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1977 - Castaic residents vote 168-54 to withdraw 7th-8th grades from Hart District, making CUSD K-8 [story]
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| Sunday, Jun 2, 2013

Site of one of the homes that burned down Saturday night on Newview Drive in Lake Hughes.

Site of one of the homes that burned to the ground Saturday night on Newview Road.

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Update from Unified Command, Monday 12:01 a.m.:

The Powerhouse Fire is currently holding. All below evacuations have been completed and no new road closures or evacuations other than those listed below are scheduled at this time.

Fire Operations Summary – 22,242 acres burned, 20% containment, 15 homes damaged (6 destroyed), 1,210 structures threatened.

The fire jumped the aqueduct into the West of Lancaster area due to 20-25 mph winds with 40-50 mph gusts.

Evacuations of Antelope Acres from Lancaster Road to Avenue D and 170th to 190th have been completed. Winds are expected to decrease and humidity to increase within the next 48 hours.

 

Update from CAL FIRE, 6 p.m.:

25,000 acres, 20%, 6 houses burned, Active Fire Pushing NE 20-25 MPH winds.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE for images of lost homes – and survivors.

 

Fire fighters battle through the night | Photo: L.A. County Fire Dept.

Fire fighters battle through the night | Photo: L.A. County Fire Dept.

 

Update – Road closures (LACo Public Works), 10:30 a.m.:

Castaic/Lake Hughes,Leona Valley: Elizabeth Lake, Bouquet Canyon to Pine Canyon

 

Dousing a hot spot at the southwest corner of Elizabeth Lake Road and Ranch Club Drive.

Dousing a hot spot at the southwest corner of Elizabeth Lake Road and Ranch Club Drive.

Six homes in Lake Hughes were destroyed and many more buildings were licked by flames as the Powerhouse Fire advanced from San Francisquito Canyon  into the Elizabeth Lake area on Saturday night.

As of 8 a.m. Sunday, the U.S. Forest Service said the fire had blackened 19,500 acres since Thursday and was just 20 percent contained.

According to CAL FIRE, three firefighters had sustained minor injuries as of Saturday night.

Most of the homes that burned down were on the south side of Newview Drive in Lake Hughes. Those on the north side of the street generally survived, although one residential structure near the intersection of Newview and Austin Way also burned down.

The historic Rock Inn in Lake Hughes was still standing as of Sunday afternoon, as was the Community Center and HELUS (Hughes-Elizabeth Lakes Union School District) school. In fact, as of Sunday afternoon, no structure on either side of Elizabeth Lake Road had burned down – although flames were threatening the north side of the road during late afternoon hours.

Flames taunted The Painted Turtle, and while the grounds are a disaster zone, the buildings survived. Personnel from the camp for kids with medical ailments said a barn was lost.

The National Weather Service reported Sunday morning that a high, thin layer of smoke from the Powerhouse Fire was moving across the Las Vegas Valley.

One header of the fire continues to burn near Power House 1, as seen Sunday at noon.

One header of the fire continues to burn near Power House 1, as seen Sunday at noon.

The fire started Thursday afternoon near LADWP’s Power House 1, located 11.5 miles north of Copper Hill in Santa Clarita. Heat, dryness and terrain turned it into an inferno.

“(The) fire was able to come into alignment with slope, winds, low relative humidity  and critically dry fuels, making extreme head runs on all open divisions with long-range spotting and very active backing and flanking fire,” the U.S. Forest Service reported. The fire “spotted and became well developed north of Lake Hughes Road.”

Nearly 1,000 firefighters were battling the blaze Saturday night while 130 sheriff’s deputies carried out mandatory evacuation orders in the Lake Hughes, Munz Lake and Lake Elizabeth areas. Several residents refused to leave, but most got to safety.

Large animals were evacuated to the Antelope Valley Fairgrounds – although some horses were running loose as the flames spread. Small animals joined their owners at a Red Cross shelter at Marie Kerr Park Recreation Center in Palmdale. A second Red Cross shelter was set up at Palmdale High School.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth. Sign at Elizabeth Lake Road and Ranch Club Drive.

Welcome to Lake Elizabeth. Sign at Elizabeth Lake Road and Ranch Club Drive.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Rock Inn had survived, as did the Community Center, elementary school, Painted Turtle camp and other structures that had been cause for concern.

As of Sunday afternoon, the Rock Inn had survived, as did the Community Center, elementary school, Painted Turtle camp and other structures that had been cause for concern.

 

 

L.A. County Fire Dept.: Perimeter map, Sunday 8 p.m. ... 22,242 acres, 20 percent containment.

