Home Care In Canyon, CA

As of August 8, 2025, the wildfire is called the Canyon Fire. It is located near Lake Piru in Ventura County, California, approximately 60 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The fire originated in the Val Verde area of Santa Clarita and has spread across the Ventura, Los Angeles County line. Notable nearby geographical references include Los Padres National Forest and Highway 126 (1).

The cities and areas affected by the Canyon Fire include:

As of August 8, 2025, the Canyon Fire had burned approximately 5,370 acres and is 25% contained.

Fire crews from Ventura County, Los Angeles County, and Cal Fire were engaged in a significant initial attack, deploying engines, bulldozers, hand crews, and air tankers to slow the spread.

Reinforcements were brought in for overnight operations, and long-term containment strategies were being developed (3).

Mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for areas immediately north and south of Lake Piru in Ventura County.

Evacuation warnings are active for surrounding zones in Ventura County and multiple communities in western Los Angeles County, including Val Verde, Hasley, Oak Canyon, and Romera.

Part of Valencia in Santa Clarita is also under an evacuation warning. The Red Cross has opened an evacuation center at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, and large animals are being sheltered at Pierce College in Woodland Hills (2).

Always plan ahead to protect yourself from wildfire smoke.

On August 7, 2025, a fire ignited north of Highway 126 near Castaic in Ventura County, rapidly growing from 30 acres to over 5,000 within hours. Driven by triple-digit heat, parched vegetation, steep terrain and onshore winds, the Canyon Fire advanced eastward toward communities, power infrastructure and critical facilities in Hasley Canyon and Hathaway Ranch.

Crossing into Los Angeles County triggered a Unified Command between county fire departments, mobilizing 391 personnel, 7 helicopters, 3 bulldozers and 9 hand crews. In the following days, containment reached 62 percent with 5,370 acres burned.

The fire forced mass evacuations: 4,200 residents and 1,400 structures in Los Angeles County were under mandatory orders, with 12,500 more under warning. Ventura County evacuations included 56 people from Lake Piru. Shelters were opened at the College of the Canyons, with animal care centers at Pierce College and the Castaic Animal Care Center.

A firefighter was hospitalized after a harrowing accident in Castaic while patrolling for Canyon Fire flare-ups. His pickup veered off Romero Canyon Road, plunging 100–200 feet and rolling repeatedly. He was possibly ejected during the fall, suffering major injuries before paramedics airlifted him to Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital in Valencia.

A local emergency declaration imposed anti–price gouging rules. While evacuations were gradually lifted, contradictory communications exposed the fragility of public information systems during a crisis.

The relative containment of the Canyon Fire, compared to past megafires, was due to the unusually fast initial response—an implicit recognition by authorities of the public outrage over recent firefighting failures in Los Angeles, from deadly slow responses in West Altadena to the deployment of private fire crews for the wealthy, like real estate magnate Rick Caruso.

But the core conditions that made the Canyon Fire so explosive—climate change, underfunded public services and the destruction of environmental safeguards—remain unaddressed and are worsening.

California’s 2025–26 budget avoided the politically incendiary step of cutting forest and fire services outright in the aftermath of the devastating Los Angeles fires but implemented shifts and reductions that undermine long-term resilience.

A $1 billion transfer from climate programs to CAL FIRE operations increased dependency on volatile cap-and-trade revenues, jeopardizing multi-year forest health projects. Grants for forest health and local fire prevention were preserved but reduced to $82.2 million and $59.1 million, respectively, far below previous peaks. Community home-hardening programs fell to $12.5 million.

Key allocations from the state’s Cap-and-Invest climate program—often used for forest restoration—were deferred, delaying critical prevention projects. Climate and water initiatives overall suffered a 26 percent cut.

Local departments, including the Los Angeles Fire Department, reduced vacant civilian positions and overtime, limiting training and preparedness despite nominal funding increases. The state’s plan to make 3,000 seasonal firefighters permanent is a step forward in suppression capacity, yet prevention and resilience investments remain far more vulnerable to budget raids.

At the federal level, proposed fiscal year 2026 cuts to the US Forest Service threaten to gut staffing and fire suppression funding by 10 percent, imperiling both firefighting and prevention efforts such as prescribed burns and forest thinning. Large fires like the Canyon Fire require unified, multi-agency coordination. Federal retrenchment will undermine California’s already strained resources.

These decisions unfold under conditions in which scientific consensus leaves no doubt: human-caused climate change is intensifying wildfire risk in California and across the globe. NOAA, NASA and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) have documented that rising temperatures are lengthening fire seasons into a permanent, year-round threat.

