Tick Fire: All evacuation orders lifted as SoCal braces for another round of Santa Ana winds

ByABC7.com staff KABC logo

Monday, October 28, 2019

Tick Fire: All evac orders lifted ahead of more strong winds

As firefighters in Santa Clarita continue to increase containment of a 4,615-acre blaze, the region is bracing for another bout of Santa Ana Winds expected to hit Sunday evening.

CANYON COUNTRY, Calif. (KABC) -- All evacuation orders have been lifted as firefighters in Santa Clarita continue to increase containment of a 4,615-acre blaze as the region is bracing for another bout of Santa Ana Winds expected to hit Sunday evening.

The Tick Fire was estimated at 70% containment by Sunday evening after having forced tens of thousands of residents from their homes when the blaze broke out Thursday.

Officials warned returning residents to be on the lookout for many hazards that could exist, including ash, damaged utilities as well as any other hazardous materials left from cleaning supplies, batteries or paint.

As the same dangerous red-flag conditions that initially fueled the fire were expected to return Sunday evening into Monday, many of those residents were opting to leave their bags unpacked in the event that another round of evacuations were issued.

"We are not ready for anymore evacuations. There's not much you can really do to prep for the winds. I mean, have a bag ready to go just in case but that's basically it," said Canyon Country resident Allyson Kovacs.

At least 22 structures were destroyed and another 27 were damaged. An additional 10,000 homes and other buildings were considered threatened by the flames.

Meanwhile, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide emergency as multiple fires burn across the state, including the massive Kincade Fire in Northern California.

As fire crews on the ground continued to monitor hot spots, investigators were examining where the fire may have started.

An evacuation center was set up at College of the Canyons Gymnasium at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road in Santa Clarita. Smaller animals could be brought to the Castaic Animal Care Center, 31044 N. Charlie Canyon Road.

SCHOOL CLOSURES

Despite the increased containment, all schools in the Sulphur Springs Union School District were planning to close Monday. The district was testing the air quality to determine the appropriate date for students and staff to return for each school site.

Canyon Springs: Closed Monday

Golden Oak: Closed Monday

Fair Oaks Ranch: Closed Monday

Leona Cox: Closed Monday

Mint Canyon: Closed Monday through Friday

Mitchell: Closed Monday through Friday

Pinetree: Closed Monday through Friday

Sulphur Springs: Closed Monday through Friday

Valley View: Closed Monday

Airbnb hosts were offering free housing to fire evacuees as well as relief workers deployed to the area.