Los Angeles Wildfires: 1,600 Hectares Ablaze as Evacuations Begin

Multiple fast-moving wildfires broke out in Southern California on April 3, 2026, triggering evacuation orders across Los Angeles and Riverside counties.

Reporting from STERN.de indicated that flames spread rapidly, covering an area of more than 1,600 hectares, and residents in affected areas were urged to leave their homes.

The Crown Fire in Northern Los Angeles County

One of the significant incidents was the Crown Fire, a brush fire that ignited in the community of Acton in northern Los Angeles County. The fire was first reported at approximately 11:30 a.m. On April 3, 2026, as thick smoke became visible from a canyon area near Soledad Canyon Road and North Crown Valley Road.

According to NBC Los Angeles, the wind-driven fire was estimated to have burned approximately 345 acres. Firefighting efforts included the use of water-dropping and retardant-dropping aircraft, which established a line of red fire retardant between the flames and nearby buildings.

Evacuation orders were issued for the sparsely populated Acton area on April 3. These orders were lifted shortly after 6 p.m. That same day after crews stopped the forward progress of the fire.

Containment of the Crown Fire reached 95% as of the evening of April 4, 2026.

Regional Fire Statistics

Data provided by Cal Fire, as cited by NBC Los Angeles, shows that through March 2026, approximately 500 wildland fires were reported across California, burning a total of 2,000 acres.

These figures are lower than the totals recorded during the same period in the previous year, when 600 fires had burned 59,170 acres. The state’s five-year average for the period ending in March is 734 fires and 13,700 acres.