Firefighters battled to contain a large and fast-moving wildfire that ripped through the rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, leaving more than 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. kept
The Hughes fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day burned about 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, about 100 miles from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires. 40 miles (64 km) away is a popular recreational area. which has been burning since the third week.
Although the region was under a red flag warning for severe fire danger, the winds were not as strong as when the fire broke out, prompting firefighting planes to drop tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the latest blaze. Got a chance. As of Wednesday night, the Hughes Fire was about 14% contained.
Late Wednesday, a new 40-acre brush fire, dubbed the Sepulveda Fire, broke out along Interstate 405 — the nation’s busiest highway — as well as near the Getty Museum and the Bel-Air neighborhood. By Thursday morning, firefighters said they had it under control.
“The situation we’re in today is a lot different than 16 days ago,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marvin said Wednesday evening.
A red flag warning was extended until 10 a.m. Friday in LA and Ventura counties. Officials feared the Palisades and Eaton fires could breach their containment lines as firefighters continue to search for hot spots.
An evacuation warning was issued for Sherman Oaks, where a nearly 10-acre (4-hectare) brush fire was burning on Sepulveda Pass near the I-405 freeway. The fire was first reported after 11pm on Wednesday.
More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the Hughes fire, and another 23,000 people are under evacuation warnings, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. There were no reports of burning of houses or other structures.
Portions of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire were reopened Wednesday evening.
A 30-mile (48 km) stretch of the major north-south artery was closed to emergency vehicles, to transport supplies and to prevent accidents caused by smoke. Crews on the ground and water-dropping aircraft attempted to contain the air-borne fire from moving toward the interstate and Castac.
Because the winds weren’t as strong as they were two weeks ago, aircrews were able to put out the fire on the south side of the fire, where the flames were moving, Marvin said. More than 4,000 firefighters were deployed to douse the blaze, he said.
The area had sustained winds of 42 mph (67 km/h) in the afternoon. By Wednesday night, they had reached 65 mph (105 km/h) in some mountainous areas, according to National Weather Service meteorologist David Roth.
Kayla Amara went to the Stonegate neighborhood of Castac to pick up items from the home of a friend who had arrived to pick up her daughter at preschool. As Amara is packing the car, she realizes that the fire has broken out and decides to gut the property.
“Other people are also hiding their homes. I hope there will be a home to return to,” Amara said as police cars raced through the streets and flames engulfed trees on a hill in the distance. took
Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she had been on edge for weeks as wildfires ravaged Southern California.
“It’s been stressful with these other fires, but now that this fire is closer to home, it’s extremely stressful,” he said.
To the south, Los Angeles officials began preparing for possible rain even as some residents were allowed to return to the burned Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. According to the weather service, the sweltering weather is expected to continue through Thursday and rain is expected starting Saturday.
The Associated Press contributed to the reporting.
