A new wildfire, named the Hughes Fire, ignited north of Los Angeles on Wednesday, rapidly spreading to over 9,400 acres and forcing mandatory evacuations for more than 31,000 residents.
The blaze, driven by strong winds and dry vegetation, has led to evacuation orders in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County, which faces an “immediate threat to life.”
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Firefighters are working tirelessly to control the rapidly growing wildfire, which has reached nearly two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of the major ongoing fires in the Los Angeles region. Approximately 1,100 firefighters have been deployed as Southern California remains under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk.
The Angeles National Forest, spanning 700,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains, has been closed to visitors. Smoke from the fire has also caused visibility issues, resulting in temporary closures on Interstate 5 in the Grapevine area, though the highway has since reopened.
While the Hughes Fire spreads, the Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,021 acres east of Los Angeles, is now 91% contained, and the Palisades Fire, which scorched 23,448 acres on the city’s west side, is 68% contained.
Since January 7, these wildfires have claimed 28 lives, damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, and caused the evacuation of 180,000 people at their peak. AccuWeather estimates that the total damages and economic losses from the fires will surpass $250 billion. While some smaller fires have been controlled, firefighters continue their efforts to battle the active blazes across the region.
