On Wednesday morning, a fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County expanded quickly due to strong winds and dry conditions. It had burnt through 8,096 acres.
According to SF Gate, thousands of people have fled the area due to the Hughes fire, which is still blazing and has not been contained. The fire forced the shutdown of the I-5 freeway in the Santa Clarita Valley on Wednesday afternoon.
Drivers are recommended to take State Route 126 or State Route 14 as a diversion when passing through the region or escaping from the fire.
According to Cal Fire, the rapidly spreading fire, which nearly doubled in size from Wednesday afternoon to early evening, is being fueled by thick and dry underbrush.
surrounding officials have ordered the evacuation of 31,000 people from surrounding villages due to strong northeasterly winds that are expected to continue blowing through the night with gusts of up to 65 mph.
Red flag warnings remain in effect in the area until at least 8 p.m. PST Thursday, The National Weather Service Los Angeles warned on Tuesday.
Firefighters from the Angeles National Forest and the Los Angeles County Fire Department are working to put out the fire, but they have not made any progress because of the wind, thick underbrush, and dry weather.
Emergency officials have turned the Castaic Sports Complex into a fire command center. Students from Castaic middle and primary schools were taken to a Ralphs grocery store parking lot in Hasley Canyon Village so that their parents could pick them up.
Students from North Lake Elementary School were evacuated to the Castaic Sports Complex.
Officials at the Pitchess Detention Center moved 476 detainees from that facility to the North County Correctional Facility.
Due to the dry climate and recent fires in Southern California, the Angeles National Forest has been closed.
A much smaller fire in San Diego County also sprang out on Wednesday. It is still uncontained, although it has only burnt through four acres.
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Because of the Santa Ana winds, the conditions are dry and windy, which means that the fire could spread quickly.
In other news, Cal Fire reports that the Palisades fire has burned 23,448 acres since it started on January 7 and is now 68% contained.
Since it began on January 7, the Eaton fire has scorched 14,201 acres and is now 91% controlled.
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On Tuesday, the Lilac fire in San Diego County and the Clay fire in Riverside County both started.
According to Cal Fire, the Lilac fire has burned 85 acres and is 90% controlled, while the Clay fire has burned 38 acres and is 45% contained.
