New wildfire erupts in Los Angeles, prompting mass evacuations

A rapidly spreading wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, forcing tens of thousands to evacuate in a region still grappling with the aftermath of its most destructive fires in history.

The Hughes fire ignited about 45 miles north-west of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, near Castaic Lake in a mountainous area that borders several residential areas and schools, News.Az reports, citing BBC.

The blaze grew to more than 9,200 acres in several hours on Wednesday, fuelled by winds and dry brush. No homes or businesses have been damaged, and fire officials expressed confidence about getting the blaze under control.

The new fire is located north of the two mammoth blazes - which are still burning - that destroyed multiple neighbourhoods in the Los Angeles area earlier this month.

Local news showed residents near the Hughes fire hosing down their homes and gardens with water and others rushing to evacuate neighbourhoods.

Orange flames lined the mountains as aircraft dropped water and flame retardant.

The region is once again under a red flag warning, which cautions of a high fire risk due to strong winds and dry, low-humid conditions.

Winds in the area were blowing around 20 to 30mph (32 to 48km), but could pick up, which would fan the blaze and make it harder for air crews to operate.

About 31,000 people in the area are under a mandatory evacuation order and another 23,000 have been warned they may have to flee, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. A jail in the area was evacuating nearly 500 inmates at the facility, he added.

The fire continued to grow as the sun set, but Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said he believed crews were making progress.

"The situation remains dynamic, and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand," he said.

Chief Marrone explained how different this fire is compared to the Palisades and Eaton fires, which killed at least 28 people and decimated more than 10,000 homes and businesses earlier this month.

He said it was a mix of lower winds - unlike the 70 to 90mph winds seen during the previous fires - and having so many helicopters and planes able to fight the blaze from above.

"I think that we've all been on edge over the last 16 days," he said. "We were able to amass a lot of fire resources early on to change what this fire looks like."

News.Az