LOS ANGELES (CN) — A large wildfire erupted in a rural stretch of northern Los Angeles County on Wednesday, growing to more than 5,000 acres in a few hours and prompting a new round of evacuations in the region still dealing with the aftermath of the two massive fires that destroyed thousands of homes earlier this month.
The Hughes Fire, east of Castaic Lake, started around 11 a.m. and had burned 5,054 acres by 1 p.m., according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The flames are fanned by gusty Santa Ana winds that blow from the inland desserts toward the Pacific Ocean. Evacuation orders were issued for the nearby town of Castaic along the Interstate 5 Freeway that connects Northern and Southern California, and other areas west of the fire.
The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag fire warnings for LA County as the Santa Ana winds increase the risk of wildfires in the region where a lack of rain so far this winter has left the trees and shrubs in the mountainous parts of the county bone dry. The winds are forecast to peak overnight and into Thursday morning.
The new fire comes on the heels of the two massive wildfires that tore through LA earlier this month and are still not fully contained.
The Palisades Fire destroyed the upscale, residential neighborhood of Pacific Palisades on LA’s westside and was 68% contained as of Wednesday morning. The fire has scorched 23,448 acres and destroyed more than 6,600 structures. At least 11 people have died in the fire.
East of downtown LA, the Eaton Fire tore through the community of Altadena at the foot of the San Gabriel mountains. The Eaton Fire has burned 14,000 acres and was 91% contained, according to Cal Fire. Seventeen people died in the fire and over 9,000 structures have been destroyed.
Firefighters continue to mop up and extinguish hot spots within the perimeter of the Eaton Fire, Cal Fire said in a Wednesday morning update. The repopulation of residents is ongoing, with zones being released in phases to ensure safety of public and utility agencies.
The firestorm that obliterated the two neighborhoods is estimated to have caused at least $250 billion in economic damage — making it the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history.
The weather is expected to change this week with the first winter rains to arrive in LA County. However, with vegetation burned down in the fire-ravaged mountains, there is the risk of mudslides such as those that hit the Central California town of Montecito in 2018 after the massive Thomas Fire burned more than 280,000 acres of the mountains overlooking the coastal community.