Hughes Fire, Sepulveda Fire rage near LA; 50,000 under evacuation orders
Another fast-moving blaze has forced 50,000 Californians under new evacuation orders and thousands more firefighters to be deployed as more wildfires break out in the LA region.
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Firefighters are battling a fast-moving blaze in northern Los Angeles County that closed schools and forced thousands to flee their homes amid more relentless Santa Ana winds and bone-dry conditions.
The Hughes Fire erupted near Castaic Lake, a reservoir northwest of downtown Los Angeles and rapidly consumed over 10,000 acres as authorities warned of an “immediate threat to life.”
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said that about 31,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders while another 23,000 were under evacuation warnings as the blaze is only 14 per cent contained, according to Cal Fire.
Meanwhile, another brush fire broke out along the eastern side of Interstate 405 near Bel Air and the University of California-Los Angeles.
The Sepulveda Fire, initially prompted evacuation warnings, but those have been lifted as firefighters contained its spread to about 40 acres.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said no structures were damaged in the blaze and that firefighters were working to “fully extinguish the fire and any hot spots.”
Over 1100 firefighters had been “strategically pre-positioned” across Southern California to address the “ongoing critical fire weather,” according to Cal Fire.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said more than 4000 firefighters were battling the Hughes Fire. Red flag warnings are in effect through Friday.
It comes as US President Donald Trump renewed his attack on California Governor Gavin Newsom over his water policies which he linked to the wildfire disaster in Los Angeles.
The new wildfire, which one expert said could “go nuclear”, swept the hills following the devastating infernos that decimated parts of the city.
“That’s like a nuclear weapon went off, what happened to Los Angeles,” the President said in his first official interview from the Oval Office.
“It looked like our country was helpless … I’ve never seen anything like it. We looked so weak,” he told Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
Mr Trump threatened to refuse billions of dollars in federal aid to California to rebuild from the disaster unless Mr Newsom changed the state’s water policies.
He is due to visit the area later this week in his first trip from Washington DC after his inauguration.
The Hughes fire, burning near Castaic Lake north of Santa Clarita, quickly charred more than 9400 acres in a couple of hours, forcing thousands to flee their homes.
It started off Lake Hughes Road just before 11am and quickly prompted evacuations orders.
More than 31,000 people were ordered to flee, and warnings were issued to 23,000 others.
Dozens of fire trucks were lined up at the entrance to the empty Magic Mountain amusement park in Valencia, with large plumes of smoke rising from the hills to the north and east, The New York Times reports.
The blaze is the first significant outbreak since the fatal LA wildfires that scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead.
A huge column of smoke was spotted near Santa Clarita around 10.45am, local time, prompting first responders to request four aircraft and 50 fire engines, according to the fire monitoring organisation Watch Duty.
Jacob Weigler, Wildfire Coordinator for Central Pierce County, Washington, told the New York Post this indicated that the fire was already nearly out of control.
“That one’s gonna go nuclear. It’s big,” he said.
“You know what the fuels are capable of doing in that area right now, and what the wind does is going to be a big deal for this.”
Santa Ana winds have continued whipping through Southern California, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires could be reversed and more blazes could break out.
More than 10 million people across parts of Southern California are under red flag warnings due to the gusty winds and ongoing extremely dry air.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said his department was still investigating 22 active missing person reports in both the Eaton and the Palisades fire zones. All of those reported missing are adults, he said.
US President Donald Trump, who has criticised the response to the wildfires, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday, local time.
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