WATCH: California Wildfire Spreads Rapidly in Area North of LA — 4,000 Homes Ordered to Evacuate
The Canyon Fire burns on Thursday, Aug. 7, 2025, in Hasley Canyon, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)
A new wildfire emerged in an area north of Los Angeles, California on Thursday, resulting in at least 4,000 homes being ordered to evacuate.
The brush fire began around 1:30 p.m. local time in a mountainous area in Ventura County. According to a report from AccuWeather, it spread to over two-and-a-half square miles within the first five hours.
“Fueled by extreme heat, dry brush, and gusty winds, it’s still 0% contained and pushing east,” AccuWeather managing editor Monica Danielle said in a video posted online Friday. “Evacuation orders cover over 4,000 homes, with more than 12,000 people under warning. In Ventura County, dozens were evacuated from a popular recreation area.”
As is often the case in California, the Ventura County fire was just one of many. At the time of writing, fire officials were dealing with at least 15 fires across the state. Most notable was the Gifford Fire, which began on August 1 and affected both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.
Further east was the Dragon Bravo Fire blazing along the northern rim of the Grand Canyon. It burned at least 134,000 acres as of Friday, but containment reached 36%. That fire — which was ignited by a lightning strike — has been raging since the Fourth of July and burned historic sites in the area.
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