a friend in the area and had refused to evacuate. [7]

Sunday afternoon officials confirmed that Sable Ranch, a popular filming location, had been destroyed by the fire. [8] Popular shows including Maverick , The A-Team and 24 were all filmed at Sable Ranch. [8]

By Monday July 25, the fire had reach an estimated 35,155 acres (142.27 km2) with 40% of the perimeter contained. [9] Officials announced that at 7 p.m. most residents would be allowed to return home, with the exception of residents living on Placerita Canyon Road and Tujunga Canyon Road. [10]

Officials announced on August 3 that the fire was 100% contained after burning 41,432 acres (168 km2) of land [11]

Effects

According to the United States Forest Service, 3,379 firefighters were assigned to the fire which prompted the evacuation of at least 10,000 homes. [9] On Tuesday July 26, Los Angeles county declared a state of emergency, with over 37,000 acres (150 km2) burned. Acting Gov. Tom Torlakson, the state's top education official who was filling in while Gov. Jerry Brown attended the 2016 Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, issued the emergency order, a move that helped quickly get aid to affected communities. [12]

The fire grew over 10,000 acres just on Sunday alone. 18 homes were burned, according to John Tripp, who is the Los County Fire Chief. A male-identified body was seen in a burned car, in Santa Clarita, a consequence of the fire. [13] Popular movie shoot location, Sable Ranch was burned, where movies like Chevy Chase and Robin Hodd were shot. Three firefighters were protecting the community, blazing out the fires, when one firefighter named Toscano, heard that he lost his home. A Go-Fund me was raised for Toscano and his family. In total, there were 900 firefighters against the flames, where the fighters found the mountain-terrain to be challenging to put out the fires. On Monday, researchers and experts suggested active winds in the range of 15-30 mph on Tuesday. The communities of Sand Canyon and Placerita Canyon both had evacuation orders in place for safety measures for the citizens.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clarita Valley</span> Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The valley was part of the 48,612-acre (19,673 ha) Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County, its main population center is the city of Santa Clarita which includes the neighborhoods of Canyon Country, Newhall, Saugus, and Valencia. Adjacent unincorporated communities include Castaic, Stevenson Ranch, Val Verde, and Valencia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canyon Country, Santa Clarita, California</span> Neighborhood of Santa Clarita, California

Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Mountains. It is the most populous of Santa Clarita's four neighborhoods.

A movie ranch is a ranch that is at least partially dedicated for use as a set in the creation and production of motion pictures and television shows. These were developed in the United States in southern California, because of the climate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Clarita, California</span> City in California, United States

Santa Clarita is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most populous in California, and the 138th-most populous city in the United States. It is located about 30 miles (48 km) northwest of downtown Los Angeles, and occupies 70.75 square miles (183.2 km2) of land in the Santa Clarita Valley, along the Santa Clara River. It is a classic example of a U.S. edge city, satellite city, or boomburb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sayre Fire</span> 2008 wildfire in Southern California

The Sayre Fire, also known as the Sylmar Fire, was a November 2008 wildfire that resulted in the loss of 489 residences in Los Angeles, California, United States, the "worst loss of homes due to fire" in the city's history. The fire was first reported at 10:29 p.m. PDT on November 14, 2008, in the Sylmar section of Los Angeles. As of November 20, 2008, the fire was 100% contained, had burned 11,262 acres (46 km2) and destroyed more than 600 structures. The number of homes lost in the Sayre fire exceeded the prior record set in 1961 by the Bel Air Fire which claimed 484 homes. There were no fatalities, just minor injuries to five firefighters and one civilian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Placerita Canyon State Park</span> State park in Los Angeles County, California, United States

Placerita Canyon State Park is a California State Park located on the north slope of the western San Gabriel Mountains, in an unincorporated rural area of Los Angeles County, near the city of Santa Clarita. The park hosts a variety of historic and natural sites, as well as serving as a trailhead for several hiking trails leading into the San Gabriel Mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 California wildfires</span>

The 2009 California wildfires were a series of 9,159 wildfires that were active in the US state of California, during the year 2009. The fires burned more than 422,147 acres of land from early February through late November, due to Red Flag conditions, destroying hundreds of structures, injuring 134 people, and killing four. The wildfires also caused at least US$134.48 million in damage. Although the fires burned many different regions of California in August, the month was especially notable for several very large fires which burned in Southern California, despite being outside of the normal fire season for that region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">October 2007 California wildfires</span> Series of wildfires in California

