Wildfire near Los Angeles forces evacuations

Wildfire near Los Angeles forces evacuations
Wildfire near Los Angeles forces evacuations

A devastating new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles, forcing over 31,000 residents to evacuate and putting an additional 23,000 under evacuation warnings. The Hughes Fire rapidly consumed more than 9,400 acres near Castaic Lake, approximately 50 miles north of Los Angeles, further straining firefighting resources already battling two major fires in the metropolitan area.

The blaze grew to two-thirds the size of the ongoing Eaton Fire within hours, prompting Los Angeles County officials to issue "immediate threat to life" warnings. The Angeles National Forest closed its entire 700,000-acre park in the San Gabriel Mountains as a precautionary measure.

Firefighters had achieved 14% containment, aided by aircraft dropping fire retardant. While winds weren't as severe as during the previous fires, gusts reached up to 65 mph in some mountain areas. A 30-mile stretch of Interstate 5 temporarily closed but reopened.

The region remains under a red flag warning for extreme fire risk until. The situation has become particularly concerning as this new fire emerges while crews continue to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have already claimed 28 lives and destroyed over 14,000 structures since January 7.

Local authorities are also preparing for potential rain and subsequent mud flows in fire-affected areas, with precipitation expected. Health officials warned about toxic ash containing heavy metals and arsenic, advising residents to take proper precautions.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires, while several lawsuits have been filed against Southern California Edison, alleging their equipment sparked the Eaton Fire. Twenty-two people remain missing in the fire zones, according to Sheriff Robert Luna.

The Palisades Fire is now 70% contained, while the Eaton Fire has reached 95% containment. More than 4,000 firefighters are currently assigned to combat the Hughes Fire as officials work to prevent its spread across Interstate 5 and toward Castaic.