Thousands move, firefighters injured in California blazes

Firefighters on Monday had the Canyon Fire nearly 80% contained in the mountains north of Los Angeles. Officials on Friday ordered thousands of residents of Ventura and Los Angeles Counties to temporarily move out as the blaze burned 5,370 acres near the communities of Piru and Castaic. Evacuation orders were either downgraded to warnings or lifted entirely by Monday morning. Although no one was reported to have died in the fires, the L.A. County Fire Department on Friday said three firefighters were injured while battling the fire. Kern County Fire Department Battalion Chief James Agee on Friday sustained serious injuries when the pickup truck he was driving veered off a remote road and rolled down a hillside. Agee and other firefighters from the county were sent to help fight the Canyon Fire.

What about the other fires in the state? The Gifford Fire on Monday was 33% contained as it burned across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties. Officials issued evacuation orders and warnings for communities in both counties. The blaze had burned more than 118,000 acres as of Monday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Wildfires that burn more than 100,000 acres are called mega-fires by the U.S. Interagency Fire Center. The Gifford fire began on Aug. 1 and thousands of firefighters from across the state have deployed to battle the blaze. Meanwhile, more than a dozen smaller fires burned across the state as peak fire season continued.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Russell’s earlier report about the Gifford Fire.