31,000 People Must Escape as Fresh Fires Destroy Southern California

Exhausted firefighters who have been battling fatal infernos for weeks are now dealing with two new wildfires raging throughout Southern California.

The latest fire, the Sepulveda Fire near Interstate 405 and Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles, has been brought under control, according to the city’s fire department on Thursday morning.

About 250 firefighters “jumped on this very quickly, and we were able to keep it to only 40 acres” after it began late Wednesday, according to firefighter David Ortiz, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The Santa Ana winds are blowing against this fire, so we had that in our favor.”

Firefighters are currently ensuring that “we don’t leave anything hot that can later be carried by the wind,” Ortiz stated.

However, the fast-moving Hughes Fire, which began Wednesday morning, has already burned over 10,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. The inferno was just 14% contained as of early Thursday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.

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The Hughes Fire is located north of Santa Clarita, near the unincorporated settlement of Castaic.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, around 31,000 individuals were ordered to evacuate and 23,000 were warned to evacuate Wednesday evening as a result of the Hughes Fire.

“We don’t have any reports of structure damage or injuries,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Acuna said as of early Thursday morning. “As we transition in the morning, we’ll have a better idea of what’s going on.”

However, the National Weather Service has extended a red flag warning for the majority of Los Angeles and Ventura counties until Friday morning as Santa Ana winds blow through, according to Marrone.

And bone-dry vegetation means a new fire could start at any time.

“We’re still expecting some dry humidity and then gusts of winds possible up to 60 mph,” Ortiz disclosed. “It’s quite dry. Any single spark will ignite a new fire that spreads swiftly.

‘Dangerous fire weather circumstances.’

The Hughes Fire began shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake, north of where firefighters are attempting to fully contain the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have charred more than 40,000 acres and killed at least 28 people since January 7.

The fire is “a completely different beast” from the Palisades and Eaton Fires, Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Sheila Kelliher told CNN Wednesday evening. Two weeks ago, firefighters faced extraordinary challenges when strong winds grounded aircraft support.

Kelliher said calmer winds allowed the fire department’s helicopters to drop water at night.

When asked about potential water supply difficulties, Kelliher stated that workers are lucky to have direct access to Castaic Lake and other surrounding reservoirs for firefighting operations.

However, “dangerous fire weather conditions will persist through Friday as fuels remain extremely dry and ready to burn, with Thursday being the period of greatest concern,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles stated. “Any fire that starts can grow fast and out of control.”