Thousands evacuate as flames burn near Los Angeles

A new, fast-moving wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, prompting tens of thousands of people to evacuate an area already reeling from the most destructive wildfires in its history.

The Hughes fire burned 72 kilometers northwest of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, near Castaic Lake in a mountainous area bordering several residential areas and schools.

It grew to more than 10,000 acres in a few hours Wednesday, fueled by wind and dry brush. No homes or businesses were damaged, and officials expressed confidence that it was under control.

The new fire is in the north and two large blazes have destroyed dozens of neighborhoods this month.

Local news showed residents near the Hughes fire flooding their homes and gardens with others scrambling to get out.

Orange flames engulfed the mountains as the plane dropped water and flame retardant.

The region is once again under a red flag warning, continuing until Thursday. This warns of high fire risk due to strong winds and dry conditions with low humidity.

Winds in the area were gusting at 20-30mph (32-48km/h), but could gust, which would spread the fire and make it difficult for air crews to work.

Climate change has made the grasses and shrubs that fuel the Los Angeles fires more vulnerable to burning, scientists say.

The rapid “whiplash” style transition between dry and wet conditions in the region in recent years has created a large amount of dry vegetation that is ready to burn.

About 31,000 people in the area are under an evacuation order and another 23,000 have been warned to evacuate, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. About 500 inmates in the local jail are being released, he added.

The fire continued to grow as the sun went down Wednesday, but Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said he believed crews were making progress.

“The situation is still tense and the fire is still a difficult fire to stop, even though we are gaining strength,” he said. The fire was reported to be 14% contained early Thursday, according to the website of Cal Fire, California’s fire department.

A fire that is 100% contained does not mean that it has been extinguished, but rather that the flames are fully contained and the spread has been successfully stopped.

Officials said the fire was different from the Palisades and Eaton fires, which killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 10,000 homes and businesses earlier this month.

Chief Marrone said they benefited from lower winds – unlike the 70-90mph winds seen during previous fires – and having more helicopters and planes able to fight fires from above.

“I think we’ve all been in awe of the last 16 days,” he said. “We were able to gather firefighting resources early enough to change the look of this fire.”

Ed Fletcher, who works for Cal Fire, told the BBC that the area was very crowded and strong winds were blowing the fire towards Lake Castaic, which acted as a buffer zone for Castaic – home to about 20,000 residents.

But “when it jumps into the lake, it becomes a very dynamic situation”, he said.

One woman who fled her home told NBC 4 she was stuck on Interstate 5, California’s main transportation highway that runs through the state. Parts of the roads in the area were closed due to the fire.

“It was like a cloud, but as you got closer, it looked like we were going to hell,” he said of the black smoke and red flames he saw. “It was very scary.”

He admitted he was surprised after watching the Palisades and Eaton fires burn nearby. “I don’t know why they keep coming,” she said. “It’s definitely a scary time in this area.”

Have you been evacuated due to a fire? Get in touch if it is safe to do so.

Two more fires broke out Wednesday to the south, near San Diego and Oceanside. The Lilac Fire was declared completely contained after burning 85 acres. As a separate Center fire, covering four hectares, it burned in densely populated areas. Exit orders have now been largely removed.

Dana Dierkes, spokeswoman for the Angeles National Forest, noted that wind and dry brush have made the recent fires more difficult to fight.

“We don’t have a fire season in California. We have a fire year,” he said. “We’ve had wildfires in January before, but they’re fueled by Santa Ana winds. Wind is a big factor when we have a dry year.”

Rain is in the forecast for the weekend in the region, good news to end the fire threat. But the expected rain brings new fears in the form of mudslides, floods and landslides.

Areas affected by recent fires are particularly vulnerable, because the areas that have been burned are relatively small.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday to help free up flood and landslide repair services after the fires.

Workers were filling thousands sand bags in dangerous places.

Samantha Granville contributed to this report.