Thousands told to evacuate after two new blazes start in Los Angeles County

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued to more than 31,000 people in the vicinity of two new wildfires north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County began Wednesday morning and now covers more than 10,000 acres or 15 square miles. It was 24% contained at 2 p.m. local time Thursday (8 p.m. ET), according to Cal Fire.

The Hughes Fire was being fed by high winds and dry conditions, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters, but according to an update from the interagency fire information center it had not destroyed any structures.

A new brush fire began late Wednesday in Sepulveda Pass, growing to 40 acres near the densely populated Sherman Oaks neighborhood and UCLA, but its progress was stopped. Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation warning for residents in the area at 11:46 p.m. (2:46 a.m. ET Thursday) but later ended the alert at 2 a.m.

In addition to the approximately 31,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders, another around 23,000 were under evacuation warnings, meaning they should be prepared to leave if told to do so.

“The fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news briefing for the Hughes Fire earlier Wednesday.

The Hughes Fire ignited weeks after two nearby blazes left at least 27 people dead and engulfed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area earlier this month, in what the city’s fire chief has called one of the worst disasters in the history of Los Angeles.

Wednesday’s winds were not as strong as those that fueled the Eaton and Palisades fires Jan. 7, when authorities were unable to use aircraft to drop flame retardant, Marrone said.

On Wednesday, firefighters were able to drop tens of thousands of gallons of retardant to help halt the spread of the fire, he said.

“Had you been here a few hours ago, the situation looked much different and much more threatening,” Marrone said.

A section of Interstate 5 that stretches through a mountain pass north of Castaic Lake that was closed Wednesday later reopened in both directions, the California Highway Patrol said on X. The agency added that off ramps to Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road, both on I-5 north, remain closed.

A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called for the immediate evacuation of 4,700 jail inmates in four facilities around the lake that are under a warning to flee the area.

A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, which operates the jails, said that 476 people in one of the facilities were being moved to another jail.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire broke out after a return of winds and dry conditions created a critical fire risk. The area remained under “red flag” warnings through 10 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said, adding that wind gusts of up to 65 mph could be expected in the mountains.

Experts have pointed to the link between climate change and the conditions that make fires like those that have roared across Los Angeles in recent weeks more likely.

Images broadcast by NBC Los Angeles showed massive plumes of smoke soaring above the region and giant flames scorching what appeared to be a ridge line.

Video from the station showed residents who had refused evacuation orders hosing down their homes and sealing exterior events to block embers.

In an interview with the station, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger pleaded with people to heed the orders. She said she was concerned officials may have to ground firefighting aircraft if winds pick up.

“I’m knocking on wood we contain this and it doesn’t affect any homes,” she said.

Barger described the area as home to many first responders and their families.

The nearby Eaton Fire, which ignited Jan. 7 and devastated the community of Altadena, was 95% contained Wednesday after burning more than 14,000 acres, fire officials said. More than 9,400 structures, including homes, have been destroyed.

The Palisades Fire was sparked hours earlier in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The blaze had scorched more than 23,400 acres and was 72% contained, according to Cal Fire.

The cause of both fires remained under investigation, according to the agency.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com

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