A fast-moving wildfire flared Wednesday, spreading to over 8,000 acres in a matter of hours, forcing some 31,000 people to evacuate a region north of Los Angeles, according to officials.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna informed reporters that another 23,000 residents were under evacuation warnings following the Hughes Fire, which broke out at 10:53 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County.
At a joint news conference, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone stated that the fire, which was fueled by windy and dry weather, had burned 9,400 acres by Wednesday afternoon.
“The fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand,” Marrone stated.
The fire started weeks after two neighboring fires in the Los Angeles area earlier this month destroyed hundreds of homes and killed at least 27 people.
According to Marrone, there was no containment of the fire as of Wednesday afternoon.
However, according to Marrone, the gusts were not as intense as those that caused the Eaton and Palisades fires on January 7, when authorities were unable to deploy flame retardant using airplanes.
Tens of thousands of gallons were dropped by firefighters on Wednesday to assist stop the fire from spreading, he added.
“Had you been here a few hours ago, the situation looked much different and much more threatening,” Marrone stated.
According to Luna, a portion of Interstate 5 that passes via a mountain pass north of Castaic Lake was closed on Wednesday but was anticipated to reopen later.
A lawyer for the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union demanded that 4,700 jail inmates in four facilities around the lake who are under a warning to leave the area immediately.
476 inmates in one of the institutions were being transferred to another jail, according to a spokesman for the sheriff’s department, which runs the prisons.
Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the fire. With strong winds and extremely dry weather predicted until Friday morning, the National Weather Service warned on Tuesday of a return of dangerous fire conditions. It issued a warning that gusts of up to 55 mph were possible.
The conditions that increase the likelihood of flames like the ones that have raged over Los Angeles in recent weeks are linked to climate change, according to experts.
Images from NBC Los Angeles showed enormous flames burning what looked to be a ridge line, with huge smoke plumes towering over the area.
Residents who had disregarded evacuation orders were seen hosing down their houses and caulking outdoor gatherings to keep embers out in station video.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger begged residents to follow the directives in an interview with the broadcaster. She expressed fear that if winds increase, officials would have to ground firefighting aircraft.
“Hopefully, we’re able to contain this and it doesn’t impact any homes,” she added.
According to Barger, a large number of first responders and their families reside in the region.
As of Wednesday, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire, reported that the Eaton Fire, which broke out on January 7 and ravaged the Altadena town, had burnt over 14,000 acres and was 91 percent contained.
Hours earlier, the Pacific Palisades area was the scene of the Palisades Fire. CalFire reported that the fire was 68 percent contained and had burned over 23,000 acres.
The department said it was still investigating the cause of the fires.