Hughes fire spreads for thousands of acres in hours
A new wildfire has erupted outside Los Angeles, leading to thousands of evacuation orders.
Within few hours, the fire rapidly spread across 9,400 acres, engulfing the slopes adjacent to Castaic Lake due to its swift expansion.
The strong, dry Santa Ana winds in the area played a role in igniting the Hughes fire. The intense winds carried a thick layer of smoke and embers ahead of the flames across the region.
Over 30,000 individuals have been evacuated from the area surrounding the lake, located approximately thirty-five miles north of Los Angeles and near Santa Clarita.
“All we can do is pray our house doesn’t burn down,” one man told the broadcaster KTLA as he put things in his car. Another 23,000 people are facing evacuation warnings.
The Los Angeles area remains in agony after two massive blazes that left more than twenty-four dead and thousands of buildings consumed. Property loss and neutered remaining resources have left the city in shock.
Robert Jensen, from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, urged all residents in the affected area of the new fire to evacuate immediately.
“We’ve witnessed the devastation when people fail to obey those orders in the Palisades and Eaton fires,” he said.
“I do not wish to witness that in our community, either. If you have received an evacuation order, please make your departure.”
Firefighting aircraft dropped fire retardant on the fire, while firefighters urgently worked to try to keep the fire from moving forward.
That fleet included two Super Scoopers, giant amphibious planes capable of carrying hundreds of gallons of water.
Crews with the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Los Angeles National Forest were also fighting the fire on the ground.
It was not immediately clear what ignited the fire. It still happened under red flag fire conditions — when fierce winds and low humidity have meteorologists saying the weather is ideal for fast fire spread.
Meanwhile, to the south, Los Angeles officials were preparing for rain while some residents were being permitted back into the charred Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas.
“We’re going to see another round of critical fire conditions across Southern California,” Todd Hall, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said on Wednesday morning. “It’s a broken record at this stage.”
Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles signed an executive order to speed clean-up in burn areas and reduce the environmental effects of fire-related pollutants.
She had crews cut down vegetation, shore up hillsides and reinforce roads ahead of rain.
The Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite sediment removal for areas affected by fires.
“As the fires settle, new obstacles await us,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said at a news conference Wednesday.
“We are preparing for rains and the mud and debris flows in fire-impacted communities are a real threat.