LIVE: Summit Fire explodes to 1,300+ acres near LA County line, evacuations ordered
LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. - A fast-moving wildfire erupted amid mid-90s temperatures in the Antelope Valley community of Llano on Friday afternoon, quickly expanding from an initial eight acres to more than 1,300 acres.
The blaze, named the Summit Fire, continues to threaten occupied structures, prompting emergency crews to issue urgent evacuation orders and warnings near the LA-San Bernardino County line.
An evacuation order is in effect for Zone LAC-E107, specifically covering the area of East Avenue Z and Fort Tejon Road. Evacuation warnings have been established for Zones LAC-E1340 and LAC-E127-C.
What we know:
The Summit Fire was first reported at approximately 12:50 p.m. on Friday near Jesus Canyon Road and East Avenue Z.
Fueled by high temperatures and dry brush, the fire rapidly ballooned to roughly 805 acres by 3 p.m. with zero percent containment.
Ground crews on the scene report that some outbuildings have already been damaged, and occupied homes stand directly in the path of the advancing flames.
To combat the extreme fire behavior, ten air tankers have been dispatched to dump water and retardant. Air assets remain under a strict "no-divert" order, meaning they are locked to this incident and cannot be pulled away for other fires. Air Attack commanders have explicitly requested a Very Large Airtanker (VLAT) and three additional standard airtankers to help reinforce containment lines.
No injuries have been reported at this time.
What we don't know:
Officials have not yet confirmed if any primary residences or occupied homes have been destroyed.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
What's next:
Fire crews from both Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties will continue to arrive on scene to establish defensive lines around threatened structures.
Fire commanders warn that the blaze has the potential to reach 1,000 acres by late afternoon, keeping the focus heavily on aggressive aerial and ground attacks before nightfall.
The Source: This report is based on information from the County of Los Angeles. City News Service contributed.