Saddleridge blaze shuts courthouses as others reopen after PG&E restores power

While some courts reopened Friday as Pacific Gas & Electric Co. began slowly restoring power back to Northern California customers, a fire that broke out in Los Angeles County led to the closure of at least two area courts Friday.

As Santa Ana winds strengthened overnight Thursday, the Saddleridge Fire broke out north of Los Angeles near Sylmar, burning over 7,500 acres, destroying at least 25 structures and prompting mandatory evacuation orders for about 100,000 people as of Friday afternoon..

The Sylmar Juvenile Courthouse and U.S. Bankruptcy Court Central Division in Woodland Hills were closed Friday due to the Saddleridge blaze.

Juvenile cases were continued to this week, according to communications director Ann Donlan, but cases that had to be heard Friday due to statutory deadlines were moved to the Eastlake Juvenile Courthouse in Los Angeles.

Other courts near evacuation zones included Chatsworth, San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Van Nuys, but all remained open Friday, according to Donlan.

“We’re actively monitoring all developments relating to the fire,” Donlan said.

Other fires struck Riverside County on Thursday, including a trailer fire in Reche Canyon that sparked north of Moreno Valley, a smaller fire at the intersection of Eagle Canyon and Cajalco roads and the Sandalwood Fire in Calimesa that gutted several structures and charred at least 500 acres as of Friday afternoon.

No courthouses in Riverside County were impacted, according to spokesperson Marita C. Ford.

Some courthouses impacted by the PG&E power shutoff this week in seven California counties re-opened as power restoration efforts got underway Friday. Power was fully restored Friday for the Morgan Hill courthouse in Santa Clara County, which will be back up and running Tuesday after the Columbus Day holiday, according to spokesman Benjamin Rada.

The Clearlake branch of the Lake County Superior Court also got power back on Friday and resumed normal business operations. El Dorado County Superior courts remained open Friday but with limited services and no telephone and computer access, according to the court website. Some cases were transferred to the Cameron Park and Placerville courthouses.

Tehama County and Nevada City Courthouses were closed Wednesday and Thursday due to blackouts but reopened Friday. Tuolumne County, which was operating with minimal services Thursday, began operating normally on Friday after regaining power.

The juvenile courthouse in Napa County remained without power and was closed Friday but was to be open Tuesday after the holiday, according to court executive officer Bob Fleshman.

Calaveras County remained closed as of Friday.