Days after rapidly moving wildfires left behind a trail of massive destruction in Los Angeles, California, a new ‘Hughes Fire’ has prompted evacuation orders or warnings for more than 50,000 people in the US state.
The new blaze broke out late Wednesday morning and has burned down 9,400 acres of land and is under zero per cent containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire).
Plumes of dark smoke were seen near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area in the northwestern neighbourhood of Los Angeles, located about 40 kilometres from the destructive Eaton and Palisades fire that continue to be burning for the third week now.
Data from CAL Fire showed that the Palisades fire, which has charred 23,448 acres of land to date, is under 68 percent containment. The Eaton fire, meanwhile, is under 91 per cent containment after burning down 14,021 acres.
Additionally, the Lilac Fire in San Diego is under 95 per cent containment, while 45 per cent of the Clay Fire in Riverside has been brought under control.
At a press briefing on Wednesday evening, CAL Fire director Joe Tyler said, “This (Hughes) fire had a robust response today, and as you can see behind us, the responders are doing great work to try to contain this fire.”
“Certainly, we are not out of the woods yet,” Tyler added.
According to the data provided by CAL Fire, there is another blaze, ‘Center Fire’ in San Diego county. The date mentioned in the data is the same as Hughes Fire, Wednesday, January 22. The fire has charred 4 acres of land till now.
Meanwhile, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said that more than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, while another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings.
LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said that the fire remains difficult to contain, however, firefighters are having the upper hand in the battle.
The start and rapid growth of the #HughesFire in Los Angeles County seen from ALERTCalifornia’s Whitaker Ridge camera. Check conditions live on multiple cameras at https://t.co/Azu4PbZNY7 and look to @Angeles_NF and @LACOFD for updates. pic.twitter.com/JyKOpyY2jx
— ALERTCalifornia (@ALERTCalifornia) January 22, 2025
Since the winds were not as strong as they were two weeks ago, Marron said, air crews were able to drop tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the southern side of the blaze where flames were moving.
California wind forecast
The National Weather Service, however, said that winds in the area, which were currently gusting at 42 mph, were expected to increase to 60 mph by late evening and Thursday.
“Gusty offshore winds and low humidity will result in persistent critical fire weather conditions for portions of Southern California through Thursday,” the NWS said in a post on X.
It further added that while the risk of wildfire throughout this period “will be high”, conditions will be “increasingly dangerous tonight (Wednesday) into Thursday when winds speeds and gusts approaching 70 mph are possible”.
‘Hope there’s a house to return to’
Kayla Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, drove to Castaic’s Stonegate neighbourhood to collect items from the home of a friend who had rushed to pick her daughter up from pre-school. When Amara was packing the car, she found out that a fire had exploded in size and decide and decided to douse the blaze with the help of water hose.
“Other people are hosing down their houses, too. I hope there’s a house here to return to,” Amara said while police cars rushed through the streets and flames engulfed the trees on a hillside at a distance, The Associated Press reported.
Health concerns
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that winds could carry the ashes from the doused fires, advising residents to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from the toxic air.
LA County public health director Barbara Ferrer issued caution that the ash could carry heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful materials. “Even a brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritation and lead to more serious problems,” Ferrer said while asking people to wear protective gear at the time of cleaning.
(with AP inputs)
