‘Max Fire’ fire in Lancaster burns several structures
Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department battled a fast-moving brushfire in Lancaster that burned several structures and was threatening an estimated 1,000 homes, officials confirmed to KTLA.
Firefighters responded to reports of the “Max Fire,” a three-alarm blaze believed to have started near 80th Street and Avenue K, at around 3:45 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Initial reports had the brushfire at around two to three acres, but it quickly spread with officials saying the fire in the Antelope Valley had charred around 338 acres.
'Max Fire' fire raging in Lancaster threatens homes Crews L.A. County Fire Department on the scene of a three-alarm brushfire in Lancaster dubbed the ‘Max Fire’ on June 16, 2024. (KTLA) Crews L.A. County Fire Department on the scene of a three-alarm brushfire in Lancaster dubbed the ‘Max Fire’ on June 16, 2024. (KTLA) Crews L.A. County Fire Department on the scene of a three-alarm brushfire in Lancaster dubbed the ‘Max Fire’ on June 16, 2024. (KTLA) Crews L.A. County Fire Department on the scene of a three-alarm brushfire in Lancaster dubbed the ‘Max Fire’ on June 16, 2024. (KTLA) Crews L.A. County Fire Department on the scene of a three-alarm brushfire in Lancaster dubbed the ‘Max Fire’ on June 16, 2024. (KTLA)
Aerial footage from Sky5 showed heavy black smoke coming from a structure fire with a massive swath of charred land leading directly toward the Lancaster neighborhood.
Fire officials said that evacuations were being handled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. As Sky5 as was over the fire, deputies could be seen driving through the neighborhood attempting to get homeowners to leave.
Authorities said housing for and animals displaced by the “Max Fire” will be at the Antelope Valley Fair located at 2551 West Avenue H, and urged residents to stay ready to leave in the case that mandatory evacuation orders are given.
At a little before 6 p.m., fire fighting crews on the ground and in the air appeared to have stopped the blaze’s forward progression, with officials saying the fire was 100% contained just before 8 p.m.
Sky5’s Gil Leyvas reported that at least three structures, all out buildings, were destroyed by the blaze. It is unclear if any other structures were left with damage.
This blaze comes on the heels of several fires burning in Southern California.
The “Post Fire” near the 5 Freeway in Gorman, which forced evacuations, had grown to more than 14,000 acres by Sunday evening, while a fast-moving blaze in Hesperia had burned some 1,078 acres.
The cause of the “Max Fire” remains under investigation.
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