Los Angeles County is already experiencing the most devastating flames in its history, and now a new, rapidly spreading wildfire has forced tens of thousands of residents to evacuate.
In a mountainous region that abuts numerous residential neighbourhoods and educational institutions, the Hughes fire broke out on Wednesday morning 45 miles (72 km) northwest of Los Angeles, close to Castaic Lake.
In a few hours on Wednesday, it expanded to over 10,000 acres due to winds and dry brush. Authorities said they were confident they had brought it under control and that no homes or businesses had been harmed.
The two massive fires that have devastated several neighbourhoods this month are to the north of the current one.
Residents near the Hughes fire were hosing down their houses and gardens with water, while others were hurrying to leave, according to local news.
Through Thursday, the area is once more under a red flag alert. This warns of a significant risk of fire because of the dry, low-humid conditions and strong winds.
The local winds were blowing between 20 and 30 mph (32 and 48 km/h), but they may get stronger, which would fuel the fire and make it more difficult for the air workers to work.
According to scientists, climate change has increased the susceptibility of the grasses and bushes that are causing the fires in Los Angeles to burn.
There is a great deal of tinder-dry vegetation that is ready to burn because of the region’s recent rapid “whiplash”-style swings between dry and wet conditions.
Approximately 31,000 residents in the region are required to evacuate, and an additional 23,000 have received warnings that they might need to leave, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. He also mentioned the evacuation of about 500 prisoners from a nearby jail.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief, Anthony Marrone stated that he thought crews were making progress, even though the fire was still growing as the sun set on Wednesday.
“The situation remains dynamic and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand,” he said. The fire was declared 14% contained early on Thursday, according to the website of Cal Fire, California’s statewide fire agency.
Being 100% contained does not imply that a fire has been put out; rather, it indicates that the flames have been completely surrounded and that its spread has been successfully halted.
Authorities said the fire was not the same as the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier this month, which destroyed over 10,000 houses and businesses and claimed at least 28 lives.
According to Chief Marrone, they were gaining an advantage from having so many helicopters and planes that could combat the fire from above as well as from lesser winds, as opposed to the 70-90 mph winds that were observed during the earlier fires.
He said, “I think that we’ve all been on edge over the last 16 days. We were able to amass a lot of fire resources early on to change what this fire looks like.”
One woman who fled her home told NBC 4 that she was stuck on Interstate 5, California’s primary transportation highway that runs through the state. Parts of the interstate in the area had been closed because of the fire.
“It looked like a cloud, but as you got close, it looked like we were driving into hell,” she said of the dark smoke and red flames she saw. “It was pretty terrifying.”
She acknowledged being on edge after watching the Palisades and Eaton fires burn nearby. “I don’t know why they keep popping up. It’s definitely a scary time in this area.”
State Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Monday to help free up resources for flood and lands.
(BBC)
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