L.A. County Fire Dept.: Perimeter map, Sunday 8 p.m. … 22,242 acres, 20 percent containment.

Facebook photo reportedly shows where the Lake Hughes community center was.

Facebook photo shows fire near the community center – which was saved.

 

 

The fire consumed homes on E. Lake Shore Drive and above Austin Way.

The fire consumed homes on Newview Road.

 

[Unified Command, cont.] – The Los Angeles County Fire Department, United States Forestry Service, along with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department have ordered several evacuations and road closures as a result of the Powerhouse Fire. They are as follows:

The Powerhouse Fire has grown to more than 19,000 22,242 acres. The communities of Lake Hughes and Elizabeth Lake were evacuated and firefighters continued to battle the blaze through the night concentrating on defending as many structures as possible in these and other areas.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has deployed over 130 sheriff’s deputies, dedicated to this operation, these include:

* Eight Sheriff’s Response Teams are deployed in the affected areas. Each team consists of eleven deputies and one sergeant. Response Teams are protecting the property of those areas already evacuated and are poised to assist with evacuating additional areas the fire may threaten.

* More than 30 additional sheriff’s deputies are working at road closures, at the command post to coordinate deputies efforts and teamwork with firefighters, Sheriff’s Air Rescue 5 helicopter and crew, and Sheriff’s Search & Rescue Teams and Emergency Medical Technicians.

The following Evacuations and Road Closures are currently in effect:

 

Evacuations:

IF ASKED TO EVACUATE BY FIRST RESPONDERS, PLEASE EVACUATE:

Antelope Acres from Lancaster Road to Hwy 138 (Avenue D), between 170th and 190th Street

The Lake Hughes Community is under mandatory evacuation.

Cottonwood Campground has been completely evacuated.

The Lake Elizabeth community is under voluntary evacuation.

The residential area at the intersection of Munz Ranch Road and the California Aqueduct is under voluntary evacuation.

All residents north of South Portal and west of San Francisquito Canyon Road are asked to evacuate.

Probation Camps John Munz and William Mendenhall (approximately 140 juveniles), have been evacuated to Barry J Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar.

Canyon Meadows Church campgrounds evacuation complete with five (5) individuals electing to remain.

 

Road Closures:

Elizabeth Lake Road/Bouquet Canyon Road

Elizabeth Lake Road / Pine Canyon

Elizabeth Lake Road / Gooede Road

Elizabeth Lake Road / 90th Street

Munz Road / Lancaster Blvd.

San Francisquito Canyon / Dry Gulch Road

110th Street / Avenue K

Copper Hill Road / San Francisquito Road

Ridge Route Road / Lake Hughes Road

Spunky Canyon Road/Bouquet Canyon Road (soft closure)

Lake Hughes Road from Castaic road to Elizabeth Lake Road.

Francisquito Canyon Road is closed above Power House Road and below the Green Valley area.

Through traffic limited to residents only at San Francisquito Rd and Elizabethlake Rd, CHP handling.

Hard Closure  (EMS Personnel Only)

• West of Bouquet Canyon on Elizabeth Lake Road to Lake Hughes Road

• Johnson Road to Elizabeth Lake Road

• Munz Ranch Road to Elizabeth Lake Road

• Lake Hughes road has been closed from Elizabeth Lake road to Lake Castaic

• San Francisquito Canyon road is closed above the Power House and below Green Valley

Soft Closure
(Residents and EMS Personnel Only)

• San Francisquito Canyon Road at Copper Hill

• Bouquet Canyon Road, Spunky Canyon and Vasquez Canyon Road

The California Highway Patrol is allowing limited resident traffic only at San Francisquito Rd and Elizabeth Lake Rd

 

Hikers

Hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail are being redirected from the trail at Bouquet Canyon Road and routed north outside of the Forest boundary along the California Aqueduct trail. Hiking Plan: http://nixle.com/alert/4983133/

 

Shelter

A Red Cross shelter has been set up at Marie Kerr Park, 39700 30th Street West, Palmdale: 626-536-1152, 661-433-9710.

Animal Shelter – Large animals to Antelope Valley Fairgrounds, Small animals to Lancaster Animal Shelter or Castaic Animal Shelter

Comment On This Story
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3 Comments

  1. whthrse says:

    The pic of the “community c
    enter” is actually just east of the center. I have been told by a resident who did not evacuate that the center is still there although the terrain around is scorched.

  2. AriHad says:

    I lost one of my dogs in this fire. :(

Leave a Comment


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