The Rye 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 burned in

Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-largest city by population in Los Angeles County, the 17t ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

, and one of multiple wildfires that broke out across Southern California in December 2017. The fire threatened over 5,000 structures, including Six Flags Magic Mountain, threatened the city of

and impacted traffic on

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels through the states of Californi ...

. The Rye Fire burned a total of , before it was fully contained on December 12. The fire destroyed six buildings, including minor structures located at the

Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, also known as Pitchess Detention Center or simply Pitchess, is an all-male county detention center and correctional facility named in honor of Peter J. Pitchess located directly east of exit 173 off Intersta ...

Events

The Rye Fire, was reported as a small

brush fire 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 identif ...

at 9:32 AM PST on December 5, 2017, on Rye Canyon Loop in

. The fire was named for Rye Canyon Loop where it originated. That day, Highway 5 was closed in both directions and Rye Canyon Loop was evacuated, as well as the entire community of Westridge, totaling 1,300 homes. Rancho Pico Junior High and West Ranch High schools in the

William S. Hart Union High School District The William S. Hart Union High School District (commonly referred to simply as the Hart District) is a school district in the Santa Clarita Valley of Los Angeles County, California. It serves all of the valley's high school students (grades 9– ...

were evacuated to

College of the Canyons College of the Canyons (COC) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California. It comprises the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus loca ...

and

Saugus Union School District Saugus Union School District (SUSD) is a public California school district located in Santa Clarita Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California. With a 202 ...

evacuated West Creek Academy. Valencia High School was also evacuated. The fire interrupted production of television programs '' S.W.A.T.'' and ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

''. Electricity was also interrupted for over 2,000 customers. School resumed on Wednesday, December 6, after evacuation orders for the Westridge Valencia neighborhood were lifted the evening of December 5. However,

Simi Valley Unified School District Simi Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) is a school district in Ventura County, California. The district serves students from the city of Simi Valley, the census-designated place of Santa Susana, and other adjacent unincorporated areas. SVUS ...

closed all schools on Wednesday due to poor air quality. The fire continued to grow and by December 7 one structure had been destroyed and

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the fire department of the California Natural Resources Agency in the U.S. state of California. It is responsible for fire protection in various areas under state responsi ...

(Cal Fire) has expressed concern about strong offshore winds which could cause the fire to grow. Power went out for over 8,880 customers. One firefighter was injured and airlifted to a burn center. Overnight, no fire growth was observed by Cal Fire and firefighters continued to mop up the fire and maintain perimeters. By the morning of December 8, power had been restored to all customers in the area. On December 9, firefighters continued to mop up the area and keep the fire within the perimeter, bolstering containment lines. During an evaluation of the

, they discovered that minor structures were damaged or destroyed, bringing the total destroyed buildings to six and damaged structures to three. All evacuation orders were lifted by December 9. The Rye Fire burned , and threatened 5,460 structures. On December 12, the Rye Fire was fully contained, with no further increases in size. At its height, over 900 fire personnel fought the Rye Fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

References

External links

SDSC WiFire Interactive Map
- San Diego Supercomputer Center {{California wildfires 2017 California wildfires December 2017 Southern California wildfires Wildfires in Los Angeles County, California December 2017 events in the United States Santa Clarita, California 2017 in Los Angeles County, California

Events

See also

References

External links