18 structures burned in Southern California fire

Evacuations of various neighborhoods and areas were in place at press deadline, as were closures of State Parks Big Sur destinations from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park north to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve.

The fire in rugged wilderness between the northern edge of Los Angeles and the suburban city of Santa Clarita has burned 58 1/2 square miles (152 square kilometers) and at its peak forced about 20,000 people to evacuate, though most have now returned.

Cal Fire officials said the blaze was not contained Saturday morning, and they predicted that progress would be hard throughout day.

The Soberanes Fire burning just to the north of San Luis Obispo County along the Big Sur Coast grew to almost 15,000 acres on Monday.

Los Angeles County firefighters pause to fight the flames due to erratic winds in Placenta Caynon Road in Santa Clarita, Calif., Sunday, July 24, 2016. Smoke reached South Lake Tahoe Monday and Tuesday the smoke could reach up into the North Bay and all across the Bay Area.

The Fire Department’s incident web page says about 20,000 residents have been ordered from their homes.

The man was killed when his vehicle overturned during nighttime operations, Cal Fire said in its daily briefing.

He returned Monday night delighted to find the house and everything around it had been saved, and could see a line of red fire retardant nearby where a helicopter had stopped the fire’s approach.

About 3,000 firefighters have been struggling to control the so-called Sand Fire in a 59-square-mile (153 sq km) area on the northwestern fringes of the Angeles National Forest since Friday. The massive fire was 10 percent contained Wednesday.

Highway 1 is subject to delays and possible closures based on the fire’s activity. Residents in nearby areas were told to evacuate as the Soberanes fire moved south toward the Carmel Highlands. Residents of 300 homes were ordered to evacuate and more than 2,000 firefighters were trying to douse the blaze.

Benicia sent out four firefighters on one engine to go to the Soberanes Fire as part of a California Office of Emergency Services.

By comparison, the 2003 Cedar Fire ranks as the biggest on record in the state, burning more than 273,000 acres (110,480 hectares) and killing 15 people. “It’s not slowing down”, county fire inspector Joey Marron said late Friday.