# Hurst Fire

The Hurst Fire (initially known as the Sylmar Fire) was a wildfire that burned in the Sylmar area of the city of Los Angeles in Southern California. It was one of eight January 2025 Southern California wildfires driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event.

## Cause

The cause of the fire is under investigation. According to some residents, an electrical explosion was witnessed at about 10 p.m. PST on Tuesday, January 7, preceding the fire. It is one of several major wildfires, including the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, being concurrently driven by an extremely powerful Santa Ana wind event with gusts up to 100 miles per hour (160 km/h; 45 m/s). Southern California Edison issued a report on January 10 about a downed conductor at a tower in the area of the fire. Various fire and law enforcement agencies are currently jointly investigating whether the SCE equipment was involved in starting the fire.
On February 6, Southern California Edison acknowledged that the utility’s equipment may have caused the blaze.

## Progression

The fire started at about 10:10 p.m. PST January 7, 2025, with an initial spread to 50 acres (20 ha) in ten minutes. The fire spread rapidly and was estimated to have doubled in size to 100 acres (40 ha) less than half an hour after it was reported. By 1:00 a.m. January 8, the fire was estimated to have spread to about 300 acres (120 ha), and by 1:49 a.m., the fire had spread to about 500 acres (200 ha), largely within the footprint of the 2019 Saddleridge Fire. By 8:02 p.m. the fire had grown to about 850 acres (340 ha). By 9:40 p.m., the fire stood at 855 acres (346 ha) and was at 10% containment after joint efforts by several fire authorities. By 7:02 p.m. on January 10, firefighters reached 70% containment of the fire. As of January 13 at 8:20 a.m., the fire size was revised to 799 acres (323 ha) and was reported to be at 95% containment. And on January 16, the fire was reported to be 98% contained.

## Impact and response

The fire was initially responded to by the Los Angeles Fire Department. By the night of January 8, joint efforts were initiated with the United States Forest Service, the County Fire Department, and CalFire, as well as the San Luis Obispo and San Diego fire departments. With a personnel of 300 and the aid of air tankers, firefighters were able to hold the fire within a planned containment area, placing the fire at 10% containment by 9:40 p.m. By 4:45 a.m., Thursday, January 9, firefighters had successfully contained the fire north of the 210 Freeway and established control lines extending to Santa Clara Divide Road.
On early Wednesday, January 8, California governor Gavin Newsom announced that the state had secured a Fire Management Assistance Grant to ensure the availability of resources to suppress the Los Angeles fires, including the Hurst Fire. Los Angeles City Council member Monica Rodriguez reported to the San Fernando Valley Sun that the fire had not led to a loss of property at Oakridge, despite the fire encroaching the area.

### Evacuations and warnings

Mandatory evacuation orders began to be sent out by 10:37 p.m., January 7, to the residents of Sylmar north of the 210 Freeway from the Newhall Pass interchange to Olive View Medical Center, including the Oakridge Manufactured Home Park and most of Rancho Cascades. Evacuation orders were extended by 12:36 a.m., January 8, west to the Sunshine Canyon Landfill and north into the San Gabriel Mountains, including Whitney Canyon Park and southern Newhall; evacuation warnings were also sent out to residents in the Knollwood area of Granada Hills and the area around O'Melveny Park. By 2:07 a.m., the evacuation orders for southern Newhall were downgraded to evacuation warnings; meanwhile, warnings were extended south of the 210 Freeway into the Rancho Cascades neighborhood of Sylmar, including the J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall. By 10:32 a.m., evacuation orders for the southern half of the Sunshine Canyon Landfill were downgraded to warnings. As of Wednesday night, the fire departments projected that a red flag warning would remain in effect for the area until 6 p.m. Thursday, January 9.
As of 3 p.m., Thursday, evacuation orders were lifted and downgraded to warnings, with authorities advising caution when returning. Authorities also advised residents not to drink water until advised by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power due to contamination from ash.
Evacuation centers were prepared for residents at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center, where the American Red Cross is offering services for evacuees, as well as Northridge Park, and the Sepulveda Recreation Center. Accommodations for large animals were made at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
More than 44,000 people were given evacuation orders, and over 3,000 residents were reported to have evacuated from the area by January 8. Additionally, 71 horses were safely evacuated from the Stetson Ranch area to the Hansen Dam Equestrian Center the night of the fire. Some residents opted to remain in their cars awaiting clearance to return to their homes. By mid-morning, nearly 20 adults were reported to have sought shelter at the Ritchie Valens Recreation Center.

### J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall

About an hour after the fire began, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Probation Department said that the nearby J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall had not yet been ordered to evacuate, but they were monitoring the situation and were prepared to do so. By 6:00 p.m. on January 8, evacuation warnings were extended south into the area where the juvenile hall lies, but authorities had not yet evacuated the 96 juvenile detainees. The spokesperson reported that precautions were being taken and that the Probation Department had deployed additional staff to assist with potential emergencies or evacuations; however, news that the juveniles were not being evacuated caused outrage from juvenile justice advocates.