Evacuations ordered as new, fast-moving wildfire threatens remote communities north of L.A.
Winds are not as fast as earlier this month, and no homes or other structures were reported burned
More than 50,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings Wednesday as a huge and fast-moving wildfire swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, but fire officials said a rapid ground and air assault was giving them the upper hand.
The Hughes Fire broke out in the late morning and within six hours charred about 39 square kilometres of trees and brush near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area about 64 kilometres from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week. The new fire grew to two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire in just a few hours.
Though the region was under a red flag warning, winds were not as fast as they had been when those fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of litres of fire retardant.
"The situation that we're in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago," Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday evening.
There were no reported homes or other structures burned.
More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Parts of Interstate 5 that had been closed reopened Wednesday evening.
Winds not as strong
A 48-kilometre stretch of the major north-south artery had been closed for emergency vehicles, to move equipment and to prevent accidents due to smoke billowing across the freeway. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping aircraft tried to prevent the wind-driven fire from moving across the interstate and toward Castaic.
Marrone said that because winds were not as strong as they were two weeks ago, aircraft crews were able to drop fire retardant on the south side of the fire, where the flames were moving, he said. More than 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the fire, he said.
Meanwhile to the south, Los Angeles officials were preparing for potential rain even as some residents were allowed to return to the charred Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. Gusty weather was expected to last through Thursday.
"We're going to see another round of critical fire conditions across Southern California," Todd Hall, a National Weather Service meteorologist, said Wednesday morning. "At this point, it sounds like a broken record."
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to expedite cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. She ordered crews to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides and reinforce roads ahead of the possible rain.
Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency motion to install flood control infrastructure and expedite and remove sediment in fire-impacted areas.
"As the fires have settled, new challenges lie ahead," supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a Wednesday news conference. "Rains are in the forecast and the threat of mud and debris flow in our fire-impacted communities is real."
A 60 to 80 per cent chance of a small amount of rain was forecast for Southern California starting Saturday, with most areas likely getting not more than about 0.8 centimetres, according to Ryan Kittell, a meteorologist for the weather service's office for Los Angeles. However, up to about 2.5 centimetres could fall in localized thunderstorms, which would be a worst-case scenario if enough falls on scorched slopes.
"But even if the rain doesn't materialize this time, it could be a good practice run for those communities because this will be a threat that they'll have to deal with for months or years," Kittell said Tuesday.
Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers were installing barriers and clearing drainage pipes and basins.
In 2018, Montecito, a town around 130 kilometres up the coast from Los Angeles, was ravaged by mudslides after a downpour hit mountain slopes burned bare by a huge wildfire. Twenty-three people died, and hundreds of homes were damaged.
Red flag warnings for critical fire risk were extended through 8 p.m. Thursday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Officials remained concerned that the two major blazes, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to watch for hot spots, said David Acuna, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
Fire engines and water-dropping aircraft positioned strategically allowed crews to swiftly douse several small blazes that popped up in Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties, officials said.
Authorities urged residents to review evacuation plans, prepare emergency kits, and be on the lookout for fires and report them quickly.
Bass also warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city's website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the latest Santa Ana wind event. Los Angeles County public health director Barbara Ferrer cautioned that the ash could contain heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful materials.
"Even a brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritation and lead to more serious problems," Ferrer said Wednesday, asking people to wear protective gear while cleaning up.
The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 68 per cent, and the Eaton Fire was at 91 per cent.
Luna, the Los Angeles County sheriff, said Wednesday that his department was still investigating 22 active missing person reports in both fire zones. All of those reported missing are adults, he said.
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is investigating the causes of the fires, but has not released any findings.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized the response to the wildfires during his inaugural address Monday, has said he will travel to Los Angeles on Friday. Barger said Wednesday that details of Trump's visit were still being worked out.