A fast-moving brush fire tearing through the mountains north of Los Angeles has forced thousands from their homes, scorching nearly 5,000 acres (about 2,000 hectares) and showing no signs of slowing, officials said Friday.
Evacuation orders are in effect for at least 10 zones across Los Angeles and Ventura counties, displacing more than 2,700 residents as of late Thursday night, according to Ventura County Fire Department spokesperson Andrew Dowd. Around 400 firefighters are battling the blaze, which, as of Friday morning, remains zero percent contained.
The inferno dubbed the Canyon Fire ignited amid extreme heat, bone-dry vegetation, and relentless winds, conditions that have turned California into a tinderbox. It erupted while crews were still locked in an uphill fight against another massive wildfire in the Los Padres National Forest, the state’s largest this year which has been burning for over a week, charring more than 99,000 acres and threatening hundreds of homes.
LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger urged residents to take evacuation warnings seriously:
“The #CanyonFire is spreading fast under extreme heat & dry conditions near the Ventura–LA County line. If you’re in Santa Clarita, Hasley Canyon, or Val Verde, leave immediately when told. Don’t risk lives.”
This latest disaster follows a July wildfire that consumed more than 70,000 acres and required hundreds of firefighters to contain.
Officials say a deadly mix of dry brush, high winds, and soaring temperatures is fueling fears of a brutal fire season one that has already claimed 30 lives statewide in January alone.
The economic toll is staggering. Earlier this week, Zurich-based reinsurance giant Swiss Re reported that natural disasters driven in part by California’s relentless wildfires caused an estimated $135 billion in global economic losses in the first half of 2025.
