A fire in Los Angeles County that forced the evacuations of hundreds of people from a state park has burned 11,000 acres, authorities said Sunday, just one day after it started.
The National Weather Service Los Angeles warned wind gusts could reach up to 60 to 70 m.p.h. Sunday night, creating conditions that could potentially fuel the flames of the Post Fire. A red flag warning was issued for the I-5 corridor in Los Angeles County and the Ventura County mountains until 5:00 p.m. Monday afternoon.
The wildfire began Saturday afternoon in Gorman, an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County. The cause of the blaze is still under investigation, according to Cal Fire.
California State Park Services evacuated 1,200 people from Hungry Valley Park, Cal Fire said. The fire was zero percent contained and had damaged two commercial properties as of Saturday evening, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Evacuation orders are in place for areas west of Interstate 5 between Pyramid Lake and Gorman, and evacuation warnings are in place for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the Los Angeles County line.
Crews are working to contain the fire and “aircraft are working to stop forward progress but have limited visibility,” according to the fire department.
Pyramid Lake is also closed because of the threat posed by the fire, the fire department said.
The impacted area is expected to experience slightly higher temperatures and lower humidity through the rest of the weekend, the fire department said. Winds are expected to increase through the evening with gusts up to 30 m.p.h. (48 kilometres per hour), with stronger winds at the ridge tops reaching over 50 m.p.h. (80 kilometres per hour).