FIREFIGHTERS fought to maintain the upper hand on a huge and rapidly moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and resulted in more than 50,000 people being put under evacuation orders or warnings.
The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometres) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometres) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.
Though the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk, winds were not as fast as when those fires broke out, allowing firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the latest blaze. By Wednesday night, about 14 per cent of the Hughes Fire had been contained.
“The situation that we’re in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.
Red flag warnings were extended through 10 a.m. Friday in LA and Ventura counties. Officials remained concerned that the Palisades and Eaton fires could break their containment lines as firefighters continue watching for hot spots.
An evacuation warning was issued for Sherman Oaks after a brush fire broke out on the Sepulveda Pass near the I-405 Freeway. The blaze was first reported just after 11 p.m. Wednesday, but the Los Angeles Fire Department announced early Thursday that forward progress had been stopped at about 40 acres (16 hectares) and the evacuation warning was lifted. Fire officials said no structures were damaged and no injuries were reported, but firefighters remained at the scene.
More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the Hughes Fire, and another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned.
Winds in the area were gusting at 42 mph (67 kph) in the afternoon. They had reached as high as 65 mph (105 KPH) in some mountain pockets by Wednesday night, according David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleared drainage pipes and basins.
The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued battling the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out January 7.
Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 70 per cent, and the Eaton Fire was at 95 per cent.
