There hung the sun, brazenly aglow in red. The sky around it, tinted a dusty rose. In the stifling air, ashes fluttered like snowflakes.
The effects of the Sand fire over the last few days have cast an ominous yet picturesque pall across the Los Angeles Basin, the sun and the moon eliciting comparisons to J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Eye of Sauron” and apocalyptic films.
But up in the Santa Clarita Valley, the largest blaze in Los Angeles County this year was no photo op. Raging in the steep, rugged mountains and charring more than 35,000 acres, the Sand fire plowed through homes and sent thousands fleeing as it swept through a landscape of desiccated fuel. Explosive and swift, it melted cars, downed power lines and left the air thick with smoke.
“This is a big animal,” said Mike Wakoski, a spokesman for the multi-agency wildfire effort made up of nearly 3,000 firefighters. Wakoski warned that the fire was scorching an average of 10,000 football fields a day and that containment would be slow.
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Aurora Harris Heller, 62, left, comforts the owner of a home destroyed in the Sand fire in Santa Clarita.
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The charred remains of a statue stand on a drive on North Iron Canyon Road, where two homes were destroyed in the Sand fire in Santa Clarita.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 3/76
Firefighters battle a spot fire along Soledad Canyon Road near Agua Dulce on Tuesday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters are enveloped in thick smoke while working along Soledad Canyon Road near Agua Dulce on Tuesday.
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Two charred vehicles can be seen on Iron Canyon Road, near where a person died when the Sand fire swept through Santa Clarita.
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One of two homes destroyed by the Sand fire is reduced to rubble and ash on Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.
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Aurora Harris Heller is distraught over the death of her neighbor, who was killed when the Sand fire tore through Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 8/76
Riverside firefighter Mark Powell douses a smoldering structure on Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 9/76
Robert Heller walks back with his neighbor’s horses after evacuation orders were lifted for the residents of Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita.
(Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) 10/76
Heat from flames pushes firefighters back as they monitor a flare-up along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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A helicopter drops fire retardant on a ridge above Placerita Canyon Road in Santa Clarita as firefighters work to gain the upper hand on the Sand fire on Monday.
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Los Angeles County firefighters Kevin Bowers, left, and Pat Hanrahan are watchful as a plume of smoke builds in the mountains along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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A firefighting jumbo jet drops fire retardant on a ridgeline above Placerita Canyon Road in Santa Clarita on Monday.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 14/76
A Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy checks identification of residents returning to their homes on Sand Canyon Road on Monday after evacuations were lifted.
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A burned-out machine shop destroyed in the Sand fire sits below a plume of smoke along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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Smoke blocks out the sun as flames consume dry brush near Soledad Canyon Road in the mountains near Acton on Monday.
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Burned-out vehicles are left behind on Oak Springs Canyon Road in Canyon Country.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) 18/76
Los Angeles County firefighter Ralph Solis of Engine 127 sprays foam onto a tree still smoldering along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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Stephanie Spalter looks at the remnants of a machine shop that was destroyed in the Sand fire near Acton on Monday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 20/76
Fire flares up in brush along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 21/76
Los Angeles County firefighter engineer Pat Hanrahan from Engine 208 works to put out a smoldering fire burning in equipment behind a home along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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Los Angeles County firefighter Roman Legaspi from Engine 208 works to douse hot spots behind buildings along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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The husks of mailboxes litter the charred ground on Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
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U.S. Forest Service firefighters Edward Perez, left, Jovanny Cruz and Derek Meyers work to douse hot spots.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 25/76
Los Angeles County fire crews put out hot spots in a storage building that burned along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Monday.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 26/76
An intense fire left behind burned remnants along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 27/76
Nearly 3,000 firefighters converge on Golden Valley High School, the Sand fire command center, for deployment orders in Santa Clarita on Monday morning.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times) 28/76
Smoke from the Sand fire obscures the view in Santa Clarita on Monday morning.
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A helicopter makes a water drop on the Sand fire along Placerita Canyon Road near Santa Clarita on Sunday night. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters remove brush as they battle the Sand fire along Placerita Canyon Road near Santa Clarita on Sunday night.
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Firefighters battle the Sand fire along Placerita Canyon Road near Santa Clarita on Sunday night.
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Onlookers gather at a shopping mall along Golden Valley Road in Santa Clarita to watch the Sand fire burn in the hills above the city on Sunday night.
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Evacuated residents watch as the Sand fire burns through the San Gabriel Mountains on Sunday.
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A pall of smoke from the Sand fire hangs over the desert mountains as the sun sets near Acton.
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An L.A. County helicopter makes a water drop along Placerita Canyon Road as the Sand fire burns in the San Gabriel Mountains on Sunday.
