LOS ANGELES (AP) — Drops of water overnight helped stop the spread of a massive wildfire ravaging the rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and firefighters battled to strengthen containment as Dangerous winds rose again on Thursday.
The Hughes Fire broke out Wednesday morning and in less than a day, it had charred nearly 25 square miles of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area located about 40 miles from the devastating disaster. Fires in Eaton and Palisades which have been burning for a third week.
There was no growth overnight and crews jumped on flare-ups to keep the flames within containment lines, fire spokesman Jeremy Ruiz said Thursday morning.
“Helicopters dropped water until about 3 a.m., which kept things under control,” he said.
The fire remained at 14% containment. More than 50,000 people were under evacuation orders or warnings Wednesday. Los Angeles County sheriff’s officials did not provide any new information on the evacuations Thursday. No homes or other structures were burned.
Meanwhile, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest in Ventura County, a new fire prompted the evacuation of California State University’s Channel Islands in Camarillo on Thursday. Waterborne helicopters made rapid progress against the small Laguna fire that broke out in the hills above the campus, where about 7,000 students are enrolled. The evacuation order was later downgraded to a warning.
Although the region was placed under a red flag for critical fire danger through Friday, winds were not as strong as they had been when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing firefighting planes to dump tens of thousands of gallons of water. fireproof.
Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire that had been closed reopened Wednesday evening.
Kayla Amara visited the Stonegate neighborhood of Castaic on Wednesday to collect items from the home of a friend who had rushed to pick up her daughter from kindergarten. As Amara prepared the car, she learned that the fire had grown and decided to hose down the property.
Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she has been nervous for weeks as massive fires devastated Southern California.
“These other fires have been stressful, but now that this one is close to home, it’s just extremely stressful,” she said.
Closer to Los Angeles, residents in the Sherman Oaks area were given an evacuation warning Wednesday evening after a brush fire broke out on Sepulveda Pass near Interstate 405. The progression has was stopped within a few hours and the warning was lifted.
Low humidity, parched vegetation and high winds came as firefighters continued to battle the devastating devastation. Stockades and Eaton Fires. Officials remained concerned that these fires could break their containment lines while firefighters continue to monitor hot spots. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 72% and that of the Eaton Fire reached 95%.
These two fires killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since their outbreak on January 7.
Before the weekend, Los Angeles authorities were shoring up hillsides and installing barriers. prepare for possible rain this could cause debris flows, although some residents have been allowed to return to the charred areas Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas. Precipitation was possible starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
The California fires caused a total of at least $28 billion in insured losses and probably slightly more in uninsured losses, according to Karen Clark and Company, a catastrophe modeling firm known for its accurate assessments of post-disaster damages.
In the wake of this assessment, California Republicans push back against suggestions from President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and others that federal disaster aid for wildfire victims should come with strings attached.
The state Legislature on Thursday approved a proposal for more than $2.5 billion fire relief packagein part to help the Los Angeles area recover from the fires.
Trump plans to visit the state to survey the damage Friday, but it’s unclear whether he and Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom will meet during the visit.
___
The story has been updated to correct Castaic Lake, from Castaic Lake.
