Roughly 31,000 people were ordered to flee an area north of Los Angeles on Wednesday after a fast-moving wildfire exploded, growing to more than 9,000 acres within hours, officials said.
Another 23,000 people were under evacuation warnings after the Hughes Fire erupted at 10:53 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters.
Fueled by dry, windy conditions, the blaze had scorched more than 9,400 acres by Wednesday evening, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone said at a news conference.
“The fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand,” Marrone said.
The fire ignited weeks after two nearby blazes left at least 27 people dead and engulfed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area earlier this month.
The blaze had no containment.
But the winds were not as strong as those that fueled the Eaton and Palisades fires on Jan. 7, when authorities were unable to use aircraft to drop flame retardant, Marrone said.
On Wednesday, firefighters were able to drop tens of thousands of gallons to help halt the spread of the fire, he said.
“Had you been here a few hours ago, the situation looked much different and much more threatening,” Marrone said.
A section of Interstate 5 that stretches through a mountain pass north of Castaic Lake was closed Wednesday, though it was expected to reopen later, Luna said.
A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called for the immediate evacuation of 4,700 jail inmates in four facilities around the lake that are under a warning to flee the area.
A spokesperson for the sheriff’s department, which operates the jails, said that 476 people in one of the facilities were being moved to another jail.
The cause of the fire was under investigation. The National Weather Service warned Tuesday of a return of critical fire conditions, with powerful winds and severely dry conditions expected through Friday morning. It cautioned that gusts of up to 55 mph could be expected.
Experts have pointed to the link between climate change and the conditions that make fires like those that have roared across Los Angeles in recent weeks more likely.
Images broadcast by NBC Los Angeles showed massive plumes of smoke soaring above the region and giant flames scorching what appeared to be a ridge line.
Video from the station showed residents who had refused evacuation orders hosing down their homes and sealing exterior events to block embers.
In an interview with the station, Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger pleaded with people to heed the orders. She said she was concerned officials may have to ground firefighting aircraft if winds pick up.
“I’m knocking on wood we contain this and it doesn’t affect any homes,” she said.
Barger described the area as home to many first responders and their families.
The nearby Eaton Fire, which ignited Jan. 7 and devastated the community of Altadena, had burned more than 14,000 acres and was 91 percent contained as of Wednesday, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or CalFire.
The Palisades Fire was sparked hours earlier in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood. The blaze had scorched more than 23,000 acres and was 68 percent contained, according to CalFire.
The cause of both fires remained under investigation, according to the agency.
