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California

Saddleridge fire: Latest evacuations, school and road closures

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Jesse Stancarone receives help from his grandson, Jesse Lasher, as they move a grandfather clock that received no damage after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch. The clock has been through three fires and one earthquake, Stancarone said.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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An Orange County firefighter pulls hose into a damaged home after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Members of the Manokian family gather with friends as they watch firefighters mop up around their home, which was destroyed in the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Both the 5 and 14 freeways were closed to traffic through Newhall Pass because of the Saddleridge fire.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters mop up around the Manokian home, which was destroyed in the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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L.A. firefighters work to put out hot spots after the Saddleridge fire burned along Beaufait Avenue in Porter Ranch.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Clifford Mangang, 80, sits at the Sylmar Recreation Center with his dogs, Lola and Nina. He evacuated his home at 10 p.m. Thursday and slept in his car until 5 a.m. Friday, when he could get to the center.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Blondie, a yellow Labrador, and other pets are sheltered at the Sylmar Recreation Center.   (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters clear brush and mop up a hillside along the 14 Freeway, which was closed to traffic through Newhall Pass because of Saddleridge fire.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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A Los Angeles Fire Department helicopter drops water on a Saddleridge fire flare-up as brush crews clear fuel behind homes on Via Urbino in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Fire rages behind homes on Via Urbino as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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An LAFD brush crew heads out to clear fuel behind homes on Via Urbino as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters keep an eye on the Saddleridge fire burning behind Olive View Medical Center in Sylmar.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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The 5 Freeway is empty near the junction with the 14 Freeway as the Saddleridge fire closed both routes to all traffic.  (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighting plane paints the hill with fire retardant to protect Olive View Medical Center from the wind-driven Saddleridge fire in Sylmar.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Los Angeles city firefighter Dennis DeGeeter hits a hot spot on a home on Hampton Court as firefighters battle the Saddleridge fire in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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A L.A. county firefighter sprays water on a condominium on Tampa Avenue engulfed by flames as the Saddleridge fire burns through Limekiln Canyon in Porter Ranch.  (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
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The Saddleridge fire climbs the ridgeline in Sylmar, closing parts of the 210 and 118 freeways Friday morning.  (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)
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Ozzy Butler throws water onto the deck of his parents’ house as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch early Friday morning.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Randy Butler tries to protect his home as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch on Friday morning.  (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Ozzy Butler talks on the phone as his father Randy tries to protect their house as the Saddleridge fire burns along Thunderbird Avenue in Porter Ranch on Friday morning.  (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire from spreading as a home burns in Porter Ranch.  (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
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A firefighter uses a garden hose to douse flames in the backyard of a home to keep the Saddleridge fire from spreading in Porter Ranch.  (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
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The Saddleridge fire burns in Wilbur Tampa Park near homes on Friday in the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles.  (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
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The Saddleridge fire burns behind homes on Friday in Porter Ranch.  (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
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A firefighter works to contain the Saddleridge fire from spreading as structures burn in Porter Ranch.  (Patrick T. Fallon/For The Times)
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Residents evacuate as the Saddleridge fire creeps towards houses in the Oakridge Estates community in Sylmar late Thursday night.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters lay hose line to contain the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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A helicopter makes a drop on the Saddleridge fire as people evacuate the Oakridge Estates.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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A first responder stands in an intersection as people evacuate the Oakridge Estates during the Saddleridge fire.  (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters fight to contain the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Firefighters move out of the way of a dozer crew while working to contain the Saddleridge fire.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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A firefighter makes sure residents evacuate from the Oakridge Estates in Sylmar late Thursday night.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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A firefighter watches as a helicopter flies overhead.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Residents evacuate from the Oakridge Estates community late Thursday night.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Embers swarm around a burned-out truck trailer destroyed by the Saddleridge fire just after midnight early Friday morning in Sylmar.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Firefighters work to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
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Firefighters lay hose line to contain the Saddleridge fire late Thursday night.  (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)
By Hannah Fry
, Joseph Serna, Matthew Ormseth and Leila Miller
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The Saddleridge fire broke out in Sylmar near the 210 Freeway on Thursday night and is burning through the hillsides of the San Fernado Valley, threatening thousands of homes. By 1 p.m. Friday, it had charred some 7,500 acres and damaged 25 structures. It is 13% contained.

The L.A. Fire Department has established these evacuation zones for the Saddleridge fire near Chatsworth, Porter Ranch, Granada Hills and Sylmar.
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Location

The blaze started about 9 p.m. on the north side of the 210 Freeway near Yarnell Street.

Embers jumped over the 210 and 5 freeways and ignited more spot fires in dry brush. The wind-driven blaze moved west into Granada Hills and Porter Ranch, where dozens of homes have burned. At least 25 houses have been damaged in the fire.

Cause

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The Los Angeles Fire Department says it is investigating the cause of the blaze.

Resources

Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department, Los Angeles County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service are on the scene. Resources include ground crews, helicopters and amphibious aircraft. More than 1,000 firefighters are battling the blaze.

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Weather conditions

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  • Santa Ana winds 20-30 mph with gusts up to 50 mph
  • Low humidity
  • Temperatures in the mid-80s

Evacuation areas

  • Oakridge Estates north of 210 Freeway
  • Foothill and Glenoaks areas
  • All of Porter Ranch
  • Areas north of the 118 Freeway between Granada Hills and the Ventura County line
  • See L.A. Fire Department evacuation map

Evacuation centers

Capacity at the seven available evacuation centers is in flux. Some centers that had been full Friday morning are again accepting evacuees. Lyft is offering free rides to designated evacuation centers. VCA Animal Hospitals is offering free boarding for small pets displaced by the Saddleridge fire at VCA Adler Animal Hospital and Pet Resort in Northridge.

