Burned body found at California fire scene

The result was a brush fire that multiplied its size, from a small five-acre brush fire that was sparked Friday afternoon to more than 11,000 acres overnight, Osby said.

The fire erupted Friday afternoon in the Sand Canyon area of suburban Santa Clarita near State Route 14 as the region was gripped by high heat and very low humidity. No homes are i. A wildfire burns in Santa Clarita on Friday, July 22, 2016.

Authorities say the identity of the man was still unknown and his body is now with the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

Authorities found the burned body of a man Saturday night in Santa Clarita, Calif., within the evacuation area for a wildfire that has grown to more than 30 square miles.

The area was one of several neighborhoods ordered evacuated as the fire raged through bone-dry canyons and ranchlands. About 300 miles up the coast, crews were battling another fire spanning more than 16 square miles outside the scenic Big Sur region.

The blaze, first reported at 2 p.m. Friday, grew to almost 5,500 acres by Saturday morning, then exploded by late evening as the winds began to shift, pushing flames closer to homes in a Santa Clarita neighborhood that abuts the Angeles National Forest, fire officials said.

The area was among those ordered evacuated as the fire raged through brush withered by days of 100F temperatures.

Ellen Masten was one of the longtime residents who had to flee the Soberanes fire along the California coast between Carmel and Big Sur.

It was unclear if the death was connected to the fire, but homicide investigators were called out to the area Saturday evening, Deputy Juanita Navarro told BuzzFeed News.

Officials had said some Sand Canyon residents would be allowed to return home at around 1 p.m. Sunday, but later chose to extend the mandatory evacuation orders due to shifting winds.

The Los Angeles Fire Department sent a water-dropping helicopter to assist in the firefight and fixed-wing firefighting aircraft were summoned. The cause remained under investigation.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department didn’t say whether the buildings that burned were homes.

Despite firefighters’ efforts, the blaze on Saturday destroyed sets at Sable Ranch in Santa Clarita, which has Old West-style buildings used for movie locations.

In the town of Sylmar, the Wildlife Waystation had to evacuate hundreds of exotic animals including Bengal tigers and bears when the fire drew near.

By Saturday night, the fire was 10% contained as it burned on the edge of Santa Clarita and into the Angeles National Forest.

“The fire surprised everyone and seemingly came out of nowhere”, Brown said Sunday. Officials didn’t say how many people would be affected.

The evacuated animals were housed in three or four locations, and the sanctuary will wait at least 24 hours before bringing them back.