Sand fire prompts mandatory evacuations in Agua Dulce, Acton, 34 square miles burned

More than 1,600 firefighters were battling the raging Sand fire Sunday, which has scorched about 34 square miles in the Angeles National Forest and Santa Clarita area, left one man dead in its wake and destroyed 18 homes, authorities said.

The wildfire — which began Friday near the northbound 14 Freeway and Sand Canyon Road near Santa Clarita — prompted evacuation orders Sunday afteoon from Agua Dulce north to Acton Conservation Camp #11, according to Justin Correll, a spokesman for Southe Califoia Interagency Team 3, part of the blaze’s unified command, and a U.S. Forest Service official.

The evacuation area includes Agua Dulce Road north to the 14 Freeway, Crown Valley Road north to the 14 Freeway and all of Soledad Canyon Road, Los Angeles County Fire Department Engineer Chris Reade said from the command post.

Fire officials were knocking on doors in the area of the Acton camp at 8800 Soledad Canyon Rd. asking people to leave, according to an L.A. County fire official, who was reached at the camp.

A Saturday order for 1,500 homes to evacuate in the Santa Clarita Valley area remained in place Sunday after winds caused the fire to flare up, disrupting early afteoon plans for the order to be lifted, said Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp, the blaze’s incident commander.

The fire was 10 percent contained as of Sunday. Eighteen homes were bued when the fire raced up Little Tujunga Canyon, climbed over Bear Divide and raced down through Sand Canyon, Tripp said. Among them were five housing units for U.S. Forest Service employees, he said.

“That fire came through like a freight train,” Tripp said at a news conference Sunday. “The homes were not defensible.”

More than 100 firefighters had been deployed into the backyards of homes being threatened by the blaze, he said.

“Just in one day, the fire doubled in size — we have been plaing for this kind of incident all year,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby at a news conference Sunday. “There are not normal times so when we say evacuate, evacuate.”

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Homicide detectives were continuing their probe Sunday of a dead man 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 man 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.

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As of Sunday moing, the blaze was threatening about 1,700 homes in the area, which was well under the 45,000 figure officials feared could be threatened yesterday, fire officials said.

Residents of Sand Canyon and Placerita Canyon should remain vigilant, officials said.

Since Saturday, mandatory evacuations have been in place for all residents on Sand Canyon Road from Lost Canyon Road to Bear Divide, on Placerita Canyon Road from the Nature Center to Sand Canyon Road and Little Tujunga Canyon Road 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.

Once that evacuation order is lifted, residents can retu home by accessing Sand Canyon at Soledad Canyon Road. However, Placerita Canyon will remain closed to Soledad Canyon Road and it is not known when it will reopen, said Califoia Highway Patrol Sgt. Kevin Pack.

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

“This is a very severe fire — please listen to the Fire Department and Sheriff’s Department,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich. “We want to save lives, property and animals. That means listen to them when they say evacuate.”

Osby said conditions are a bit better for fighting the blaze today.

“Winds have shifted to the southeast and are begiing to push it to the desert,” Osby said earlier Sunday. “We hope we can get some lines on it — that’s our objective for today.”

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, said Jay Nichols, a spokesman for the blaze’s unified command said.

“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,” he said.

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

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

Winds blew between 10 and 15 miles per hour Sunday moing and may reach 15 to 20 miles per hour with gusts up to 30 miles this afteoon, Tripp 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.

Staff photographer David Crane contributed to this report.