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Traffic from a shopping mall along Golden Valley Road in Santa Clarita is diverted away from the flames of the Sand fire as it burns in the hills above the city Sunday night.
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A firefighter keeps watch on the path of the Sand fire as it burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton.
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A firefighter sets a backfire as the Sand fire burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday.
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The Sand fire burns along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton, threatening homes and other structures in its way.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 40/76
The Sand fire burns along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton.
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The wildfire in the Santa Clarita Valley area has grown to more than 22,000 acres, prompting new evacuations.
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A firefighter keeps watch on the path of the Sand fire as it burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times) 43/76
The brush fire in the Santa Clarita Valley area has burned 18 homes.
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times) 44/76
A firetruck is parked in front of a home in the Santa Clarita Valley.
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A firefighting helicopter drops water on the Sand fire as it burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters battle the Sand fire along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Ryan Alaniz, 6, waits for his parents to load the family car and evacuate the KOA Campground along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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A firefighter sets backfires along a ridge as the Sand fire burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday.
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A firefighting helicopter hovers close to the flames from the Sand fire as it burns out of control along Soledad Canyon Road near Acton on Sunday.
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The husk of a burned-out residence sits along Little Tujunga Canyon Road.
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Vehicles and other objects consumed by the Sand Fire litter Little Tujunga Canyon Road.
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Sand Canyon evacuees wait to be allowed back to their homes.
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Firefighters put out hot spots at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita after the Sand fire swept through the area on Sunday. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
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Firefighters chop down burned vegetation and put out hot spots at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita on Sunday.
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A charred tree stands over the ruins of a home along Little Tujunga Canyon Road near Santa Clarita.
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A burned-out shell is all that remains of a home along Little Tujunga Canyon Road near Santa Clarita after the Sand fire swept through the area on Sunday.
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A smoldering home sits off the 26700 block of Iron Canyon Road on Sunday morning.
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Los Angeles County firefighter Anders Heinstedt mops up hot spots at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita on Sunday. The ranch is used for movie and TV production. Several of the sets, including one for Fox’s “Utopia,” were destroyed by the Sand fire.
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Buildings and cars are drenched in Phos-Chek, a pink fire retardant, at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita.
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Rob Chauvie says he was helping his sister evacuate during the Sand fire when he was doused with Phos-Chek, a fire-retardant, in Santa Clarita.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times) 61/76
Sand fire evacuees pass the time at Hart High School in Newhall on Sunday.
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A house burns along Little Tujunga Canyon Road as the Sand fire rages near Santa Clarita.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 63/76
AJ Moberg, 15, waters down the roof of his family’s house Saturday as a plane dumping fire retardant flies overhead.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 64/76
A burned van and trailer sit along Little Tujunga Canyon Road.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 65/76
A truck and a house burn along Little Tujunga Canyon Road.
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Seth Moberg, 16, gathers belongings from his family’s house on Sand Canyon Road as the Sand fire approaches in Santa Clarita.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 67/76
AJ Moberg, 15, waters down the roof of his family’s house on Sanf Canyon Road as the Sand fire approaches in Santa Clarita on Saturday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 68/76
A view of the massive cloud from the Sand fire, as seen from Alameda and 6th streets in Los Angeles.
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Women evacuate horses along Sand Canyon Road as the Sand fire approaches in Santa Clarita. Hundreds of other animals also were evacuated.
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Flames from the Sand fire burn a hillside near Little Tujunga Canyon on Saturday.
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AJ Moberg, 15, waters down the roof of his family’s house on Sand Canyon Road.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 72/76
Charlie Erasmo takes pictures of water-dropping helicopters as they come in for water to battle the Sand fire in Santa Clarita on Saturday.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) 73/76
A water-dropping helicopter makes a run as the Sand fire burns in Santa Clarita on Saturday morning.
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L.A. County firefighter Joshua Miramontes with Engine 82 works the fast-growing brush fire east of Santa Clarita.
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A helicopter drops water on the fast-growing brush fire east of Santa Clarita. (Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)
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The Santa Clarita wildfire is visible from the Top of Topanga Overlook.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times) When the massive blaze erupted Friday along the 14 Freeway at Sand Canyon, 30- to 50-mph winds fanned the flames on hillsides carpeted with tinder-like chaparral, pushing them into the Angeles National Forest.
As water-dropping helicopters worked overnight, the firefight got a significant boost Monday, with the number of firefighters nearly doubling from 1,600. At only 10% contained, however, the blaze has shocked seasoned officials who say the speed of the Sand fire has never before been seen in the area.
