Brush fire prompts evacuation of Southern California amusement parks
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A Brush fire in Southern California prompted the evacuation of two amusement parks, but so far no homes were threatened in the sparsely populated area and no serious injuries were reported.
The blaze erupted in the Valencia community of Santa Clarita and had burnt about 40 acres of grass and scrub along the Santa Clara River during Sunday.
Firefighters managed to halt the advance of the blaze within several hours, carving containment lines around 20 percent of its perimeter.
Heavy smoke wafted into Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park, as well as the adjacent Hurricane Harbor water park, and a tree on the edge of the water park caught fire.
As many as nine people were treated for smoke- or heat-related issues from the fire, the Los Angeles City News Service (CNS) reported. But the fire dispatcher said no one was known to have been seriously hurt.
The cause of the blaze was under investigation.
On Saturday night, utility Pacific Gas and Electric Corp shut off power to some 27,000 customers across five northern California counties in the Sierra foothills as a precaution against dry, windy conditions that pose a heightened risk of wildfires.
The precautionary blackout included areas in and around Paradise, a town largely incinerated last November by the deadliest and most destructive California wildfire on record, which claimed more than 80 lives.
