Key keywords: Encino brush fire, Sepulveda Basin wildfire, Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) response, 2024 Southern California Santa Ana fire event, Encino evacuation orders, Sepulveda Basin recreation area fire, San Fernando Valley fire emergency, Southern California wildfire mitigation On the afternoon of October 12, 2024, at approximately 2:47 p.m. local time, the Los Angeles Fire Department received dozens of 911 calls reporting a vegetation fire near the intersection of Burbank Boulevard and Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino, directly bordering the Sepulveda Basin recreational and wildlife reserve. Fueled by gusty Santa Ana winds reaching 28 miles per hour and relative humidity levels as low as 11%, the fire spread rapidly from an initial half-acre patch of dry brush to 14 acres within 45 minutes, putting nearby residential neighborhoods, a 120-site RV campground in the Sepulveda Basin, and a 60-acre protected native habitat area at risk. LAFD deployed 132 firefighters across 22 engine companies, three fixed-wing water tankers, and two helicopters to contain the blaze, with mutual aid support from the Ventura County Fire Department to cover surrounding communities as a precaution. By 3:30 p.m., mandatory evacuation orders were issued for 37 single-family homes within a quarter-mile of the fire line, plus the entire Sepulveda Basin RV campground and two adjacent public parks. Voluntary evacuation alerts were sent to 1,200 additional households in the surrounding Encino and Lake Balboa neighborhoods, and a temporary evacuation shelter was set up at the Encino Community Center, with a separate pet evacuation site operated at the West Valley Animal Shelter to accommodate displaced residents’ dogs, cats, and small livestock. As of 7:15 p.m. the same day, LAFD officials announced the fire was 45% contained, with no reported civilian or firefighter injuries. Only one unoccupied storage shed on the edge of the Sepulveda Basin was destroyed, and no residential structures suffered damage. Fire crews remained on site overnight to extinguish hot spots and monitor for flare-ups as winds were expected to continue through the early morning hours. The cause of the fire is still under investigation, though LAFD officials noted there is no initial evidence of suspicious activity. Local officials are urging all San Fernando Valley residents to complete required brush clearance on their properties before the peak of Santa Ana wind season, which is projected to run through mid-November this year. Traffic closures on Burbank Boulevard between Balboa Boulevard and Haskell Avenue were lifted by 8 p.m., with normal access restored to all Sepulveda Basin recreational areas except the 15-acre section directly impacted by the fire.