Bouquet fire grows in Angeles National Forest near Santa Clarita as heat wave grips SoCal
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The Bouquet fire in Angeles National Forest grew overnight to 1,048 acres and is now 40% contained.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued evacuation orders for the remote mountainous area northeast of Santa Clarita on Saturday afternoon.
John Miller, a forest spokesperson, said the canyon has several small cabins and some residents, and he estimates roughly 30 to 60 people are directly affected by the fire and the evacuations.
Come Monday, that number is likely to grow as commuter roads, such as Bouquet Canyon and San Francisquito Canyon roads, remain closed.
“There will be a traffic impact if the road remains closed for an extended period of time,” he said.
On Sunday afternoon, the fire activity had increased, said Miller, who was at the scene. He did not provide specific details but said between the “tankers and the helicopters they have kept it from the cabins.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom pleaded with people on X to follow local evacuation orders and heed guidance from emergency officials.
County Supervisor Kathryn Barger expressed in a statement her appreciation for the firefighters and first responders at the scene “working this incident in extremely hot and difficult conditions.”
The fire is blazing as temperatures soar across Southern California, reaching 15 to 20 degrees above normal. Temperatures were 107 degrees in some areas of the national forest Saturday. And although the mercury is forecast to drop a bit lower today, forecasters are still anticipating very hot conditions ranging from the mid-90s to 100 degrees.
The heat wave is expected to linger until at least Thursday.
Miller said Sunday’s conditions were an improvement, but “things could get active. It’s one of those things that you gotta just be ready for.”
He said Santa Ana winds fueled the fire Saturday, pushing it in a southwesterly direction.
“If those winds diminish,” he said, allowing for the typical ocean-driven winds, that “could cause the fire to get active in an area that it wasn’t” on Saturday.
He said the crews battling the fire have fared OK so far, despite the hot weather.
“Between the engines, the hand crews and the dozers, and with the helicopters supporting them, yeah, they’re trying to gain as much ground as they can,” he said.
The wildfire started Saturday around 3 p.m. at Bouquet Canyon Road and Quarry Road. Its cause remains unknown.
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