More than 31,000 people were warned and ordered to evacuate Wednesday near two new wildfires north of Los Angeles.
More than 10,000 acres, or 15 square miles, have been burned since Wednesday morning in the Hughes fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County.Cal Fire said that by 1 a.m. local time (4 a.m. ET), it was only 10% contained.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna informed reporters that the Hughes fire was being fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, but the interagency fire information center reported that no structures have been burned.
Late Wednesday saw the start of a fresh brush fire in Sepulveda Pass, which spread to 40 acres close to UCLA and the heavily populated Sherman Oaks neighborhood before being put out. At 11:46 p.m. ET on Thursday, the Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation warning for local homes; however, the notice was canceled at 2 a.m.
About 23,000 individuals were on evacuation warnings, which means they should be ready to evacuate if instructed to do so, in addition to the 31,000 or so people who were under obligatory evacuation orders.
During a news briefing for the Hughes Fire earlier Wednesday, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone stated, “We are gaining the upper hand, but the fire is still difficult to contain.”