The Castaic Union School District Superintendent gave an update Thursday afternoon on the closure of Northlake Hills Elementary School due to the Route Fire.

On Thursday afternoon, Castaic Union School District Superintendent Steve Doyle confirmed that Northlake Hills Elementary School in Castaic would likely remain closed through Monday due to lingering smoke from the Route Fire.

The email from Doyle reads as follows:

Good afternoon Northlake Hills Families and Staff,

Thank you for your patience and understanding during this scary fire situation. Our staff was amazing yesterday in remaining calm and ensuring the safety of all of our students and families. It has been a very difficult 24 hours in our community. I have worked closely with Captain Diez of the Santa Clarita Sheriff’s Station to keep updated as things were constantly changing.

The good news is they were able to get a better handle on the fire but there is still much work to do. We are extremely thankful for all our first responders!

Northlake Hills Elementary School did not experience any damage. The fire burned up to the side of Ridge Route Road but thankfully it did not jump to the ridge next to the school. We did have a fire safety crew spend the night to make sure the school was protected. They will be there again tonight.

While the exterior of Northlake was not touched, inside there is a strong smoke odor. We have made the decision to keep Northlake closed tomorrow to allow us to bring a fire restoration company in tomorrow and over the weekend to reduce the smoke odor. All of the air conditioning units were shut down yesterday when the school was evacuated but the smoke has still permeated the front office, MPR and multiple classrooms. As you go towards the back of the school, the smoke smell lessens.

We do apologize and recognize that this does create difficulty for many of you. Our priority is to work diligently to get the school ready for Tuesday. We ask for kindness and compassion with each other in these trying times.

Sincerely,

Steve Doyle
Superintendent

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.