Thousands are evacuating amid wildfires near Los Angeles

A new, fast-moving wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles County, prompting tens of thousands to evacuate an area already reeling from the most destructive wildfires in its history.

The Hughes fire burned about 45 kilometers northwest of the city of Los Angeles on Wednesday morning, near Castaic Lake in a mountainous area bordering several residential areas and schools.

The fire grew to more than 9,200 hectares in a few hours Wednesday, fueled by wind and dry brush. No homes or businesses were destroyed, and firefighters expressed confidence in having the fire under control.

The new fire is north of two large blazes – still burning – that destroyed much of the Los Angeles area earlier this month.

Local news showed residents near the Hughes fire dousing their homes and gardens with water and others rushing to evacuate their neighborhoods.

Orange flames covered the mountains as the plane lowered the water and flame retardant.

The region is also under a red flag warning, which warns of high fire danger due to strong winds and dry conditions with low humidity.

Winds in the area were blowing at about 20 to 30 kilometers (32 to 48 miles), but could blow, which would spread the fire and make it difficult for air crews to work.

About 31,000 people in the area are under an evacuation order and another 23,000 have been warned to evacuate, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna. The prison in this area used to release about 500 prisoners from this facility, he added.

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

“The situation is still tense, and the fire is still a difficult fire to stop, even though we are gaining strength,” he said.

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

He said it was a combination of low winds – unlike the 70 to 90mph winds seen during previous fires – and having more helicopters and planes able to fight the fire from above.

“I think we’ve all been in awe of the last 16 days,” he said. “We were able to gather firefighting resources early enough to change the look of this fire.”

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Ed Fletcher, who works for Cal Fire – the fire brigade in California – told the BBC that this fire was different from the one earlier this month. He said the winds are not that strong yet, and there are a lot of workers trying to put out the fire.

“It is very dry and we know that the wind will intensify later,” he said. “We’ll know more in a few hours.”

Mr Fletcher noted that the area is sparsely populated and current winds are blowing the fire towards Lake Castaic, which acts as a buffer within the Castaic area – home to around 20,000 residents.

“When it jumps into a pond,” he said, “it becomes a very dynamic state.”

One woman who came out of her home told NBC 4 she was stuck on Interstate 5, California’s main interstate highway. Parts of the roads in the area were closed due to the fire.

“It was like a cloud, but as you got closer, it looked like we were going to hell,” he said of the black smoke and red flames he saw. “It was too scary to be honest with you.”

He admitted he was surprised after watching the Palisades and Eaton fires burn nearby.

“I don’t know why they keep coming,” she said. “It’s definitely a scary time in this area.”

Two other fires broke out Wednesday south near San Diego and Oceanside, officials said.

Both are small — the 85-acre Lilac fire near Oceanside and the 3.9-acre Center fire — but were burning in densely populated areas. Firefighters appeared to have a handle on both flames and evacuation orders were largely lifted.

Dana Dierkes, spokeswoman for the Angeles National Forest, noted that wind and dry brush have made the recent fires more difficult to fight.

“We don’t have a fire season in California. We have a fire year,” he said. “We’ve had wildfires in January before, but they’re fueled by Santa Ana winds. Wind is a big factor when we have a dry year.”

Rain is in the forecast for the weekend in the region, good news to end the fire threat. But the rain brings new fears in the form of mudslides, floods and landslides.

Areas affected by recent fires are particularly vulnerable because the areas that have been burned are relatively small.

Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Monday to help free up flood and landslide repair services after the fires.

Workers were filling thousands sand bags in dangerous places.

Samantha Granville contributed to this report.