Climate change has doubled the number of large fires in the western US since the mid-1980s by accelerating vegetation drying. Even a 1°Celsius temperature rise could increase median burned area in some forests by 600 percent.

The Canyon Fire’s drivers—parched fuels, relentless heat, steep topography and high winds—are textbook products of this warming climate. California’s so-called “fire season” is now an anachronism. August and September may still be peak months, but devastating blazes like the Thomas Fire in December 2017 and the Hughes Fire in January prove the danger is constant.

The relationship between climate change and wildfires is a vicious feedback loop. Fires release vast amounts of greenhouse gases, which in turn heat the planet and set the stage for more intense and frequent fires.

Between 2001 and 2023, global wildfire emissions rose by 60 percent. CARB now tracks wildfire emissions separately from other human sources to reflect their growing magnitude. As warming accelerates, the probability of “very large” fires could increase six-fold in parts of the US by mid-century.

Decades of mounting evidence have made clear that the capitalist system cannot and will not organize the internationally coordinated, science-driven, and massively funded response that is required. Fire prevention and climate resilience programs are slashed or repurposed to meet short-term budget goals, while corporate polluters retain their licenses to profit. Land-use policies continue to prioritize luxury development in high-risk zones, forcing working class communities into harm’s way.

The same political establishment that feigns concern over climate disasters simultaneously rolls back regulations on oil drilling, logging and industrial agriculture—industries whose operations fuel the crisis.

The Canyon Fire also exposed the extreme inequality in how wildfire risk and response are managed. While the wealthy can hire private fire crews, harden estates and evacuate to second homes, working class families face displacement, economic disruption and toxic smoke exposure without adequate assistance, if not death. Emergency shelters are under-resourced, public communication systems are inconsistent, and evacuation orders often arrive late or in contradictory forms.

There is nothing inevitable about this. The scientific and technical means to radically reduce wildfire risk exist—from aggressive emissions reduction to large-scale forest restoration, early warning systems and community-wide fire-hardening programs. What is missing is the political will to mobilize these resources in the interests of the vast majority rather than the wealthy elite.

The Canyon Fire stands as another warning: the conditions that produced it are not exceptional but permanent. Without a fundamental break from the profit-driven priorities that dominate state and federal policy, California will face ever more frequent and destructive fires, each exacting a higher toll in lives, health and resources. The fight against wildfire devastation is inseparable from the broader fight against climate change and the capitalist system that drives it.

The working class, urban and rural alike, must take the lead in demanding and organizing for a program of climate and fire resilience that is fully funded, democratically controlled and rooted in scientific necessity, not corporate profit. This means massive investment in prevention and mitigation, expansion of public firefighting capacity and the immediate phasing out of fossil fuel production.

Anything less is an open invitation to catastrophe. The Canyon Fire, contained for now, will not be the last. But whether future fires are met with coordinated preparedness or allowed to spiral into the next Los Angeles or Thomas or Woolsey depends not on the benevolence of the political establishment but on the independent political action of the working class to reorder society’s priorities around human need and environmental survival.

Firefighters have made good progress in the battle against the Canyon Fire, which continued burning in Ventura and Los Angeles counties on Friday after it broke out the day prior.

The vegetation fire, which is estimated to be 5,370 acres and 28% contained, erupted near Holser Canyon north of the Piru community, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. Overnight, firefighters continued battling the fire, using water and retardant-dropping aircraft, as it spread east toward the Castaic area.

According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the fire was at one point threatening power lines as well as the communities of Hasley Canyon and Hathaway Ranch.

Crews from the Ventura County Fire Department and the LA County Fire Department are operating in unified command. At its height, about 600 firefighters, and seven water-dropping helicopters, were assigned to the incident.

On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant to help state officials fight the fire. The grant will provide federal funding for up to 75% of eligible firefighting costs.

"Thank you to the brave men and women who are fighting the Canyon Fire and other wildfires throughout the state," Newsom said. "This assistance will help our partners protect California communities."

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Evacuation orders and warnings

The fire's rapid growth prompted officials to issue evacuation orders and warnings in Ventura and LA counties on Thursday, but good progress that was made overnight and throughout the next day prompted officials to lift all orders and warnings at around 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

It is unclear exactly how many residents were affected by the orders and warnings.

For more detailed information on the evacuations in Ventura County, visit the Incident Map and Dashboard. For the LA County side, visit Cal Fire.

Chelsea Hylton

Chelsea Hylton is a web producer for CBS Los Angeles. An Inglewood native, Hylton has her master's degree from USC. She covers local breaking news across the Southern California region. Before joining CBS in 2024, she worked at NBC LA, Telemundo 52, The Los Angeles Times and KOMO 4 News in Seattle.

