Firefighters quickly doused a near-4-acre blaze in Newhall Wednesday afternoon that prompted mandatory evacuations for some in the area.
The blaze, dubbed the Carl Fire, grew to 3.75 acres at around 2:27 p.m. in the area of Newhall Avenue and Carl Court, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Approximately five or six structures were threatened as a result of the incident before fire crews could extinguish the blaze, according to Fire Department spokesman Franklin Lopez.
Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies, who advised residents to avoid the area, issued a mandatory evacuation for residents in the area of Kirsch Court and Matthew Place, off Deputy Jake Drive, in Newhall.
Off Matthew Place, resident Angelo, who wished not to share his last name, said he was unaware of the incident until sheriff’s deputies knocked on his door notifying him about evacuations.
“Cops came over knocking on my door saying there’s a fire in my backyard,” he said. “I came out with my hoses, evacuated the kids and the wife and here we go. I took the hoses and the fire extinguisher. That didn’t really help much but at least it’s (going to) stop (the fire) from going into this tree. Thank goodness nobody’s hurt and everybody seems to come on time and save the day.”
Firefighters first received reports of the fire around 1:49 p.m. as “1 acre, moving uphill in light to medium brush,” Lopez said.
By 2:20 p.m., the Carl Fire had grown to about 3-4 acres, with approximately five or six structures threatened, Lopez confirmed.
No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to fire officials.
Signal Staff Writer Caleb Lunetta contributed to this report.
