Wind-fueled "Post Fire" swells to 14625 acres near Gorman

A wind-fueled brushfire that prompted evacuations near Gorman has exploded to more than 14,625 acres Sunday. It is the area's first major wildfire of the year.

The fire, which has been dubbed the Post Fire, was first reported a little after 1:45 p.m. Saturday near Gorman School Road and Ralph's Ranch Road close to the southbound I-5 Freeway, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. 

The fire grew at an alarming rate, jumping to 2,000 acres by 4:45 p.m. and doubling to 4,400 by 7:15 p.m., and to over 12,000 acres by Sunday morning.

"The wind has been a major factor along with the dry fuels along with the terrain," said Craig Little with the LA County Fire Department. "That's all a recipe for a very quickly moving flame."

The Associated Press quoted Kenichi Haskett, a section chief for the L.A. County Fire Department, as pointing out that firefighters were working in sweltering conditions and steep terrain as the unpredictable winds blew embers ahead of the flames. He also said the gusts were hindering airdrops of water and fire retardant. 

The blaze was 2% contained as of noon and was being fueled by winds. It was pushing up into Hungry Valley Park. 

More than 1,200 people have been evacuated at both Hungry Valley State Vehicular Recreation Area and near Pyramid Lake. Evacuation centers have not yet been established. Pyramid Lake is closed because of the threat of the Post Fire. Firefighters said that structures are threatened and two have been damaged. No structures have been destroyed. 

An evacuation warning has been issued for areas south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the LA County line, including Paradise Ranch Estates. Residents there are being advised to be prepared to leave. 

Late Sunday, California Highway Patrol officials closed southbound lanes near Gorman because of a different grass fire that sparked in the area. It has since reopened. 

So far, one commercial building has been destroyed and around 50 homes are threatened as the flames continue to move towards Pyramid Lake, propelled by the gusts of wind. This social media post showed smoke from the Post Fire rising over Pyramid Lake:

Before jumping two roads in the Gorman area, the fire burned through the yard of an auto shop where it torched as many as 20 cars. 

Firefighters are working to construct perimeter fire lines around the flakes of the fire, while aircraft are working to stop forward progress but have limited visibility. Little said there was a combined effort by fire agencies including Los Angeles County Fire, Ventura, Kern County, Angeles National Forest and Cal-Fire and that there were in excess of 1,100 firefighters working on the fire. 

Gusts were expected to reach as high as 60 mph later Sunday, prompting a Red Flag Warning through Monday.  

"The question is when you have winds that high, as far as water-dropping is concerned, that's probably not going to be effective. It is going to atomize," Little said.

Three minor injuries have been reported to two adults and one child by firefighters, but the nature of those injuries remains unclear.

Video from the scene showed several vehicles that had been ravaged by flames outside of an auto shop and a McDonald's in the area. People living nearby in the Canyon Country region took cell phone video of the heavy smoke lingering over their homes late Saturday evening as the fire continued to rage. 

Late Saturday, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a smoke advisory for the Santa Clarita and Castaic areas because of the unhealthy quality of air caused by the fire. The smoke from the fire was expected to be pushed towards the area by winds. 

More information on the Post Fire is available on the CalFire website. 

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