Rye Fire now 65 percent contained after burning 6,049 acres in Santa Clarita area

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo
Sunday, December 10, 2017
6 wildfires burn 175,000 acres across Southern California
Six wildfires have burned 175,000 acres of land, destroyed 793 structures and threatened another 25,000 structures, with 90,000 civilians evacuated and 8,500 firefighters working to control the flames.

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (KABC) -- The Rye Fire was 65 percent contained after burning 6,049 acres in the Santa Clarita area, officials said Saturday, the day after evacuation orders were lifted.

The brush fire ignited Tuesday morning near the 2500 block of Rye Canyon Loop. Less than two hours later, it had spread to 5,000 acres, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. One structure was destroyed.

More than 800 personnel responded to the scene; one of them was injured in the firefight.

The origin of the blaze was north of Newhall Ranch Road and west of the 5 Freeway. The interstate was temporarily closed in the burn area, but traffic resumed in both directions by 2 p.m.

The Rye Fire, whose cause remains under investigation, is expected to be fully contained by Dec. 15, fire officials said.