CASTAIC, California. A rapidly spreading wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, ballooning to over 8,000 acres (32 square kilometers) in just a few hours. The blaze, dubbed the Hughes Fire, has prompted mandatory evacuation orders for more than 19,000 residents in Castaic and surrounding areas, officials said.
Fueled by strong winds and dry vegetation, the wildfire is the latest to challenge Southern California firefighters, already battling two major fires that have devastated the Los Angeles metropolitan area this month.
Residents in the Castaic Lake area were warned of an “immediate threat to life,” according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department (LACoFD). An additional 16,000 people remain under evacuation warnings.
Multiple agencies, including LACoFD, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), and the U.S. Forest Service, have deployed crews to contain the blaze. Helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft have been seen dropping water and fire retardants to protect structures and halt the fire’s progress.
The Hughes Fire forced the closure of Interstate 5 through the Grapevine area, a vital north-south corridor, due to dense smoke and reduced visibility, the California Highway Patrol reported.
The fire broke out as much of Southern California remains under a red-flag warning, with conditions ripe for wildfires due to nine months of minimal rainfall, strong winds, and extremely dry brush. To mitigate risks, 1,100 firefighters have been pre-deployed across the region, Cal Fire said.
Rain is forecast from Saturday through Monday, potentially bringing much-needed relief to firefighting efforts.
While the Hughes Fire rages, firefighters have made significant progress in containing two other major wildfires in Los Angeles County. The Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,021 acres (57 square kilometers) east of the city, is now 91% contained. Meanwhile, the Palisades Fire, which scorched 23,448 acres (95 square kilometers) west of Los Angeles, is 68% contained.
Since their ignition on January 7, the Eaton and Palisades Fires have claimed 28 lives, destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, and displaced 180,000 residents at the height of evacuations.
Private weather forecaster AccuWeather estimates the economic losses from the recent fires at over $250 billion, underscoring the severity of the disaster.
The Angeles National Forest, encompassing 700,000 acres (2,800 square kilometers) in the San Gabriel Mountains, has been closed to visitors to prioritize safety and firefighting efforts.
As authorities continue to battle this latest inferno, they urge residents to heed evacuation orders and prepare for possible fire-related disruptions.
Gary P Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
- Gary P Hernalhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- Gary P Hernalhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- Gary P Hernalhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
- Gary P Hernalhttps://tutubi.ph/author/gary-hernal/
