Fast-growing brush fire erupts in Santa Clarita Valley as firefighters battle multiple blazes

Firefighters are battling multiple brush fires that broke out miles from each other in the Santa Clarita Valley amid triple-digit temperatures Tuesday.

A brush fire near the edge of the Angeles National Forest swelled from 4 acres to 100 acres in less than two hours Tuesday afternoon, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

County firefighters were assisting crews from the Angeles National Forest to fight the Agua fire, which was reported at 2:12 p.m. near Soledad Canyon and Agua Dulce Canyon roads in Santa Clarita. By shortly after 4 p.m., about 200 firefighters from both agencies were battling the blaze, according to the L.A. County Fire Department.

“Units on scene are making good progress slowing down the fire with ground crews and multiple water dropping aircrafts,” the department said.

Ten firetrucks, three crews and several aircraft have been dispatched, said Celeste Morales, a spokesperson for the Angeles National Forest. The fire was 0% contained, and the blaze had the potential to grow more, Morales said.

No structural damage or injuries have been reported.

It is unknown what started the fire, which remains under investigation, Morales said.

About 8 miles away, a second fire that ignited Tuesday afternoon put a stop to incoming trains on Metrolink tracks near Sierra Highway and Jakes Way in Canyon Country, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The department was dispatched at 1:36 p.m. and arrived shortly after, stopping the spread of the 1-acre fire by 2:12 p.m. The tracks were shut down while firefighters worked to put out the fire, which started with a tree, then spread to bristle brush near the tracks.

No injuries were reported, nor were any structures damaged. It is unknown whether rail services have resumed, according to a spokesperson for the department.

Earlier in the afternoon, L.A. County fire crews were called to the scene of a small blaze that had started in the brush along the 5 Freeway in Santa Clarita after a police pursuit ended in a crash.

The pursuit started near Bakersfield and made its way south into Los Angeles County, according to California Highway Patrol Officer Alec Pereyda. Details are unclear, but the pursuit ended when the suspect crashed on the shoulder of the 5 near Lyons Avenue in Santa Clarita.

Firefighters were called to the scene around 12:45 p.m. and stopped the spread of the fire after it had burned about a quarter of an acre.

Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.