{{Short description|2005 wildfire in Southern California}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox wildfire | title = Topanga Fire |partof=the [[2005 California wildfires]] | image = California wildfire September 29 2005.jpg | image_size = | caption = A [[NASA]] satellite image of the Topanga Fire as seen from space, on September 29, 2005. | cost = $15.8 million (2005 USD) | injuries = 31 | fatalities = | reference = <ref name=cdf>{{cite web|title=Topanga Fire|url=http://cdfdata.fire.ca.gov/incidents/incidents_details_info?incident_id=48|website=[[CAL FIRE]]|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> <!-- ONLY FOR INDIVIDUAL FIRES --> | date ={{Unbulleted list|{{Start date|2005|09|28}} – |{{End date|2005|10|06}}}} | location = [[Santa Susana Mountains]],<br>[[Simi Hills]],<br>[[Southern California]] | coordinates = | area = {{convert|24175|acre|km2|1}} | cause = | landuse = | perps = | buildings = | motive = }} [[Image:Wildfiretopanga.jpg|thumb|250px|right|View of the wildfire from the top of the Topanga Canyon.]]

The '''Topanga Fire''' was a [[wildfire]] that ignited on September 28, 2005, in the [[Santa Susana Mountains]], to the northwest of [[Chatsworth, Los Angeles|Chatsworth]] and the [[San Fernando Valley]] in [[Southern California]].

==History== The Topanga Fire burned a total of {{convert|24175|acre|km2|1}}, injured 31 people, and cost $15.8 million to fight.<ref name=cdf/> The wildfire grew to more than 16,000 acres (65&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) in 2 days, threatening homes, natural resources, power lines, and communications equipment in the [[Simi Hills]], in eastern [[Ventura County, California|Ventura County]], as well as the [[Conejo Valley]] region north of the [[Santa Monica Mountains]].

Experts foresaw the problem as [[Southern California]] entered the hottest part of the fire season, with the land covered in brush that grew after the heaviest rains in over 100 years.<ref>{{cite news|title=Southern California Wildfire Threat Grows as Rainy Season Ends|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=af0NHMAmgXH8&refer=us|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|date=2005-07-07}}</ref> Although the wind, dry conditions, and steep terrain made the work of [[firefighter]]s difficult, the loss of property had been low (as of early October); according to news reports from Friday, September 30, one home and handful of outbuildings had been lost. Mandatory evacuations were in place, involving at least 1,500 residents of the area.

On October 2, 2005, over 17,000 acres (69&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) were burned. Furthermore, only 5% of the blaze was estimated to have been contained by the approximately 3,000 firefighters battling it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4296050.stm|title=Spreading blaze nears LA suburbs|work=[[BBC News]]|date=2005-09-30}}</ref> On October 6, the Topanga Fire was 100% contained, after it had expanded to {{convert|24175|acre|km2|1}}.

==References== {{reflist|2}}

==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20051021181947/http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17049 NASA Earth Observatory page discussing the wildfires]

{{Clear}} {{California wildfires by year}}

{{Coord|34.0394|-118.5862|display=title}}

[[Category:2005 California wildfires]] [[Category:Wildfires in Los Angeles County, California]] [[Category:Wildfires in Ventura County, California]] [[Category:Santa Susana Mountains]] [[Category:Simi Hills]] [[Category:Agoura Hills, California]] [[Category:Chatsworth, Los Angeles]] [[Category:West Hills, Los Angeles]] [[Category:Woodland Hills, Los Angeles]] [[Category:History of the San Fernando Valley]] [[Category:History of Simi Valley, California]] [[Category:2005 in Los Angeles]] [[Category:September 2005 in the United States]] [[Category:October 2005 in the United States]]

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