Conditions described here were accurate only as of the date shown and may have changed. This is not a substitute for current official information from the agency with jurisdiction. See the full notice. Full notice.
Bouquet Fire Near Santa Clarita Closes Canyon Road and Two OHV Areas
About 1,048 acres and 48 percent contained, unchanged Monday. Evacuation orders remain for three zones as the heat holds.
A wildfire in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Santa Clarita has burned about 1,048 acres since Saturday afternoon. The Bouquet Fire started near Bouquet Canyon Road south of Bouquet Reservoir and is burning in chaparral and grass on steep ground with limited access. The Forest Service's incident record puts discovery at 2:16 p.m. Saturday; CAL FIRE's start time, as reported by local outlets, is 3:19 p.m.
Fire activity was minimal overnight into Monday, forest officials said, and the size and containment were unchanged Monday morning. Crews are building and improving line, concentrating near homes and private property. Officials warned that rising temperatures could increase fire activity again this afternoon.
It grew fast at the start. A wind shift Saturday afternoon pushed it toward homes along Bouquet Canyon Road during an early-October heat wave, and forest officials said the brush there had not burned in decades. Containment reached 40 percent by Sunday morning and 48 percent Sunday evening, according to authorities quoted by ABC7. Crews fought flare-ups Sunday, mostly along the southern edge near the road, with airtankers and helicopters from Fox Field. No injuries have been reported. The cause is under investigation; forest officials have said investigators believe it may have been human-caused.
Evacuation orders remain in effect for Los Angeles County zones LAC-E018, LAC-E030-B and LAC-E031. Warnings are in effect for zones LAC-E016, LAC-E017, LAC-E019, LAC-E020, LAC-E021, LAC-E029 and LAC-E030-A. The lists do not quite agree between agencies: CAL FIRE gives the third order zone as LAC-E031-A, and some trackers also show warnings for LAC-E030-C and LAC-E031-B. The county's map is the authority. Zone boundaries are on the county's Genasys Protect map, and the county posts changes at ready.lacounty.gov and @readylacounty. A shelter that takes small pets is open at the Castaic Sports Complex Community Room, 31230 Castaic Road.
For anyone headed into the forest: Bouquet Canyon Road is closed from Spunky Canyon Road to milepost 5.7, the Angeles says; earlier reports gave the closure as Spunky Canyon to Vasquez Canyon Road. The Angeles has also temporarily closed the Rowher Flat OHV Area, off the Vasquez Truck Trail, and the Drinkwater OHV Area, off San Francisquito Canyon Road. Smoke has been heavy across the Santa Clarita Valley; the regional smoke advisory ran through Sunday evening.
The fire has not yet appeared in the federal perimeter data, so the conditions board will not update automatically. Check InciWeb and the county's emergency page before driving the canyon roads.
Sources