The Hughes Fire which broke out on Wednesday morning in a rugged mountainous area north of Los Angeles has exploded to more than 10,000 acres. The wildfire has led to mandatory evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people, including inmates at a Los Angeles detention center.
The fire, which is burning in both Los Angeles and Ventura Counties, was 14 percent contained as of 10:22 p.m. It has not claimed any structures, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said at a press conference Wednesday evening.
Currently there are 4,000 firefighters deployed; approximately 32,000 people are affected by evacuation orders, and approximately 23,000 more are under evacuation warnings, he added.
Located near Castaic Lake six miles north of Six Flags Magic Mountain, the Hughes Fire erupted around 10:40 Wednesday morning, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Within two hours, it had devoured 5,000 acres, and skies were darkened and ash falling as far away as Ventura, approximately 50 miles from Castaic.
Those evacuated on Wednesday included nearly 500 inmates at Peter J. Pitchess Detention Center, roughly five miles south of where the fire started. The inmates were evacuated onto another facility on the campus, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Pitchess houses approximately 4,500 all-male inmates at the facility. At the time of Wednesday evening’s news conference, inmates were sheltering in place inside the facility’s concrete structures.
The California Highway Patrol closed Interstate 5, the major north-south highway extending from the Mexican to the Canadian border, due to poor visibility on the Grapevine, a mountainous passage north of Los Angeles, and to allow access for emergency vehicles. It has since reopened.
Weather is predominately driving the fire, Marrone said. “The situation remains dynamic, and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand.”
Large swaths of Southern California will remain under a red-flag warning for extreme fire risk until Friday as dry and sweeping Santa Ana winds continue to whip through much of the region.
Though conditions are a little better, with winds lower than during the Palisades and Eaton fires earlier in January and more resources to fight the fire, the situation remains challenging.
“The first responders are doing great work to contain this fire,” said Cal Fire Chief Joe Tyler.
“This fire had a robust response today ... But certainly, we’re not out of the woods yet,” Tyler said.
Luna urged those under mandatory evacuations or evacuation warnings to leave their homes immediately. He reassured them that law enforcement would be patrolling evacuated neighborhoods to deter looters who seek to take advantage of emergencies.
Governor Gavin Newsom said the state remains ready to support local efforts to contain the fire.
“In total, more than 1,100 firefighters were strategically pre-positioned across the region to address the ongoing critical fire weather under Red Flag Warnings,” Cal Fire said.
The National Modular Airborne Fire Fighting Systems (MAFFS) fleet has been positioned at the Channel Islands as southern California continues to endure critical fire conditions.
While Orange County and San Diego are expecting measurable rainfall this weekend, the National Weather Service does not anticipate as much precipitation for Los Angeles, which has a 40 percent chance of rain during the day Saturday, increasing to 70 percent Saturday night. Sunday could see some rain as well, with the chance of rain decreasing on Monday.
Meteorologists predict similar percentages for Castaic.
Wildfires have been burning in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since Jan. 7. The Palisades Fire has burned 23,448 acres so far and is 68 percent contained. Cal Fire estimates 6,000 structures may have been damaged or destroyed.
The Eaton Fire, meanwhile, has charred more 14,021 acres and is 95 percent contained. More than 9,000 structures were lost in the fire. There are presently 571 evacuees in six shelters. The Foothill Water District plans to test water for up to two weeks before lifting a standing “Do Not Drink” order.
