Those evacuated due to Sand fire taking it 'one hour at a time' at Hart High School shelter

About 30 people gathered Sunday night at Hart High School in Santa Clarita which offered cots and food to those displaced by the Sand fire. Red Cross shelter supervisor Deidre Lopez said about 50 people had come through the shelter since Saturday.

A class from the Inteational Dance Camp at Robinson Ranch was getting ready to bunk down Sunday night after also spending Saturday at the high school. The dance troupe included students from Norway, Denmark, Africa, and Sweden.

“We’re taking it one hour at a time,” said Denmark resident Ae Greve, 25.

Standing in the parking lot outside the shelter, Leena Shah, 12, helped her family unpack items from their two cars. The Shahs fled their Fair Oaks Ranch home Sunday evening after an evacuation order was issued.

Large pieces of ash landed in their backyard and the hills above their home were on fire, Shah said.

“I was so scared,” Shah said. “I thought my heart was going to jump out of my chest.”

As of Sunday night, the Sand fire had bued more than 33,000 acres and destroyed 18 homes in the Angeles National Forest and Santau2009Clarita area, authorities said.

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