Post Fire at 15,690 acres; some evacuation warnings remain 

The Post Fire that originated in Gorman on Saturday has grown to 1,4625 acres with 8% containment as of Monday morning. Oscar Sol/For The Signal.
The Post Fire that originated in Gorman on Saturday has grown to 1,4625 acres with 8% containment as of Monday morning. Oscar Sol/For The Signal.
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L.A. County firefighters continue to make “significant progress” on the Post Fire, which was reported at nearly 15,700 acres Wednesday morning, after containment grew to a reported 43% by the evening. 

“We’re making progress, obviously, and it’s not close to being done,” L.A. County Fire Capt. Marco Rodriguez said, adding there’s a lot of work to be done on the interior of the fire to get that number to 100%, but firefighters have made important progress on the brush fire’s perimeter. 

He also said officials Wednesday morning are confident the line of charred chaparral along the western side of Interstate 5 will hold, which was a major priority for the Fire Department due to the freeway’s significance. 

“Most of the perimeter on the heat of fire on the north side, close to the 5, has been contained — it’s now black, so that’s what you’re seeing,” he added. “We didn’t want the fire to jump the Interstate 5.” 

The fire continues to be active on its southern border, near Pyramid Lake, and that’s where the department is focusing most of its efforts, according to Rodriguez. 

To put the size of the burn area north of Castaic in perspective, Newhall is roughly 11 square miles, which is about 7,040 acres, compared to the fire’s 15,690 acres. 

There was one commercial building lost, according to officials, with the efforts Wednesday also focusing on protecting infrastructure, including the Pyramid Lake dam and its nearby power transmission lines. 

“Steep terrain and brush continue to make access difficult,” according to an incident report released Wednesday morning. Rodriguez added that helicopters using water from the lake were a big part of the effort. 

The Wednesday morning report indicated some closures remain as firefighters continue their efforts, which are expected to be seen for days. 

Nearly 1,750 personnel were actively working the incident as of Wednesday morning, according to the numbers from the Fire Department, which included 27 water tenders, 15 helicopters, 13 dozers, 48 hand crews and 146 engines. 

The fire, which began 1:52 p.m. Saturday, now threatens 50 homes. 

Evacuations were still in place for the campgrounds at Hungry Valley Park and Pyramid Lake, as well as Oak Flats Campground. Warnings were being issued to residents south of Pyramid Lake between Old Ridge Route and the L.A. County line, as well as Paradise Ranch Mobile Home Park.  

While speculation has circulated on social media, fire officials said there’s been no determination of the cause, which is still under investigation. 

Deputy Robert Jensen of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station said deputies have not received any reports of activity that would indicate the incident is arson-related. 

He added that, in some instances, those determinations can be made after officials have had a chance to assess the incident more completely. 

Fire officials have also mentioned concerns about the forecast for this weekend, which is expected to creep into the mid-90s by the weekend, according to John Dumas, a meteorolgist with the National Weather Service’s Ventura office. 

Rodriguez said the efforts on the north perimeter of the fire are considered in the “mop-up” phases.  

“It’s what we call making sure that we go into the interior of the fire, make sure all the embers are out,” he said, “And then you can make sure that we don’t have a reignition anywhere else.” 

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