Brush Fire Cuts It Close

Homes and businesses evacuated as 1,000-acre blaze burns from Circle J to near Bouquet Junction

and Ehsan Zaffar

Dark smoke clouded the Santa Clarita Valley Saturday afternoon as a raging brush fire consumed more than 1,000 acres and closed the valley’s busiest intersection and surrounding area.

More than 100 homes and businesses were threatened in the largest brush fire of the season, but there were no injuries and structures were lost, officials said.

Approximately 50 fire engines and 243 fire fighters battled the blaze that started in the Circle J Ranch area of Newhall and burned through to the hills overlooking the intersection of Soledad Canyon and Bouquet Canyon roads. Eight water-dropping helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft also fought the fire that was spread quickly by 25-mile-per-hour wind gusts.

The cause of the fire was still under invesitgation.

Soledad Canyon Road was shut down between the Saugus Speedway and Bouquet Junction and businesses and homes in the area were evacuated by city officials and the Sheriffs Department.

The fire began at 1:53 p.m. at Derby Place and Sheffield Lane, said Deputy Brad Thompson. The winds then helped spread the fire north and west, across the Porta Bella property, quickly making its way toward businesses skirting Soledad Canyon and San Fernando Road, officials said.

Bulldozers and hand crews worked to build a fire break behind Terry Lumber Co. on San Fernando Road and Drayton Drive.

An Erickson Air-Crane 64E and two leased Canadian Super Scoopers, among the aircraft deployed to combat the fire, dumped water mixed with foam on the flames.

More than a dozen businesses were forced to close and firefighters encouraged stores along Soledad Canyon to evacuate.

“They pretty strongly suggested everyone leave,” said Chuck Cooper, the area manager for Pizza Hut on Soledad Canyon.

Firefighters also watched Leslie’s Swimming Pool Supplies in the Del Rio Shopping Center on Bouquet Canyon Road because of chlorine and other chemicals stored there.

“All hazardous materials on hand are kept on file?’ Deputy Cony Cline said. “It goes without saying a swimming pool supply store means chlorine and acid.”

Soledad Canyon Road was closed at about 3 p.m. and Bouquet Canyon Road shortly after that, and they were opened three hours later.

Several homes were also evacuated as the fire swept through the bare hills in the central part of the city.

Circle J resident Bill Gaut saw the fire burn within about 50 feet of his home in the 22700 block of Derby Place, near the suspected starting point.

“We saw it come popping up along the ridge and it came fast,” he said. “It was tense here for a few moments. The fire was coming pretty hard. You could turn around and feel the ashes and heat. We started wetting the house down and then I got the kids and animals out of here.”

Gaut said the flames behind his home were as high as the trees.

“It was close,” he said. “The whole place was covered with black smoke. When there was a fire in here about seven years ago, they evacuated the whole neighborhood. This time they said we could stay if we wanted to, so we figured we’d just stick it out.”

Metrolink trains stopped rolling and a classic car show scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. at the Saugus Speedway – where firefighters set up their command post – was delayed.

Robin Conway, an organizer of the car show event saw the fire heading in the direction of the speedway and alerted the fire department.

“I saw it jump over the ridge and dialed 911,” she said.

In anticipation of the firefighting season, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in August approved the lease of the Erickson Air-Crane for 60 days at an estimated cost of more than $500,000.

Firefighters were brought in from La Crescenta, parts of Lancaster and most of the Los Angeles Basin, officials said.

Capt. Dave Saran of Fire Station 12 in Altadena stood at the ready with his engine company to protect the Del Rio structures.

“That’s why we’re here to protect these assets. People, structures, vehicles, in that order,” Saran said. “The brush will grow back.”