Firefighters in southern California continued to confront multiple blazes on Thursday amid high winds and dry conditions.
The Hughes Fire in the mountains northwest of Los Angeles near Castaic Lake broke out Wednesday, prompting authorities to issue evacuation orders for more than 50,000 people. Health advisories for smoke and windblown dust and ash have been issued for areas near the Hughes Fire.
“Smoke and ash can harm everyone, even those who are healthy,” Dr. Muntu Davis, L.A. County’s health officer, said in a statement.
The Laguna Fire in Ventura County resulted in evacuation orders for California State University Channel Islands and University Glen, but the orders were downgraded to warnings Thursday afternoon.
The evacuation warning for the Sepulveda Fire near Interstate 405 late Wednesday was lifted after firefighters stopped the fire’s progress after it had burned through less than 1 square kilometer.
The U.S. Storm Prediction Center said Thursday the “very gusty” offshore Santa Ana winds will continue in southern California with gusts that could reach as high at 105 kph in some mountain ranges. The winds, combined with Southern California’s “very low humidity and dry antecedent conditions,” prompted the center to continue a Critical Risk of Fire Weather alert for Thursday and an Elevated Fire Weather Outlook for Friday.
Firefighters received help fighting the Hughes Fire with overnight aerial water drops from helicopters. The fire, northwest of Los Angeles, swelled to burn an area of more than 41 square kilometers near the Lake Castaic recreation area.
The fire was about 14% contained early Thursday as forecasters warned of another day of dry and windy conditions that could make it difficult to keep fires from spreading.
There is a chance for some relief in the coming days. The National Weather Service said some rain is expected in the area beginning Saturday.
Forecasters expect up to a centimeter of rain across much of the Los Angeles area, while localized thunderstorms could bring even more rain in limited locations. The potential for those storms has prompted concerns about the possibility of mudslides, with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by several weeks of wildfires.
In addition to the Hughes Fire, crews are still battling the Palisades Fire on the western side of Los Angeles and the Eaton Fire in the foothills to the north of the city. The Palisades fire, at 95 square kilometers, is about 70% contained, while the Eaton, at 56 square kilometers, is about 95% contained, according to file officials.
The fires that broke out in Southern California on Jan. 7 have killed at least 28 people and destroyed an estimated 16,000 buildings. The death toll is expected to climb as emergency workers comb through the ashes.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the response to the fire, is expected to travel to Los Angeles on Friday.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
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