A fast-moving wildfire flared Wednesday, spreading to more than 5,000 acres in a matter of hours, forcing over 20,000 people to evacuate a region north of Los Angeles, according to officials.
The Hughes Fire broke out around 10:53 a.m. Wednesday close to the city of Castaic in northern Los Angeles County, prompting an additional 15,000 residents to be placed under evacuation alerts, according to a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Three hours later, fire officials reported that the fire had burned over 5,054 acres.
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.
The Angeles National Forest said in a statement that the fire was uncontainable as of 1:33 p.m.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a portion of Interstate 5 that passes through a mountain pass north of Castaic Lake was closed Wednesday and will stay closed for an indefinite period of time.
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.
Many first responders and their families reside in Castaic, a city of around 18,000 people, according to Barger.
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.