The Bouquet Fire burned more than 1,000 acres of the Angeles National Forest northeast of Santa Clarita on Saturday, Oct. 3, forcing evacuations and grounding firefighting aircraft.
By Sunday morning, the fire measured 1,048 acres and was 40% contained, the Angeles National Forest said on X.
The cause remains under investigation.
The blaze started at about 3:19 p.m. Saturday near Bouquet Canyon Road and Quarry Road, according to Cal Fire's incident page. The fire reached roughly 100 acres by 3:25 p.m. and topped 700 acres within two hours, according to Spectrum News. By about 6:53 p.m., it had crossed 1,000 acres with 0% containment.
An afternoon wind shift pushed the fire toward structures along Bouquet Canyon Road, prompting requests for structure protection, MyNewsLA reported.
Evacuations and shelter
Cal Fire issued Level 3 "Go" evacuation orders for zones LAC-E018, LAC-E030-B and LAC-E031-A, describing the situation as an immediate threat to life. Eight additional zones are under evacuation warnings: LAC-E016, LAC-E017, LAC-E019, LAC-E020, LAC-E021, LAC-E029, LAC-E030-A and LAC-E031-B.
An evacuation shelter is open at the Castaic Sports Complex Community Room, 31230 Castaic Road, Castaic. Small pets are welcome.
The LA County Sheriff's Department confirmed the evacuation orders on X Saturday evening and directed residents to follow @ReadyLACounty for updates.
Firefighting response
Nearly 300 personnel were assigned to the fire Saturday evening, including Los Angeles County Fire Department and U.S. Forest Service crews, according to CBS Los Angeles. Incident commanders requested additional air tankers, two strike teams of 10 wildland engines and four hand crews. Two more water-dropping helicopters were called in before 4:30 p.m., according to Spectrum News.
Around 6 p.m. Saturday, fixed-wing aircraft were grounded because of low visibility, ABC7 reported. Night-flying helicopters took over, and air tankers were requested to return Sunday morning.
Crews also battled two spot fires near the main blaze Saturday evening, according to NBC Los Angeles.
Cal Fire noted a possible drone sighting over the fire area and warned that flying a drone near a wildfire is a federal crime that can ground firefighting aircraft.
Smoke and road closures
The South Coast Air Quality Management District (South Coast AQMD) issued a smoke advisory for the Santa Clarita Valley, the I-5 corridor and the Angeles National Forest, valid from 8 p.m. Saturday through 8 p.m. Sunday. The agency said smoke impacts were forecast to be worst between 11 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, potentially reaching Unhealthy or higher Air Quality Index levels.
The California Highway Patrol shut down Bouquet Canyon Road at Vasquez Canyon Road. The road also remains closed from Spunky Canyon to Vasquez Canyon, according to the Angeles National Forest.
Officials respond
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, whose Fifth Supervisory District includes the burn area, said she was actively monitoring the situation. "I deeply appreciate the brave firefighters and all first responders working this incident in extremely hot and difficult conditions," Barger said in a statement Saturday.
Firefighters battled the blaze amid triple-digit heat as a severe heat wave gripped Southern California, the LA Times reported. Angeles National Forest officials told ABC7 the area had not experienced a wildfire in about 20 years.
No injuries or structure losses had been confirmed as of the most recent updates. Bouquet Canyon Road remains closed, and residents can check evacuation zone status at ReadyLACounty.gov.