  • FULL: Sylmar Recreation Center (13109 Borden Ave.)
  • Northridge Recreation Center (18300 Lemarsh St.)
  • FULL: Mason Park (10500 Mason Ave.)
  • Granada Hills Recreation Center (16730 Chatsworth St.)
  • Lanark Recreation Center (21816 Lanark St.)
  • Brandford Recreation Center (13306 Brandford St.)
  • Van Nuys/Sherman Oaks Recreation Center (14201 Huston St.)

More fire coverage

Large-animal evacuation center:

If you need help with the evacuation of large animals, contact East Valley Animal Shelter at (818) 756-9323.

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  • Hansen Dam (11770 Foothill Blvd.)
  • Pierce College (6201 Winnetka Ave.)

Road closures

  • 210 Freeway in both directions between the 118 and 5 freeways
  • 5 Freeway between Roxford Street and Calgrove Boulevard
  • Southbound 14 Freeway at the Newhall Pass
  • Northbound 405 Freeway at 118 Freeway
  • Numerous surface streets in Sylmar, Granada Hills and Porter Ranch

Train service disruptions

Metrolink:

  • No southbound service in the Antelope Valley from the Lancaster, Palmdale and Santa Clarita lines toward Los Angeles
  • Northbound Antelope Valley Line trains can depart from Union Station but will only run as far north as Sylmar/San Fernando
  • Sylmar/San Fernando line to Newhall station is closed

Surfliner:

  • Amtrak Thruway Bus Service has been temporarily suspended between Bakersfield and Los Angeles

School closures

Los Angeles Unified School District school closure and schedule change announcements.

Because of poor air quality, all Los Angeles Unified schools located in the Local District Northwest and Northeast will be on a minimum-day schedule. According to the school district, Topanga Elementary Charter, Roscomare Road Elementary and Elementary CES from Local District West will also be on a minimum-day schedule. Transportation services will be provided as usual, but all athletics and after-school activities at these schools will be postponed or canceled. Staff will remain on campus until all students are safely picked up. To pick up students ahead of time, please visit the main office and bring proper ID.

Also, several schools have postponed football games scheduled for Friday evening because of the fire and associated poor air quality.

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Los Angeles Unified School District and charter school closures

  • Bert Corona High School
  • Bert Corona Charter School
  • Birmingham Community Charter High School
  • Birmingham High School
  • Bright Star’s three Valor campuses in the Valley
  • Castlebay Lane Charter
  • Discovery Charter Preparatory School No. 2
  • El Camino Real Charter High School
  • El Oro Way Charter for Enriched Studies
  • Fenton Avenue Primary Center
  • Fenton Avenue Elementary Charter School
  • Fenton STEM Academy Elementary Center
  • Fenton Charter Leadership Academy
  • Frost Middle School
  • Granada Hills Charter High School (both campuses)
  • Haskell Elementary STEAM Magnet
  • High Tech Los Angeles Middle School
  • Ivy Academia Charter School
  • Jane Addams Continuation High School
  • James Jordan Middle School
  • John F. Kennedy High School
  • Knollwood Preparatory Academy
  • Magnolia Public Schools 1, 2, 5 and 7
  • Magnolia Science Academy 1, 2, 5, and 7
  • Montague Charter School in Pacoima
  • MATES Charter School
  • New Academy Canoga Park
  • North Valley Military Institute
  • Our Community Charter School
  • Porter Ranch Community School
  • PUC Valley Schools, all campuses
  • Rinaldi Adult School
  • Van Gogh Charter
  • Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
  • West Valley Occupational Center
  • Valor Academy charter schools, all three campuses
  • Valley Charter Elementary School
  • Valley Charter Middle School
  • Valley International Preparatory High School
  • Valley Charter Elementary and Valley Charter Middle School
  • Van Gogh Charter
  • YPI Bert Corona (both schools)

Santa Clarita Valley

  • William S. Hart Union High School District
  • Castaic Union School District
  • Sulphur Springs Union School District
  • Newhall School District

Ventura County

  • Filmore Unified School District
  • Los Cerritos Middle School and Lang Ranch Elementary School in the Conejo Valley Unified School District
  • MATES charter school in Thousand Oaks
  • Mupu School near Santa Paula
  • All Simi Valley Unified Schools

Colleges

  • Cal State Northridge
  • College of the Canyons
  • Pierce College
  • Los Angeles Mission College

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Hannah Fry

Hannah Fry covers breaking news for the Los Angeles Times. She most recently covered Orange County for The Times and has written extensively about criminal trials, housing, politics and government. In 2020, Fry was part of the team that was a Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. Fry came to The Times from the Daily Pilot, where she covered coastal cities, education and crime. An Orange County native, Fry started her career as an intern at the Orange County Register.

Joseph Serna

Joseph Serna is a deputy editor on the Fast Break team at the Los Angeles Times and helps oversee daily breaking news coverage.

Matthew Ormseth

Matthew Ormseth is a reporter for the Los Angeles Times. Before joining The Times in 2018, he covered city news and state politics at the Hartford Courant.

Leila Miller

Leila Miller is a former foreign correspondent for the Los Angeles Times based in Mexico City. She joined the newsroom in 2018, where she spent several years covering criminal justice, including the Luz del Mundo sex abuse case, and was part of the team that was a 2020 Pulitzer Prize finalist for its coverage of the Conception boat fire off the Channel Islands. She moved to Mexico in 2021 and was a 2023 Livingston finalist for an investigation on how a centuries-old forensic test has been sending mothers in Latin America to prison for killing their newborns. Born in Argentina but raised in Los Angeles, Miller is a graduate of Oberlin College and Columbia University’s School of Journalism.

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