(Image source from: AFP)
A new wildfire that broke out north of Los Angeles on Wednesday quickly spread to more than 9,400 acres (38 square kilometers) due to strong winds and dry brush, prompting a mandatory evacuation of more than 31,000 people. The Hughes Fire, which broke out about 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, increased pressure on area firefighters who had nearly extinguished two large blazes in the metropolitan area. In just a few hours Wednesday, the new fire grew to two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of two wildfires that broke out in the Los Angeles area. Officials warned residents in the Caustic Lake area of Los Angeles that they faced an "imminent threat to life," but much of Southern California was at high risk of wildfires due to dry conditions and strong winds.
About 31,000 people are under a mandatory evacuation order and another 23,000 are under an evacuation order, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference. The Angeles National Forest announced that the entire 700,000-acre (2,800 km2) park in the San Gabriel Mountains was closed to visitors. According to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), the red flag warning sent approximately 1,100 firefighters to areas around Southern California to prepare for the fire's rapid progression. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Malone said more than 4,000 firefighters are battling the Hughes Fire. Southern California has not seen heavy rain in nine months, creating dangerous conditions. But expected rain Saturday into Monday could give firefighters the relief they've been waiting for.
KTLA-TV footage shows a helicopter scooping water from the lake and throwing it onto the fire and a fixed-wing aircraft dropping fire retardant over the hillside. The flames spread to the water's edge. Interstate 5, the main north-south highway in the western United States, was temporarily closed in a mountain pass known as Grapevine because of poor visibility caused by smoke, the California Highway Patrol said. However, the firefighters managed to contain the fire long enough for the highway to be reopened, said Marrone. Cal Fire said the two deadly wildfires that have hit Los Angeles since Jan. 7 have been brought under greater control, while new fires continue to rage. The Eaton fire, which burned 14,021 acres (57 km²) east of Los Angeles, is 91% contained, while the larger Palisades fire, which burned 23,448 acres (95 km²) west of Los Angeles, is 68% contained.
Containment measures the percentage of the fire environment that firefighters can control. Since the two fires broke out on Jan. 7, they have covered an area about the size of Washington, D.C., according to Cal Fire. burned down, killing 28 people and destroying nearly 16,000 buildings. At one point, 180,000 people were under evacuation orders, Los Angeles officials said. Private forecasting firm AccuWeather predicts economic damage of more than $250 billion. A number of smaller fires in Southern California have been extinguished or nearly extinguished in the past two weeks.
