Blaze-stricken Los Angeles contends with fresh fires, resurgent winds

Firefighters are desperately working to contain new fires, including one in the exclusive Bel-Air neighbourhood, with drought conditions and high winds leaving areas vulnerable.

A firefighter works as the Hughes fire burns in Los Angeles.

Thousands of firefighters worked to contain a pair of new blazes Thursday, including one near the affluent Bel-Air neighborhood, while persistent winds left weary Angelenos on edge following weeks of historic fires.

The newest blaze, named the Sepulveda fire, had reached 45 acres with 60% containment Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department said. It broke out near Bel-Air, roughly 2 miles from the perimeter of the Palisades fire that has already ravaged more than 23,000 acres and destroyed thousands of structures this month.

Officials lifted evacuation warnings for the Sepulveda fire after firefighters said they stopped “all forward progress” of the blaze. The fire wasn’t immediately threatening any homes, fire officials said.

The Hughes fire in northern Los Angeles County, near the city of Santa Clarita, broke out Wednesday and exploded to more than 10,100 acres. It was 14% contained by early Thursday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Some 4,000 firefighters worked overnight to contain the fire.

The new fires hit a region already reeling from weeks of historic flames and bracing for further damage from strong winds and potential mudslides from rain that is forecast this weekend.

Red-flag warnings for dangerous fire weather were in effect through Friday morning, and drought conditions have left the area vulnerable. Wind gusts up to 70 miles an hour were expected throughout Thursday, said David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

“With the low humidity and those strong Santa Ana winds coming down from the mountains, that will spread whatever fires are there,” Roth said. “You don’t need much of an ignition source in these conditions.” While the winds were forecast to die down later Friday, heavy rain into the weekend poses the risk of flash flooding.

Fire stations and other sites are distributing sandbags to help homeowners mitigate risks from potential mudslides. Officials have advised residents near steep slopes that have burned to not be home while it rains.

“Those burned areas are really vulnerable to flooding as everything just runs off,” Roth said. “Some of the first rains after a fire can be almost as bad as the fire itself.” The Hughes fire originated in the Castaic area, a remote, unincorporated part of northern Los Angeles County with a population of around 19,000, and has spread into Ventura County.

During a press conference Wednesday evening, officials said winds weren’t as strong as during the infernos two weeks ago, allowing crews to drop tens of thousands of gallons of retardant from the air.

Skies were clear Thursday morning over Six Flags Magic Mountain, an amusement park south of the blaze, with no visible smoke in the sky from nearby Santa Clarita. A cluster of firetrucks remained on watch near the Castaic jail complex.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday evening that his department was prepared to evacuate some 4,500 inmates from the jail if necessary.

The velocity of the Hughes fire was evident Thursday around Castaic Lake, which serves as a reservoir and recreation area. Few active flames remained, but the landscape sat blackened in almost all directions. Birds chirped as wisps of smoke smoldered from hot spots.

A church overlooking the lake appeared untouched by the fire, with keys hanging from the front door lock and an alarm ringing out from inside. Fire and service trucks, including several hauling bulldozers on flatbeds, dodged downed power lines on the road hugging the lake.

Strong winds returned to the Los Angeles area this week after firefighters made progress containing the deadly wildfires that devastated neighborhoods including the Pacific Palisades and Altadena.

The Palisades fire was 70% contained early Thursday and the more than 14,000-acre Eaton fire was 95% contained. Together, the two fires have destroyed more than 15,000 homes, businesses and other structures. At least 28 people have died.

In 2025, 240 wildfires have burned through 40,462 acres in California, according to preliminary estimates from Cal Fire -- far more than the five-year average of 453 acres burned at this point in the year.

Alyssa Lukpat and Ben Fritz contributed to this article.

WSJ