A new wildfire erupted Wednesday in Southern California, scorching more than 39 square kilometers of trees and brush in the mountains north of Los Angeles.
The Hughes Fire is the latest wildfire to erupt in parched Southern California. It is burning near Lake Castaic, a recreation area about 65 kilometers from the Eaton and Palisades fires that are continuing to burn in the region for a third week.
The fire, less than 1 square kilometer when first reported, quickly grew to 20 square kilometers with the aid of the Santa Ana winds, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said. It was later reported to be 39 square kilometers in size.
“This fire had a robust response today, and as you can see behind us, the responders are doing great work to try to contain this fire,” Joe Tyler, director of Cal Fire, said. “Certainly, we are not out of the woods yet.”
Winds were gusting at 67 kph Wednesday afternoon and expected to increase to 96 kph in the evening and throughout Thursday, the National Weather Service posted on X.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate, and about 23,000 were under evacuation warnings.
Kayla Amara drove to a Castaic neighborhood to retrieve items from a friend’s home. As she was packing, she grabbed a hose and began watering down the property.
“I hope there’s a house here to return to,” Amara said as police cars raced through the streets and flames engulfed trees in the distance.
Before the Hughes Fire, firefighters and Southern California residents were bracing for the possibility of more wildfires fueled by the strong dry winds. Rain is forecast, but meteorologists have warned it would not be enough to end the fires. Forecasters predict a 60% to 80% chance of rain in the region beginning Saturday, with rainfall totals in most areas not exceeding 0.8 centimeters.
The National Weather Service said dangerous fire conditions would persist in the region through Thursday or Friday. Cal Fire spokesman David Acuna said officials are concerned that the Palisades and Eaton fires could break their containment lines.
The chance of thunderstorms bringing heavier rainfall has raised fears of mudslides, with debris flowing down hilly areas that have been scorched by two weeks of wildfires.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said an executive order she signed Tuesday is designed to curb the flow of toxic debris from the region’s fires and protect the area’s beaches and oceans.
“This is to prevent additional damage to areas already ravaged by fire and also to protect our watershed, beaches and ocean from toxic runoff,” the mayor said.
City workers will remove toxic materials and set up barriers to direct the flow of debris into the sewer system.
In addition, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved emergency measures facilitating the installation of flood control infrastructure and the removal of sediment in the burned areas.
Residents are being encouraged to be ready to evacuate at a moment’s notice with their prepared emergency evacuation kits. They are also being encouraged to look at the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from ash in the air that can include heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful substances, according to L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer.
The fires that broke out in Southern California on January 7 have killed at least 28 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. The death toll is expected to climb as emergency workers comb through the ashes.
President Donald Trump, who has been critical of the response to the fire, is expected to travel to Los Angeles this week.
Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
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