L.A. County Firefighters Battle Brush Fire in Santa Clarita Near 5 Freeway
Channel: Danial Idir
Date: 2017-07-13

Firefighters responding to a brush fire near Towsley Canyon early Thursday afternoon reported between eight acres had burned within 50 minutes with one “outbuilding involved.”

The fire was first reported shortly after 1:40 p.m. off The Old Road near the Newhall Church of the Nazarene just south of the entrance to Towsley Canyon Park, Inspector Joey Marron of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Firefighters got to the fire at 1:48 p.m., he said.

“It’s burned about one acre and is is moving uphill slowly through medium to high brush,” Marron said at 2:10 p.m.

By 2:20 p.m., the fire had grown to between three and five acres and by 2:30 p.m. to eight acres with no containment.

Additional firefighters were called in as the fire approached the one-hour mark, calling for water-dumping fixed-wing aircraft.

Marron described the “outbuilding” burned by the fire as a small uninhabited structure, perhaps a “shed.”

As the fire continued to move up into the hills of dry brush shortly before 3 p.m., additional firefighting units were called in.

More than a dozen crews including bulldozer units were dispatched to help fight the fire.

The fire, dubbed The Towsley Incident, burned at the foot of the hills at Ed Davis Park.
A two-alarm brush fire was burning up a hillside in the Newhall community of Santa Clarita Thursday afternoon.

The Towsley Fire broke out near Old Road and Towsley Canyon Road sometime before 1:50 p.m. One outbuilding was engulfed in flames, the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed. It was burning three to five acres as of 2:30 p.m.

Crews were battling the blaze on the ground and in the air with water-dropping helicopters.

It was unclear if any homes were threatened or any evacuations had been issued.
The Towsley Fire broke out around 1:41 p.m. in the 23000 area of The Old Road, in the unincorporated Santa Susana Mountains, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

By 3 p.m., the fire had scorched 8 acres and was 0 percent contained.

Officials confirmed at least one outbuilding burned. Sky5 video over the scene showed a structure fully engulfed in flames.

No other structures were immediately threatened, according to L.A. County Fire Inspector Joey Marron.

However, the U.S. Post office at 24201 The Old Rd. and the Newhall Church of the Nazarene at 23857 The Old Rd. have been placed under an evacuation order, according to Lt. Bauer of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station.

About 225 firefighting personnel are at the scene battling the third-alarm fire, according to Inspector Richard Lincon.

Firefights faced hot conditions as they tried to extinguish the growing blaze, with temperatures in the area reaching 89 degrees by 2:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Forecasts called for a high of 94 degrees.

Winds with speeds of around 15 mph were blowing in a south-southwest direction, with expected gusts of up to 20mph, according to the weather service. Humidity was at 25 percent by mid-afternoon.

Check back for updates on this developing story. 

KTLA’s Jennifer Thang, Matt Phillips and Tracy Bloom contributed to this story. 
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