The U.S. Forest Service has closed the Saddleridge Fire area in the Angeles National Forest for the safety of the public and fire suppression personnel, officials said Wednesday.

Approximately 700 acres of the Angeles National Forest’s Los Angeles Gateway Ranger District burned near the Yarnell Road exit off Interstate 210.

The fire was discovered on the evening of Thursday, October 10. It has burned through 8,391 acres and is 46% contained as of 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Firefighters are taking advantage of calm winds, cooler temperatures and higher relative humidity to secure the fire’s edge and accomplish full containment.

Additional information and a map of the closure area can be found on Inciweb.

A Forest Service Burned Area Emergency Response team and a CAL FIRE Watershed Emergency Response Team have already begun evaluating which burned areas pose risk to human life and property, health and safety, critical cultural and natural resources, or infrastructure.

The teams will look for areas where rain events could destabilize or degrade the burned lands. Efforts to prevent further damage from winter weather will coincide with efforts to fully contain the fire.

All evacuations have been lifted. Please refer to Angeles National Forest alerts for forest closure information.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Fire Department reports that one civilian suffered cardiac arrest and died at the hospital, while six firefighters were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Nineteen structures have been destroyed and 88 damaged and 1,177 personnel are still assigned to the fire, across all agencies, as of Wednesday morning.

Local Assistance Center in Sylmar
A local assistance center has been set up at the Sylmar Recreation Center for residents affected by the fire. The address is 13109 Borden Avenue, Sylmar 91342. Phone 818-367-5656. The center will be open from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The 4’x4’ flame at the Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility was fully extinguished at 1 p.m. Tuesday. There are no known impacts to SoCalGas operations at the facility at this time. The South Coast Air Quality Management District, the LAFD and SoCalGas are analyzing samples to determine what chemicals were involved in the flame. Updates will be provided as results become available.

Several residents were concerned that videos of what appear to be fires within the sewer system at the Porter Ranch Town Center might be connected with the now extinguished Aliso Canyon flame. Fire officials believe that there is no connection and have observed no active underground fire threats near this area.

The public may report any concerns related to air quality to SCAQMD on their 24-hour hotline, 1-800-CUT-SMOG. For health-related questions, call Public Health at 213-738-3220. For additional questions contact SoCalGas at 213-244-2442.

Cause Not Yet Known
The cause of the Saddleridge Fire remains under active investigation.

The area of origin has been identified by LAFD Arson Investigators as a 50′ x 70′ area beneath a high-voltage transmission tower. There is no evidence of a homeless encampment in the immediate area.

In addition to LAFD personnel, there are investigators from Southern California Edison and private insurance companies at the site. Investigators continue to work around the clock in steep terrain, thoroughly examining all aspects of the scene in an attempt to determine a cause.

Firefighters continue to work through the evening in rugged terrain to increase containment lines and tactical patrols will remain in place to monitor the area for smoldering debris.

The unified command agencies are LAFD, the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the U.S. Forest Service.

Cooperating agencies include CAL FIRE, L.A. Emergency Management Department, L.A. Department of Recreation and Parks (RAP), L.A. Department of Water and Power, SoCalGas, California Highway Patrol, L.A. County Public Health Department, L.A. City Department of Animal Services, American Red Cross, Los Angeles County Public Works and Southern California Edison.