Rapidly spreading brush fire prompts an evacuation order for thousands north of Los Angeles

Source: AP

By JAIMIE DING
Updated 10:51 PM CDT, August 7, 2025

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A brush fire in a mountainous area north of Los Angeles ignited and spread quickly Thursday, forcing thousands of evacuations.

The Canyon Fire ignited around 1:30 p.m., growing to over 2.3 square miles (6 square kilometers) in five hours, according to Ventura County emergency response. It remained zero percent contained late Thursday afternoon and was spreading east, the county said.

The fire is burning just south of Lake Piru, a reservoir located in the Los Padres National Forest. It’s close by Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area burned by the Hughes Fire in January. That fire burned about 15 square miles (39 square kilometers) in six hours and put 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings.

In LA County, around 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures are under an evacuation order, and another 12,500 residents are under an evacuation warning, said spokesperson Andrew Dowd for the Venture County Fire Department.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/california-canyon-fire-evacuations-2b1e4213f7fcc9546ac622b1deea91ca