Sylmar fire !

Fast-moving wildfire burns homes, prompts mandatory evacuations in Los Angeles

At least one person is dead and one injured in connection to a fast-moving wildfire sweeping through Los Angeles County’s San Fernando Valley that fire officials anticipate could take days to contain.

The Saddleridge Fire has prompted mandatory evacuation orders for more than 100,000 people and has destroyed at least 25 homes. Meanwhile, dry, windy weather contributing to the fire’s spread may be worsening, officials said.

One man in his late 50s died overnight from cardiac arrest related to the Saddleridge Fire, and a firefighter suffered an eye injury but is recovering, Los Angeles Fire Chief Ralph Terrazas confirmed Friday morning.

“Nobody’s going home right away. This is going to take a few days,” Terrazas said during a Friday morning news briefing, where he noted that none of the fired had been contained

The brush fire started in the Sylmar neighborhood around 9 p.m. local time Thursday and is engulfing an estimated 800 acres per hour. Early Friday, the fire exploded quickly, from 1,600 acres just after 2 a.m. to more than 4,600 acres less than two hours later. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

“This is an extremely dynamic, high wind driven fire,” the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an advisory.

Deputy Chief Al Poirier attributed the fire’s speed to “extreme weather of high wind and low humidity” and warned the fire was moving westward. As of Friday morning, officials said Porter Ranch was the hardest-hit of the local areas.

“It’ll likely end up in neighboring Ventura County before it’s said and done,” Deputy Chief David Richardson said during the news briefing.

-By Washington Post