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Powerhouse Fire Burns 29,500 Acres

By Clarissa Wei
June 3, 2013
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Photo: KN6KS/Flickr/Creative Commons License

A fire in the northern portion of the Angeles National Forest that has been burning since Thursday has destroyed over 29,500 acres. The blaze, which has been dubbed the Powerhouse Fire, broke out shortly before 4 p.m. Thursday near a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power facility in San Francisquito Canyon north of Santa Clarita Valley.

It is 40 percent contained today, with full containment expected only next Monday, authorities said. Fifteen homes have been damaged -- six of them destroyed -- and 1,210 structures have been threatened. Nearly 2,200 firefighters have been deployed to fight the blaze.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency authorized the use of federal funds to help the state combat the Powerhouse Fire on Monday afternoon and mandatory
evacuations remain in effect for the communities of Lake Hughes and Elizabeth
Lake and for parts of Green Valley.

Residents in the Santa Clarita Valley have been urged to take caution. The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke advisory, stating that air quality may reach the unhealthy range or higher. Winds are expected to push most of the smoke toward the Antelope Valley and the high deserts.

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