On Wednesday, evacuation orders and warnings were given to over 31,000 people near two new wildfires north of Los Angeles.
The Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County started on Wednesday morning and has spread to over 10,000 acres, which is about 15 square miles. As of 2 p.m. local time Thursday (8 p.m. ET), it was 24% controlled, according to Cal Fire.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters that strong winds and dry weather were fueling the Hughes Fire. However, a recent update from the fire information center stated that no buildings had been damaged.
A new brush fire began late Wednesday in Sepulveda Pass, growing to 40 acres near the heavily populated Sherman Oaks neighborhood and UCLA, but its progress was stopped. The Los Angeles Fire Department gave an exit warning to residents at 11:46 p.m. (2:46 a.m. ET Thursday) but removed the warning at 2 a.m.
Along with about 31,000 people who must evacuate, around 23,000 others received evacuation warnings, which means they should be ready to leave if necessary.
“The fire is still hard to control, but we are making progress,” said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone at a news conference about the Hughes Fire earlier Wednesday.
The Hughes Fire started weeks after two nearby fires that killed at least 27 people and destroyed thousands of houses in Los Angeles earlier this month. The city’s fire chief described it as one of the worst disasters in Los Angeles history.
The winds on Wednesday weren’t as strong as the ones that helped the Eaton and Palisades fires on January 7. On that day, officials couldn’t use planes to drop fire extinguisher, according to Marrone.
On Wednesday, firemen dumped tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant to help stop the fire from spreading, he said.
“If you had been here a few hours ago, things would have looked very different and more serious,” Marrone said.
A part of Interstate 5 that goes through a mountain area north of Castaic Lake reopened in both ways after being closed on Wednesday, according to the California Highway Patrol on X. The office said that the exits to Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road on I-5 north are still closed.
A lawyer from the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California has asked for the quick removal of 4,700 prisoners from four jails near the lake that are being warned to evacuate.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s department said that 476 people from one jail are being transferred to another jail.
The reason for the fire was being looked into.
The fire started because strong winds and dry weather increased the risk of fire. The area had “red flag” warnings until 10 a.m. on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. They also said that wind gusts could reach up to 65 mph in the mountains.
Experts have pointed to the link between climate change and the conditions that make fires like those that have roared across Los Angeles in recent weeks more possible.
NBC Los Angeles aired images showing large clouds of smoke rising above the area and big fires burning along what looked like a ridge line.
Video from the station showed people who did not leave their homes as ordered, washing down their houses and closing outside vents to keep out sparks.
In a TV interview, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger asked people to follow the directions. She said she was worried that officials might have to stop rescue planes if the winds get stronger.
“I’m hoping this stays under control and doesn’t harm any homes,” she said.
Barger said that many first responders and their families live in the area.
The Eaton Fire started on January 7 and caused major damage in Altadena. As of Wednesday, it was 95% under control after burning over 14,000 acres, according to fire officials. Over 9,400 buildings, including houses, have been destroyed.
The Palisades Fire started a few hours earlier in the Pacific Palisades area. The fire had burned over 23,400 acres and was 72% under control, according to Cal Fire.
The office stated that the reasons for both fires are still being looked into.
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