Hot and dry conditions will keep parts of Southern California under elevated fire danger Thursday, one day after a blaze scorched 640 acres in Castaic.
The wind-driven fire, dubbed the North Fire, started about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 2900 block of The Old Road and prompted temporary evacuations in the Castaic Canyons area.
Those evacuations were lifted when crews stopped the fire’s forward progress later in the evening.
The flames had burned dangerously close to structures at one point, but no homes were damaged.
“Our fire department is incredible,” evacuee Michelle Waxman said.
The North Fire was 25% contained as of Thursday morning, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The wildfire broke out amid building high pressure over Southern California, placing the region under elevated fire conditions through the rest of the week.
High temperatures between 85 and 95 degrees will be common away from the coast through Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
Los Angeles and Ventura counties can expect wind gusts of about 35 mph through some mountain and valley locations through Saturday.
Minimum humidities are expected to remain between 8 and 15%.
Cooler conditions are forecast to arrive by Sunday.
