The La Tuna Fire was a
wildfire
A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire may be more specifically identi ...
that started on September 1, 2017, and burned through the
Verdugo Mountains
The Verdugo Mountains, also known as the Verdugo Hills or simply The Verdugos, are a small, rugged mountain range of the Transverse Ranges system in Los Angeles County, California. Located just south of the western San Gabriel Mountains, the Ve ...
in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
It led to the destruction of 5 homes and the evacuations of over 300 homes.
It was the largest wildfire in the city of Los Angeles in 50 years.
Progression
Reported in the mid-afternoon of Friday, September 1, on the 10800 block of West La Tuna Canyon Road in
Sun Valley, the La Tuna Fire immediately burned north towards
Interstate 210, forcing its complete closure.
Fire activity was described as being erratic due to shifting winds which forced flames to jump both sides of the interstate as it began burning in four separate directions.
By evening time of that Friday, the fire was an estimated 2,000 acres in size with a mere 10 percent containment.
Los Angeles Mayor
Eric Garcetti
Eric Michael Garcetti (born February 4, 1971) is an American politician who served as the 42nd mayor of Los Angeles from 2013 until 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in the 2013 election, and reelected in 2017. A fo ...
declared it a local emergency and called on Governor
Jerry Brown
Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of ...
to declare a further state of emergency. On Saturday, September 2, the fire endangered homes in
Burbank,
Glendale and
Sunland-Tujunga. It is reported as the largest fire ever inside Los Angeles city limits.
There have been four injuries. On September 2, two firefighters suffered from heat related illness. On September 3, one firefighter was treated for heat related illness and another for minor burns. A volunteer was also evacuated for medical reasons.
As of September 3, 1,061 firefighters were fighting the fire with 206 engines, 9 helicopters, 5 water tenders, and 4 dozers.
Then rain helped the wildfire from
Tropical Storm Lidia (2017)
Tropical Storm Lidia was a large tropical cyclone that caused flooding in Baja California Peninsula and parts of western Mexico. The fourteenth tropical cyclone and twelfth named storm of the 2017 Pacific hurricane season, Lidia developed from a ...
.
On September 9, 2017, the LA Fire Department declared that the La Tuna Fire was 100% contained.
[La Tuna fire 100 percent contained, LAFD says](_blank)
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On October 26, 2017, the Los Angeles Fire Department
The Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD or LA City Fire) provides emergency medical services, Fire investigation, fire cause determination, fire prevention, Firefighting, fire suppression, Dangerous goods, hazardous materials mitigation, and Resc ...
's investigation into the origins of the La Tuna Fire ended with no cause determined. The report indicated that it was "not suspicious in nature."
Effects
The La Tuna Fire was the largest wildfire to break out in the city limits in the last 50 years. In response to the fire, the Los Angeles City Council began processes of creating best practices for residents to be prepared and to deal with large-scale emergencies.
See also
* 2017 California wildfires
* December 2017 Southern California wildfires
A series of 29 wildfires ignited across Southern California in December 2017. Six of the fires became significant wildfires, and led to widespread evacuations and property losses. The wildfires burned over , and caused traffic disruptions, schoo ...
* 2018 Southern California mudflows
A series of mudflows occurred in Southern California in early January 2018, particularly affecting areas northwest of Montecito in Santa Barbara County. The incident was responsible for 23 deaths, although the body of one of the victims has never ...
References
External links
*
{{California wildfires lists
2017 California wildfires
2017 in Los Angeles County, California
Verdugo Mountains
Wildfires in Los Angeles County, California