Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

1K LA residents still under evacuation orders amid wildfire

About 1,000 Los Angeles residents are still under evacuation orders as firefighters protect canyon homes from a smoky wildfire that churned through vegetation that hasn’t burned in half a century

Via AP news wire
Monday 17 May 2021 10:30 EDT
California Wildfires
California Wildfires (Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

About 1,000 Los Angeles residents remained under evacuation orders Monday as firefighters protected canyon homes from a smoky wildfire that churned through vegetation that hasn't burned in half a century.

The cause of the fire in steep, inaccessible terrain near Topanga State Park has been deemed “suspicious” and is under investigation, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

Arson investigators detained and released one person on Saturday and a second person was questioned on Sunday, the department said.

No buildings were damaged and no injuries were reported in the wildfire that broke out late Friday in the Santa Monica Mountains. It grew rapidly Saturday afternoon — forcing about 1,000 Topanga Canyon area residents to flee their homes.

Topanga Canyon is a remote, wooded community with some ranch homes bordering Malibu about 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of downtown Los Angeles.

Another eruption of the fire Sunday afternoon caused authorities to warn several dozen more residents to be prepared to evacuate.

The fire's flames raced along ridges, sending up a huge plume of smoke and raining ash across surrounding neighborhoods.

By Sunday evening, the fire had charred just over 2 square miles (5.4 square kilometers) of brush and trees. There was no containment.

Authorities were expected to give an update about the fire and the firefighting efforts at a news conference late Monday morning.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in