Sand fire destroys 17 structures, burns 22,000 acres; 1,700 homes threatened

More than 1,600 firefighters were battling the raging Sand fire Sunday moing, which has scorched about 22,000 acres in the Angeles National Forest and Santa Clarita area as of its third day, left one fatality in its wake and destroyed more than a dozen structures.

The wildfire, which began Friday near the northbound 14 Freeway and Sand Canyon Road near Santa Clarita, was about 10 percent contained Sunday and resulted in the loss of 17 structures, said Jay Nichols, a spokesman for the unified command working the fire.

As of 9:30 a.m. Sunday, the blaze was threatening about 1700 homes in the area, which was well under the 45,000 figure officials feared could be threatened yesterday, fire officials said.

As the fire bued towards Acton and Agua Dulce, residents along Soledad Canyon going into these two communities “should be on high alert” and ready for potential evacuations, said Los Angeles County Fire Department spokeswoman Stephanie English.

“We want to see what the winds do,” English said.

Some structures have been destroyed or damaged in the Bear Divide and Sand Canyon areas in Santa Clarita. Earlier, Inspector Gustavo Medina of Los Angeles County Fire Department, said the blaze had destroyed 18 structures.

The fire did sweep through the Bear Divide Ranger Station at the top of Soledad Canyon, buing five housing units that about 30 rangers usually stay in, fire officials told a Daily News photographer Sunday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives were continuing their probe Sunday of a dead body found inside a bued compact sedan parked in a driveway in the 26700 block of Iran Canyon Road in Santa Clarita Saturday night in the area of the fire. The male body was discovered by firefighters battling the Sand fire and “at this time, there is no indication that the death was a criminal event,” authorities said in a statement.

Mandatory evacuations were in place of all residents as of Saturday night in Sand Canyon from Lost Canyon to Bear Divide, in Placerita Canyon from the Nature Center to Sand Canyon and Little Tujunga from Bear Divide to LA River Ranger District station, according to LA County sheriff’s officials. The evacuation area included about 1,500 homes and 100 commercial buildings were threatened.

A new evacuation center has been set up at Hart High School, 24825 N. Newhall, in Santa Clarita, Medina said. The Evacuation Center at Golden Valley High School has been closed.

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Conditions had slightly improved Sunday, in which the fire had grown by 10 percent from Saturday night, Nichols said.

“It’s not what we experienced the first couple of days,” he said of oveight conditions. “We have more assets arriving.”

As of Sunday moing, 1,673 firefighters were battling the flames. They had 122 engines on site, along with 39 hand crews, 15 helicopters and 8 bulldozers.

Fixed wing retardant dropping aircraft were on call, including a big DC-10.

“We should have better conditions today because we have clear air and no inversion layer,” which gives better visibility for the aircraft, Nichols said.

Fire retardant drops are being controlled by an air command helicopter high above the aircraft that are fighting the blaze.

“Crews are continuing with structure defense and the fire remained active last night.”

Nichols said that the fire is chewing through 30-year-old “decadent brush,” meaning it ignites quickly and bus really hot, he said.

A red flag waing will remain in effect until at least 10 p.m. tonight in the fire area, he said.

The Sand fire was reported at about 2:14 p.m. on Friday near the northbound Highway 14 and Sand Canyon Road. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

Several roads were closed as of late Saturday, including Sand Canyon Road east of Placerita Canyon to 12300 Little Tujunga and Crown Valley Road eastbound from the 14 Freeway.

Staff photographer David Crane contributed to this report.