“It’s burning so quickly and so rapidly that our firefighters are getting in and doing a lot of great work, but to get in and do some of that stuff safely is very difficult,” said Justin Correll, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
A single death has been reported – a man’s body was found Saturday inside a burned car parked in a driveway. The flames were so hot on the day of the discovery that investigators had to leave and return hours later, said Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Capt. Roosevelt Johnson.
At least 18 structures have been destroyed and one damaged in the Angeles National Forest near the Bear Divide and Sand Canyon areas, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Bruce Sanborn and Suzi Fox learned they had lost the house they shared on Little Tujunga Canyon Road after seeing its scorched shell on the Saturday news.
The couple had evacuated to a high school in Santa Clarita the night before. During a trip to a store, Sanborn saw images of their burned property flash across a television.
“I was just sitting there stunned,” Sanborn, 55, said. “Up to that point, in the back of my mind, we were still going home.”
Two firefighters assigned to the Sand fire who resided at a forest service facility known as the Bear Divide Ranger Station also had their homes destroyed. Nestled deep in the Angeles National Forest, the facility’s location is considered an ideal spot for making initial attacks on fires.
For one of the firefighters, the loss felt familiar. An earlier home of his had been ravaged by the 2009 Station fire.
Still, officials said they believed crews had saved thousands of homes. On Monday evening, most of the 20,000 people who had been evacuated were told they could return home.
Years of severe drought left the valley primed for a fast-moving fire that was fed by parched vegetation, driven by winds and intensified by high temperatures and low humidity. The fire-friendly conditions don’t bode well for the remainder of the season.
“We’re now finding that fire season is not just a particular time of the year,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich said. “It’s basically all year.”
Antonovich said Monday that the county leases a water-dropping aircraft known as a “super scooper” from Canada, but it is not scheduled to arrive until next month. He said the board hopes to renegotiate that contract and review its financing plan for future fires.
As air quality in smoke-filled areas approached an unhealthful level, air quality officials warned residents to avoid vigorous outdoor and indoor activities.
Meanwhile, firefighters struggled with low visibility and fast-moving winds that sent flames in multiple directions.
“We had a ferocious firefight yesterday,” L.A. County Fire Chief Daryl Osby said Monday.
He added that some crews have been working three days straight. At one point, a drone sighting delayed their efforts. Aircraft are grounded when a drone is spotted above a wildfire. Those caught flying private aircraft or drones could face criminal charges, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Among firefighters’ duties is persuading residents to flee quickly, even if it means leaving animals and pets behind.
After Chris Pease heard about mandatory evacuations Saturday, she packed her three pygmy goats into a carrier. A friend came and helped her hook up the horse trailer, but she was unable to get her horse, Abby, inside.
“It was the most frightening thing,” Pease, 66, said. “The flames were leaping up in some areas 50 feet in the air, 100 feet in the air. It was coming running down the hill, just a big, red glow, almost like lava.”
A firefighter urged her to leave the area immediately. He said they would do their best to save the animals.
“But I looked on his face and I saw it,” Pease said. “I knew.”
She left behind her birds, goats and Abby.
Animal rescuers later attempted to lift Abby with a tractor. Finally, a veterinarian called to say he could give Abby fluids and try again to get the horse to move.
“What if you can’t get her up?” Pease asked. “She’s going to lay there and burn to death?”
Pease then made a painful decision. She requested that Abby be put down. Later she learned her home had burned.
Others were dealt a luckier hand.
Mel Bright had been at church Sunday when her husband called to tell her she had better hurry back to their home along Soledad Canyon Road.
Under a red-orange sky, the two began watering the property that also housed their market, Rio Groceries. Suddenly propane tanks began exploding and the air muddied with smoke. A firefighter ran up. “You have to go! It’s coming!”
But the couple refused to leave their livelihood, choosing to wait out the flames from a fire truck.
When things cleared, the earth was scorched and the surrounding area looked “like a war zone.”
The Brights’ home and business, however, remained unscathed.
Veronica Rocha, Sarah Parvini, Matt Hamilton and Corina Knoll also contributed to this report.
brittny.mejia@latimes.com
hailey.branson@latimes.com
ruben.vives@latimes.com
@brittny_mejia
@haileybranson
@LATvives
ALSO
Fire seasons are becoming hotter, drier and longer
Man’s body found in area burned by Sand fire in Santa Clarita area
14 Freeway in Santa Clarita Valley is reopened after fire-related closure
UPDATES:
7:00 p.m.: This article was updated throughout.
11:55 a.m.: This article was updated with information about affected residents.
11:05 a.m.: This article was updated throughout.
9:55 a.m.: This article was updated with information about air quality.
9:05 a.m.: This article was updated with additional details about residents affected by the fire.
This article was originally published at 7:30 a.m.
