Fire burns 125 acres, forces evacuations
180 firefighters tackle blaze that endangers 150 homes
SAUGUS — A brush fire that consumed about 125 acres Wednesday forced the evacuation of a mini-’ mall and a juvenile detention camp, and threatened as many as 150 homes, but no injuries or structure damage occurred, officials said.
The fire, apparently caused by a downed power wire, started at about 11:15 a.m. in the 28600 block of Bouquet Canyon Road on the south side of the road, said Jack Pritchard, a Los Angeles County Fire Department inspector. About 180 firefighters spent two hours fighting the blaze, which came as close as 20 feet to homes.
Winds of 20 to 25 mph hampered firefighting efforts and spread flames toward homes on Plum Canyon Road, but firefighters were able to stop the fire before any damage resulted. The winds also prompted numerous residents to spray roofs and fences of their homes to prevent sparks from igniting the structures.
California Highway Patrol officers closed Bouquet Canyon Road from Plum Canyon Road to Vasquez Canyon Road from 1 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. A small section of Bouquet Canyon Road remained closed for several hours longer while firefighters performed mopup operations.
Firefighters evacuated the Bouquet Town and Country mini-mall — which houses a preschool — on Bouquet Canyon Road near Plum 1 Canyon Road and the Camp Scott juvenile detention facility near the originating point of the fire, Pritchard said. Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies were called to assist with the possible evacuation of about 150 homes, but most were not seriously threatened.
One woman was trapped with her children in a house on the south side of Bouquet Canyon Road when her driveway was blocked by the fire during its early stages, said Brian Jordan, a Fire Department inspector. He said firefighters were able to rescue the occupants, with no injuries or damage reported, although the fire came close to the house.
“It was pretty close since the paramedics had to run in there and pull the persons out,” he said.
The fire also came within 20 feet of a lone house on the south side of Bouquet Canyon Road and Fan Court Maxine Suraco and her daughter, Linda Flake, said the fire came upon their house unexpectedly from the opposite side of a hill behind it.
“Around 11:30 we started noticing the red sky, so we came out and a real nice neighbor warned us a fire was approaching and we should get out fast,” Flake said. “So we moved the vehicles out of the way and packed a few important things.”
Suraco and Flake sprayed the roof of their garage with garden hoses as firefighters set up a protective line around their house and ignited the surrounding brush with road flares. Both women said they were not too worried about the flames reaching their house.
“The firefighters informed us ahead of time that they were going to burn the back side of the mountain,” Flake said.
Two previous fires have threatened the house, but both women said they have no thoughts of moving from it.
“This used to be an old homestead,” Suraco said.
Hundreds of people gathered along Bouquet Canyon and Plum Canyon roads to watch the billowing flames, which firefighters allowed to burn to the roads in many locations. Most seemed unconcerned about the possibility of the fire reaching their houses.
“Not with these guys from the fire department here,” said Rob Shoemaker.
But others weren’t taking any chances, including Jim Kester, who sprayed the bushes around his house at Steve Jon Street and Bouquet Canyon Road with a garden hose.
“Sometimes embers fly across the street, so I’m spraying them down as a precaution,” he said, adding there have been four large brush fires near his home during the past 22 years.
Capt Rob Smith of Fire Station 107 in Canyon Country said the main concern of firefighters was the southwest spread of the fire due to heavy winds. He said he and other firefighters set up protective operations behind three cul-desacs on Plum Canyon Road, and were able to contain the fire without any homes damaged.
A spot fire cause by flying embers ignited near Canyon High School, but burned less than an acre of brush before firefighters extinguished it, Jordan said.