Thousands of firefighters continue to battle the Station fire in the Angeles National Forest north of Los Angeles County.
The Station fire, which was 56 percent contained as of Sept. 7, is currently moving north and east toward the cities of Acton and Ravenna, said Nathan Judy, a U.S. Forest Service spokesman.
Judy said conditions for fighting the flames are relatively good, but it could flare up if weather patterns change. The western portion of the fire is largely under control, he added.
Darryl Jacobs, a spokesman for the Station fire command station, said firefighters are working as hard as they can to prevent the fire from spreading further, but “we still have a long way to go.”
The fire has claimed the lives of two firefighters who were killed on Aug. 30 after they drove off an embankment, Jacobs said. Ten other firefighters have been injured on duty, he said.
The Station fire started on Aug. 26 about four miles north of La Canada Flintridge, Jacobs said.
Forensic evidence found at the fire’s point of origin indicated it was started by arsonists, officials said. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s department has launched a homicide investigation, and no further details are being released at this point.
Firefighters estimate the Station fire will be completely contained on Sept. 15.
No communities are under immediate threat, Judy said.
In addition, 12,000 homes that were evacuated have been deemed safe for resettlement, according to a Sept. 7 statement by the LA County Office of Emergency Management.
The Station fire has burned more than 157,000 acres and is the 10th largest fire in California since 1932, according to the statement.
The last fire of this size near Los Angeles County was the Clampitt fire, which burned 105,000 acres in September of 1970, Jacobs said.