Watch: Aircrews battle rapidly spreading Canyon Fire in California

A fierce wildfire north-west of Los Angeles prompted evacuation orders for thousands of residents on Friday, as extreme heat and dry conditions fuelled its rapid spread.

The blaze, named the Canyon Fire, ignited on Thursday afternoon along the border of Ventura and Los Angeles counties. By Friday evening, it had expanded from 30 acres to nearly 5,400.

The fire was mostly contained on Saturday, with 28% of its perimeter coming under control and allowing officials to fully rescind evacuation orders and warnings by Saturday evening.

On Friday evening, a firefighter suffered major injuries when his truck rolled over a ridge and down a steep hillside.

Kern County firefighter James Agee was driving a pick up truck when he was involved in a "rollover" about 18:20 local time, according to a statement issued by the county. He was airlifted to hospital with "serious injuries".

"James is a strong man with a big heart, and we know he's facing this challenge with the same strength and character he's shown throughout his career," said Kern County Fire Chief Aaron Duncan.

"We are grateful for the swift actions of our crews and partner agencies, and for the kindness being shown to James and his family."

While extreme heat and historically dry conditions had been complicating firefighting efforts, on Friday night, Ventura county said in a statement that "favourable weather conditions" had allowed firefighters to make "good progress in supressing the blaze".

By Saturday morning, officials said there were 1,148 people deployed to fight the fire, and in an announcement on Sunday officials said the fire was 62% contained.

Overnight on Saturday, officials flew reconnaissance flights over the fire, with cameras equipped with infrared sensors designed to identify where the fire remains hottest.

With the temperatures forecast to soar to 100°F (37.7°C) in the coming days, residents are being urged to stay on alert.

In the city of Santa Clarita, one of the closest to the blaze, residents have been told to stay away from fire-affected areas.

"If you're in Santa Clarita, Hasley Canyon, or Val Verde, take evacuation orders seriously - when first responders say GO, leave immediately. Keep aware - please don't risk lives," LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger wrote on X on Friday.

The Canyon Fire is one of several active wildfires across the state, according to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).

The Gifford Fire, the largest active blaze in California, has engulfed almost 100,000 acres and is burning across the San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties.

Wildfires have become more frequent in California, with experts citing climate change as a key factor. Hotter, drier conditions have made fire seasons longer and more destructive.

In January this year, the Eaton Fire and Palisades Fire each tore through two neighbourhoods in Los Angeles, killing at least 31 people and destroying thousands of buildings.

PIRU, Calif. (KABC) -- A large brush fire that erupted near Lake Piru in Ventura County and spread into Los Angeles County continues to burn, though crews are making significant progress in containment.

The Canyon Fire erupted on August 7 in a remote area east of Lake Piru, spreading rapidly through the brush amid a heat wave for much of Southern California.

As of Monday, the blaze scorched 5,370 acres with 91% containment, according to the Ventura County Fire Department.

All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted.

Cal Fire's map of the Canyon Fire near Lake Piru in Ventura County and Los Angeles County shows the current evacuation zones.

All evacuation orders and warnings related to the Canyon Fire have been lifted as firefighters continue gaining more control of the blaze.

The fire, which started last Thursday east of Lake Piru and spread into Los Angeles County, is 91% contained as of Monday, according to the Ventura County Fire Department. It has scorched 5,370 acres.

Crews are using infrared mapping to find any hot spot areas and prevent flare-ups.

The 5,370-acre Canyon Fire burning near Lake Piru in Ventura County and Los Angeles County is now 47% contained, according to Cal Fire.

All evacuation orders and warnings have been lifted, and the Red Cross wildfire shelter at College of the Canyons has closed.

? CANYON FIRE SHELTER UPDATE? The Red Cross wildfire shelter at College of the Canyons has closed. If you need a safe place to stay, please call (800) 675-5799.Thank you to everyone who supported our response ♥? #CanyonFire pic.twitter.com/tDC5Osxk78

— Red Cross Los Angeles (@RedCrossLA) August 9, 2025

Crews worked throughout the night to improve defensive positions and further secure the fire's perimeter. Overnight fire activity was minimal as firefighters worked to continue strengthening existing control lines, Cal Fire said.

Weather on Saturday continued to be hot and dry with temperatures in the mid-90s, with relative humidity in the 19-24% range and winds gusting up to 20 mph along ridge tops. Historically, dry vegetation contributes to the ongoing potential for rapid fire growth and significant fire behavior.

All previous evacuation orders in the 5,370-acre Canyon Fire were moved to evacuation warnings in both Los Angeles and Ventura County. All previous evacuation warnings in both areas were removed.