A fast-moving brush fire that erupted near Lake Piru in Ventura County rapidly burned toward Magic today, prompting evacuation orders in the Val Verde area west of Castaic and an Evacuation Warning reaching eastward to within about two miles of the theme park. There are no indications that the Six Flags plans to interrupt operations at this time.
The Canyon Fire erupted shortly after 2 p.m., burning in a remote area east of Lake Piru but spreading rapidly eastward through the brush. Initially estimated at about 30 acres, the blaze grew rapidly, and within an hour it was estimated by crews at the scene to have scorched roughly 600 acres. By 4:12 p.m., it was over 1,000 acres with 0% containment.
The latest Evacuation Warnings issued at 4 p.m. indicated the threat of spread was on the fire’s northern flank, away from Magic Mountain.
With the fire advancing, Evacuation Warnings were issued in the Val Verde area. That warning was later elevated to an Evacuation Order, while some surrounding neighborhoods were placed under additional warnings. Evacuation Orders are indicated in red on the map below, while Evacuation Warnings are in Yellow.
Fire crews from Ventura and Los Angeles counties were battling the flames, with assistance from Angeles National Forest personnel.
The National Weather Service reported that temperatures in the area were hovering around 100 degrees Thursday afternoon with the wind out of the west at about 5 mph.
The blaze was burning about 90 miles southeast of the much larger Gifford Fire in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. That wildfire has been burning for close to a week and has scorched nearly 100,000 acres.
There was no immediate word on the cause of the Canyon Fire, and no reports of any injuries.