The October 2007 California wildfires, also known as the Fall 2007 California firestorm, were a series of about thirty wildfires that began igniting across Southern California on October 20. At least 1,500 homes were destroyed and approximately 972,147 acres of land was burned from Santa Barbara County to the U.S.–Mexico border, surpassing the October 2003 California wildfires in scope, which were estimated to have burned 800,000 acres (3,200 km2). The wildfires killed a total of 14 people, with nine of them dying directly from the fires; 160 others were injured, including at least 124 firefighters. At their height, the raging fires were visible from space. These fires included the vast majority of the largest and deadliest wildfires of the 2007 California wildfire season. The only wildfire in 2007 that surpassed any of the individual October 2007 fires in size was the Zaca Fire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherpa Fire</span> 2016 wildfire in Southern California

The Sherpa Fire was a wildfire that burned in the Santa Ynez Mountains along the Gaviota Coast in the southwestern part of Santa Barbara County, California in June 2016. In a matter of hours the fire spread to over 1,400 acres (570 ha) as the fire was propelled by downslope sundowner winds. This offshore northerly wind contrasts with the more typical onshore flow and sent the fire down the canyons towards the ocean with gusts of over 35 miles per hour (56 km/h). The wildfire resulted in evacuations at two state beach campgrounds and some residences together with intermittent interruption of traffic on a state transportation route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Gabriel Complex Fire</span> 2016 wildfire in Southern California

The San Gabriel Complex Fire was a wildfire that burned in 2016 in the Angeles National Forest, Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was the combination of two separate wildfires: the Reservoir Fire and the Fish Fire, both of which ignited on June 20.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Cut Fire</span> 2016 wildfire in Southern California

The Blue Cut Fire was a wildfire in the Cajon Pass, northeastern San Gabriel Mountains, and Mojave Desert in San Bernardino County, California. The fire, which began on the Blue Cut hiking trail in the San Bernardino National Forest, was first reported on August 16, 2016 at 10:36 a.m., just west of Interstate 15. A red flag warning was in effect in the area of the fire, with temperatures near 100 °F (38 °C) and winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour (48 km/h).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">La Tuna Fire</span> 2017 wildfire in Southern California

The La Tuna Fire was a wildfire in the Verdugo Mountains in Los Angeles County, Southern California, in September 2017. The fire began from undetermined causes on the afternoon of September 1 in La Tuna Canyon, and burned 7,194 acres (2,911 ha) before its containment on September 9. The fire caused at least ten injuries, the destruction of five homes and five outbuildings, and the evacuations of hundreds more. It was one of the largest wildfires in the history of the city of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Creek Fire (2017)</span> 2017 wildfire in Southern California

The Creek Fire was a large wildfire that burned in Kagel Canyon and the Angeles National Forest north of Sylmar, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, and one of multiple wildfires that broke out across Southern California in December 2017. The Creek Fire burned 15,619 acres (63 km2) and destroyed 123 structures, including 60 homes, before being contained on January 9, 2018, following heavy rainfall from a winter storm. The fire threatened the communities of Santa Clarita, Glendale, Olive View, Lake View Terrace, Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, Sylmar, Pacoima, Lopez Canyon, and Kagel Canyon, as well as the Olive View–UCLA Medical Center. During the wildfire, 115,000 residents were forced to evacuate their homes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rye Fire</span> 2017 wildfire in Southern California

The Rye Fire was a wildfire that burned in Santa Clarita, California, in the United States, and one of multiple wildfires that broke out across Southern California in December 2017. The fire threatened over 5,000 structures, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, threatened the city of Santa Clarita and impacted traffic on Interstate 5. The Rye Fire burned a total of 6,049 acres (24.48 km2), before it was fully contained on December 12. The fire destroyed six buildings, including minor structures located at the Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">December 2017 Southern California wildfires</span> 2017 wildfires in Southern California

A series of 29 wildfires ignited across Southern California in December 2017. Six of the fires became significant wildfires, and led to widespread evacuations and property losses. The wildfires burned over 307,900 acres (1,246 km2), and caused traffic disruptions, school closures, hazardous air conditions, and power outages; over 230,000 people were forced to evacuate. The largest of the wildfires was the Thomas Fire, which grew to 281,893 acres (1,140.78 km2), and became the largest wildfire in modern California history, until it was surpassed by the Ranch Fire in the Mendocino Complex, in the following year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tick Fire</span> 2019 wildfire in Southern California

The Tick Fire was a wildfire that burned in Los Angeles County, California. The fire broke out on October 24, 2019, and burned several thousand acres. The fire forced the mass evacuation of 40,000 people from the Santa Clarita Valley.

