Firefighting aircraft and ground crews are battling a fast-growing wildfire in the Caustic Lake area, north of Los Angeles.
A fast-moving wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles ripped through an estimated 21 square kilometers (8.1 sq mi) of trees and brush, prompting thousands of evacuation orders for local residents and A huge plume of dark smoke was sent up. the sky
Firefighters said on Wednesday that the Hughes fire in the Castaic Lake area of ​​Los Angeles County – located about 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of downtown Los Angeles – caused local residents to “immediately put their lives on hold” due to the blaze. Amidst the threat” prompted evacuation orders. .
An estimated 18,600 people live in the local community where the wildfires consumed trees and brush on the hillsides surrounding Caustic Lake.
Robert Jensen of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department urged anyone in the area affected by the fire to evacuate immediately to avoid the fate of some of the devastating fires that have ripped through the Eaton and Los Angeles areas. Happened in Palisades as well as other areas. 28 people were killed and thousands were displaced.
“We’ve seen the devastation caused by people failing to follow these orders in the Palisades and Eaton fires,” Jensen said.
“I don’t even want to see this here in our community. If you’ve been issued an evacuation order, please get out,” he said.
US television news showed police driving around the caustic area urging people to leave as crews on the ground and water-dropping aircraft carrying air-borne fires further south. It is fighting to prevent the population from moving towards the foothills.
The fire was fueled by strong, dry Santa Ana winds that swept through the area, pushing a wide plume of smoke and embers in front of the flames.
Firefighting crews from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and the Angeles National Forest were also attacking the fire from the ground.
It wasn’t immediately known what started the fire, but it occurred during red flag fire conditions when meteorologists say high winds and low humidity create the perfect conditions for fires to spread quickly.
The University of California San Diego shared dramatic video of the start of the Hughes Fire and its rapid growth on its ALERTCalifornia online platform, showing a large cloud of smoke quickly spreading as the fire spread across the hills. is
Initiation and rapid growth #HughesFire Seen by ALERTCalifornia’s Whitaker Ridge camera in Los Angeles County. Check conditions live on multiple cameras. https://t.co/Azu4PbZNY7 And look @Angeles_NF And @LACOFD For updates pic.twitter.com/JyKOpyY2jx
— ALERTCalifornia (@ALERTCalifornia) January 22, 2025
US President Donald Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires in the Los Angeles area during his inaugural address on Monday, said he would travel to the city on Friday.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said the Eaton and Palisades fires — which have also ravaged Los Angeles — have been brought under control as new fires flare up in Castaic.
The Eaton Fire, which has burned 5,674 hectares (14,021 acres) east of Los Angeles, is now 91 percent contained, while the larger Palisades Fire, which has burned 9,489 hectares (23,448 acres) west of Los Angeles. Done, almost done. Officials said that 70 percent of the
Since the Jan. 7 fires in Eaton and Palisades, they have claimed 28 lives and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.
At one point, during the height of the fire, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, according to Los Angeles County officials.
AccuWeather, a private forecaster, has estimated the damage and economic losses from the fires around Los Angeles at more than $250bn.
