Huge new LA fire prompts evacuations after weeks of blazes

Fire crews are making progress on blunting the threat from an enormous new blaze north of Los Angeles that forced students to evacuate and prompted inmates to shelter in place.

The Hughes Fire erupted before 11 a.m. local time and has expanded quickly to more than 9 000 acres, leading to evacuation orders and warnings covering a broad area around Castaic Lake. The blaze remains uncontained but Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the quick mobilisation of resources including aircraft has given fire crews the “upper hand.”

“We were able to amass a lot of fire resources early on to change what this fire looks like,” Marrone said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. “The situation that we’re in today is much different than the situation we were in 16 days ago,” referring to the start of the Palisades and Eaton fires.

The wildfire has stoked fresh fears in a region already devastated by two weeks of deadly infernos that have killed at least 28 people, destroyed nearly 15 000 structures — most of them homes — and left thousands displaced. The Palisades and Eaton fires, which caused the bulk of the destruction, are still burning but are now more controlled, at 70% and 95% containment, respectively.

About 50 000 people are under evacuation orders and warnings, LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said at the press conference on Wednesday. Students from three local middle and elementary schools were evacuated to a grocery store parking lot and sports complex for parents to pick them up, the California Highway Patrol Newhall said in a statement on X.

Authorities reopened a section of Interstate 5, though several off ramps remain closed. About 45 miles away, a portion of the Pacific Coast Highway — a second major north-south artery into and out of LA — remains shut as authorities continue work to contain and clean up the Palisades fire.

Winds of 37 miles (60 kilometers) per hour were fanning fire, according to the National Weather Service. They are expected to get progressively worse overnight, said Rich Bann, a forecaster with the US Weather Prediction Center. Humidity across the region, which hasn’t seen rain for weeks, is crackly dry and gusts of more than 50 miles per hour are likely through Thursday.

“Obviously this just creates all kinds of havoc with wildland fire behavior,” Bann said. “This creates conditions where you get that explosive fire growth.”

Shares of California utilities Edison International and PG&E Corp. fell during late afternoon trading. Edison closed down 6.3% to $58.29 at the market close. PG&E dropped 5% to $16.44. A spokesperson for Edison said the utility is looking into the situation. It preemptively cut power to about 2,300 customers in LA and Ventura counties. PG&E declined to comment on the market activity.

Critical fire weather conditions affecting more than 8 million people are forecast to last through Thursday, according to the US Storm Prediction Center. Forecast models say the worst winds will occur Thursday. Red flag warnings will be in effect through Friday for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the US National Weather Service said in an advisory.

The winds can whip flames across the landscape causing the fires to spread, but they can also pick up embers and transport them miles away starting new blazes, Bann said.

There is a chance light rain will fall across Southern California starting Friday, but firefighters will have to get through the next day and half with little help from nature.

Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Acuna said the Hughes Fire is “primarily burning through brush and grass” in dry terrain. Cal Fire had crews and equipment prepositioned in the Castaic area, which were “immediately applied for use,” he said, but the fire has still grown quickly as winds begin to pick up.

“We’re just kind of buckled in,” Acuna said. “We’ve been going for a little over two weeks now.”

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