Fire Watch

County Fire reports drone concerns  

L.A. County Fire Department officials issued another warning to residents Tuesday after the Max Fire burned 45 acres of brush Monday in Stevenson Ranch.  The fire prompted evacuation orders for homes throughout a Pico

A fixed-wing aircraft makes a drop of Phos-Chek fire retardant on the Max Fire in Stevenson Ranch on Monday, June 15, 2026. Signal staff photo.

Brush fire threatens homes in Stevenson Ranch 

A fire that broke out in Stevenson Ranch shortly after 4:20 p.m. Monday afternoon was threatening structures and prompting evacuation orders soon after it began near the intersection of West Magnolia Lane and

Helicopters circle the area of the "Cactus Fire" in Castaic, Calif., Monday, June 1, 2026. Kamryn Martell/The Signal

Brush fire stopped at 4.2 acres 

The L.A. County Fire Department stopped forward progress Monday on a 4.2-acre brush fire called the Cactus Fire, west of the southbound lanes of Interstate 5, north of the Lake Hughes Road exit.  Keith Navarre, spokesman for the L.A County Fire Department, initially said the incident was moving

Crown Fire burns up to 345 acres near Acton 

By Katherine Quezada, Habeba Mostafa and Susan Monaghan  Firefighters were called to a second-alarm brush fire that broke out at the 6800 block of Soledad Canyon Road in Acton, dubbed the Crown Fire, and quickly grew to over 280 acres as evacuation orders were issued on Friday, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.  

Wind, dry weather prompt fire reminder 

Los Angeles County officials offered a warning Monday ahead of strong winds expected Tuesday into Wednesday for the area.  Meteorologists said while the heat isn’t expected to be as bad

The property lines of homes burned during the Palisades Fire still sit visible in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles on June 9, 2025. Photo by John Fredricks.

Grand jury indicts Palisades Fire suspect 

News release   A federal grand jury has indicted a former resident of the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles who is charged with starting in January 2025 what eventually became the Palisades

SCE hosts talk on PSPS updates 

Southern California Edison officials Monday talked about the progress they’ve made on reducing the impacts of the controversial “public safety power shutoffs” and why they had so many challenges during

‘Zone Zero’ project requests community input 

The fire prevention project, “Zone Zero,” is giving residents an opportunity to voice community input about the increased frequency and intensity of California wildfires, and preventive measures to be taken. 

Politics and government

Whitesides introduces bipartisan wildfire bill 

News release  Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce, has introduced a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the FireGuard program, which utilizes Department of Defense satellites to detect wildfires and distribute information to

Thousands of community members were ordered to evacuate on Thursday, August 7 as firefighters battled the “Canyon Fire.” PHOTO BY HABEBA MOSTAFA / THE SIGNAL

Timely Tips from the California Fire Foundation 

California’s High Temperatures: A Recipe for Wildfire Disaster California is known for its sunny climate, but it experiences extremely high temperatures throughout the year. Heat waves are becoming more frequent

Brush fire breaks out in Valencia wash

L.A. County Fire Department officials took roughly 20 minutes Wednesday to put out a three-quarter-acre brush fire in Valencia.  The fire was reported to firefighters at 4:11 p.m, in the

An Alert California mountaintop camera shows the King Fire as of approximately 6:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. Courtesy of Alert California.

King Fire burns 577 acres, 40% containment 

The King Fire erupted early Thursday near Gorman and was burning south toward Castaic as the morning commute got under way.  The fast-moving fire was first reported on the 45100

From left: Scott Kwiatrowski and Shawn Sangeladji of the American Red Cross unload cots for the evacuation center at College of the Canyons in Valencia, Aug. 7, 2025. Michael Picarella/The Signal

Shelter open for Canyon Fire evacuees 

An evacuation shelter opened Thursday at College of the Canyons’ east gym in Valencia to assist those displaced by the Canyon Fire.  According to Tim Honadel, director of International Services

Firefighters halt brush fire near Railroad Avenue

Firefighters halted a quarter-acre brush fire near the intersection of Railroad Avenue and 15th Street in Newhall on Tuesday afternoon, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.  Fire Capt. David