Creek Fire forces closure of 210 freeway in Los Angeles

The fire is north of the 210 near Sylmar and Kagel Canyon.

Map showing location Creek Fire Los Angeles
Map showing the location of the Creek Fire in Los Angeles.

(UPDATED at 1:02 p.m. PST December 5, 2017)

The Creek Fire has jumped across the 210 freeway and is now burning on both sides. Firefighters estimate it has blackened 11,000 acres.  The fire is being managed under Unified Command with the U.S. Forest Service, LA County and LA City.

The video below of the Creek Fire was posted by a Los Angeles County Fire Department helicopter pilot.

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(Originally published at 11:55 a.m. PST December 5, 2017)

In addition to the 45,000-acre Thomas Fire at Ventura, another large fire is burning in Southern California.

The Creek Fire, near Sylmar and Kagel Canyon, has burned about 4,000 acres since it was reported at 3:42 a.m. Tuesday. It is on the north side of the 210 freeway which at 11 a.m. was closed between Interstate 5 on the west and Sunland Blvd. on the east.

Homes have burned in the Creek Fire but exactly how many is unknown.

According to the LA City Fire Department, the following mandatory evacuations are in effect:  “Kagel Canyon, Trailer park in Lopez Canyon, Arroyo St north of 210, Mobile home park top of Maclay, Pacoma Wash west of Sayre St, Eldridge/Sayre north”.

At 11 a.m. the resources assigned to the fire included 60 engines and 400 personnel.

Firefighters hope to be able to use fixed wing air tankers and helicopters to assist firefighters on the ground but the Santa Ana winds currently blowing at more than 20 mph could make that impossible. Weather stations near the fire are recording wind gusts at 19 to 40 mph with relative humidity in the low teens. The Santa Ana condition is expected to continue at least through Thursday.

A Nixle alert for the Creek Fire was sent out to the area shown below. The map does not show the location of the fire.

Nixle alert map Creek Fire
A Nixle alert was sent out to the areas shown on the map below. Click to enlarge.

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Author: Bill Gabbert

After working full time in wildland fire for 33 years, he continues to learn, and strives to be a Student of Fire.