The Soledad Fire was a wildfire that burned 1,525 acres (617 ha) south of Agua Dulce and northeast of Santa Clarita in Los Angeles County, California in the United States during the 2020 California wildfire season. The fire started on July 5, 2020, and caused the complete closure of State Route 14 in both directions throughout the day as the fire grew to 1,498 acres. The fire also at a point threatened over 4,795 structures, although only 9 homes were formally threatened by the direct fireline. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lake Fire (2020)</span> 2020 wildfire in Southern California

The Lake Fire was a wildfire that burned during the 2020 California wildfire season in the Angeles National Forest in Los Angeles County in the state of California in the United States. The fire, which was first reported on August 12, 2020, burned 31,089 acres (12,581 ha) near Lake Hughes. It was fully contained on September 28. The cause of the fire remains unknown. The fire has damaged 3 structures, destroyed 12 structures and 21 outbuildings, and injured 4 firefighters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Silverado Fire</span> 2020 wildfire in Southern California

The Silverado Fire was a wildfire that burned in October and November 2020 in southern Orange County, California northeast of Irvine. The fire started on October 26 around 6:47 AM near Orange County Route S-18 and Silverado Canyon Road, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds gusting up to 80 miles per hour (130 km/h) and low humidity. Orange County Fire Authority Chief Brian Fennessy stated, "The winds were extraordinary even by Santa Ana standards. Fire spread is exceeding more than anything I've seen in my 44 years." The fire initially moved south from Loma Ridge toward the Orchard Hills, Northwood and Portola Springs communities of Irvine before moving southeast through Limestone Canyon and toward the communities of Foothill Ranch and Lake Forest. The fire burned in a path similar to that taken by the 2007 Santiago Fire, mostly through terrain that had not seen significant burning in the 13 years since that fire. 100% containment was announced on November 7, 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Copper Fire</span> 2002 wildfire in Southern California

The Copper Fire was a wildfire in Los Angeles County, Southern California, in June 2002. After igniting on June 5 near the city of Santa Clarita, the fire burned for a week and consumed 23,407 acres, damaging wildlife habitat and historic structures in the Angeles National Forest. It was fully contained on June 12. The fire destroyed more than two dozen buildings and resulted in at least nine firefighter injuries. The federal government later sued two contractors, arguing that their negligence had sparked the fire during construction work. The suit resulted in a jury award in the government's favor of more than $36 million. The award was the first ever in the United States for environmental damages from a wildfire.

References

  1. "Sand Fire Update". Inciweb. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Sand Fire Grows to 1,500 Acres in Santa Clarita Area, Prompting Evacuations". KTLA. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 23 July 2016.
  3. Hassan, Carma. "Hundreds flee Santa Clarita wildfire". CNN . Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  4. Boyer, Jessica (22 July 2016). "Sand Fire Grows to 3,327 Acres; 200–300 Evacuations". Santa Clarita Valley News. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  5. "Wildlife Waystation evacuates lions, tigers and bears (oh, my) amid Sand Fire". 23 July 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  6. Bloom, Tracy; Kuzj, Steve; Pamer, Melissa; Knight, Nerissa (23 July 2016). "Man Found Dead in Area of 20,000-Acre Sand Fire; Structures Destroyed". KTLA . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  7. "2 Dead, More Than 60,000 Acres Burned as Firefighters Battle 2 Massive California Blazes" . Retrieved 2016-07-27.
  8. 1 2 Evans, Greg (24 July 2016). "Sable Ranch, Popular Film & TV Location, Destroyed By Wildfire; Disney's Golden Oak Ranch "OK", LAFD Says – Update". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. 1 2 Hamilton, Matt (25 July 2016). "Sand fire live updates: More than 35,000 acres burned in Santa Clarita Valley mountains". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  10. "Sand Fire: Most evacuated residents to be allowed to return home". KABC. 25 July 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
  11. "Sand fire is now 100 percent contained". Los Angeles Daily News. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  12. Hamilton, Matt; Branson-Potts, Hailey; Brittny, Mejia (26 July 2016). "Sand fire burns more than 37,000 acres in Santa Clarita Valley, prompting state of emergency". Los Angeles Times . LA Times . Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  13. Fawzy, Amy La Porte and Farida (2016-07-25). "Fire scorches 33,000 acres in Santa Clarita, California, area". CNN. Retrieved 2021-11-13.