Clampitt Fire
The Clampitt Fire was a large wildfire that broke out on September 25, 1970, in the Newhall area of the Santa Clarita Valley. It was the biggest wildfire in Los Angeles County history up to that point, burning, along with an additional when it merged with the Wright Fire, a record that would stand until the Station Fire surpassed it in 2009. In total, 489 structures would be destroyed by both fires. The fire would be part of a Southern California firestorm that began in September 1970, along with the Wright Fire in Malibu and the Laguna Fire in San Diego County. The region saw burned by the end of 1970.
Progression
The Clampitt Fire broke out on September 25, 1970, in the Newhall area in then-unincorporated Los Angeles County. Due to downed power lines, extreme Santa Ana winds would then quickly spread the fire down to the Malibu coast within a day. At the peak of the emergency, there were 700 men on the fire lines, with assistance coming all over the state. The fire was originally dubbed by news reports as the "Chatsworth-Malibu Canyon fire" due to immense destruction coming from those areas. The fire then merged with the Wright Fire to burn an additional 27,295 acres. In total, 80 structures were lost, and four deaths occurred. The fire would also burn a large amount of acreage and numerous homes in present-day Agoura Hills, Porter Ranch, and near the former town of Santa Susana.Notably, structures such as the entirety of movie sets of the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth were destroyed in the fire.