Santa Anita canceled training on Wednesday because of gusty winds that caused damage to the roof of at least one barn and fueled a terrifying wildfire in the adjacent cities of Altadena and Pasadena, Calif., that was visible from the track. The fire, which was not an immediate threat to the racetrack property, officials said, had zero containment as of late Wednesday morning and had spread to more than 10,600 acres, damaging scores of homes and businesses in the Altadena and Pasadena areas, according to Los Angeles media. Sustained high winds led to the early cancellation of training an hour earlier than expected on Tuesday. Pre-dawn images taken on Wednesday from the stable area and posted on social media showed hillsides near Santa Anita engulfed in flames. On Wednesday morning, the track issued a statement to horsemen that read, in part, “While Santa Anita is not in any imminent danger, if you would like to voluntarily evacuate your horses, [Santa Anita Park] will pay for them to be relocated.” Mandatory evacuation notices were issued for some communities north of Santa Anita, including parts of Arcadia, Bradbury, Duarte, La Canada Flintridge, Monrovia, and Sierra Madre, home to many people in Southern California racing. In its message to horsemen on Wednesday, Santa Anita said it was offering food and beverages to people in the racing community who were evacuated from their homes. Trainer Val Brinkerhoff said on Wednesday morning that part of the roof on his barn was damaged. He said no horses were affected. The Altadena fire was detected late Tuesday afternoon. The massive fire in the Altadena/Pasadena area is one of several in Los Angeles County. A fire in Pacific Palisades, about 33 miles west of Santa Anita, was first detected late Tuesday morning. By Wednesday morning, the fire had consumed more than 5,000 acres and an unknown number of homes and structures, according to media reports. Several school districts in Los Angeles County, including Arcadia Unified, canceled classes on Wednesday. Wildfires have affected racing or training at Santa Anita numerous times in the last 32 years. In 2020, a wildfire in the mountains north of Santa Anita led to the cancellation of two days of racing because of smoke so severe that sunlight was noticeably reduced. Fires in nearby mountainsides occurred in 1993 and 2003 in the days before the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita. In 2017, a rapidly moving wildfire in northern San Diego County struck the San Luis Rey Downs training center in Bonsall, Calif., destroying eight barns and causing the deaths of 46 horses. Southern California has had an abnormally dry start to its rainy season in recent months, with rain totals far below recent winters. Training was held at Los Alamitos on Wednesday morning, though activity was light. The track is located approximately 40 miles south of Altadena and Pacific Palisades. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.