Rye Fire Update: Wildfire Breaks Out In Santa Clarita

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Yet another wildfire broke out in Southern California Tuesday, this time, near Santa Clarita. Dubbed the Rye Fire, the fast-moving blaze was reported near Rye Canyon Loop Road at around 10:30 a.m. local time.

The fire grew five times its size in less than an hour, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported. The fire was spread across about 200 acres at latest estimate.

“We have no containment,” Inspector Joey Marron of the Los Angeles County Fire Department said, according to The Signal.

Highways near the fire were shut down in both directions, authorities said. No structures were threatened as of yet and no evacuations had yet been ordered, KABC-TV reported. The Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Office announced it’s 911 station was out due to a power outage. The office said calls were being rerouted so as to help everyone in need.

“Please be patient because dispatchers may have to ask you additional questions due to unfamiliarity with area,” the sheriff’s office said.

At the time the Santa Clarita fire broke out, firefighters in California were already working to put out two other major blazes in the southern portion of the state. The Creek Fire, near Sylmar, spread to over 4,000 acres as hundreds of firefighters tried to contain the blaze. Hundreds of firefighters also worked to put out the devastating Thomas Fire in Ventura County. The Thomas Fire spread to some 45,000 acres, forcing the evacuation of an estimated 27,000 people. The fire remained out of control and 150 structures were already damaged or destroyed.

It remained unclear what caused the fires were, though the strongest Santa Ana winds of the season were responsible in part for the swift movement of the fires, hampering conditions for firefighters to contain the blazes. The winds could potentially become even stronger by Tuesday night, reaching up to 60 mph, CNN reported.

“The prospects for containment are not good,” Ventura County Fire Chief Mark Lorenzon said of the Thomas Fire, according to the Washington Post. “Really, Mother Nature’s going to decide when we have the ability to put it out.”