Bouquet Fire burns 1,000+ acres in Angeles National Forest

The Bouquet Fire, a fast-moving brush fire, burned over 1,048 acres in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Santa Clarita, California. The blaze erupted on Saturday afternoon amid an extreme heat wave, rapidly expanding from a few acres to over 1,000 acres within its first several hours.

Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for several zones, including LAC-E018, LAC-E030-B, and LAC-E031-A, as the fire threatened structures and power lines along Bouquet Canyon Road. An evacuation shelter was opened at the Ryan M. Clinkunbroomer Castaic Sports Complex.

Firefighting efforts involved ground crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and aerial support from helicopters and air tankers. By Sunday morning, the fire was reported to be approximately 40% contained. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the U.S. Forest Service.