New wildfire near Los Angeles grows to 9,400 acres, forces evacuations

A new wildfire, the Hughes Fire, erupted north of Los Angeles on Wednesday and quickly spread to over 9,400 acres, forcing mandatory evacuations for more than 31,000 people.

The fire, fueled by strong winds and dry brush, prompted evacuation orders for residents in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County, which is facing an "immediate threat to life."

Photo: Alert California/UC San Diego

Firefighters are working to control the blaze, which grew rapidly in just a few hours, becoming nearly two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of two major fires that have been burning in the Los Angeles area.

With Southern California under a red-flag warning due to extreme fire risk, approximately 1,100 firefighters were deployed across the region.

The Angeles National Forest, which covers 700,000 acres in the San Gabriel Mountains, has been closed to visitors.

Officials are also dealing with poor visibility caused by smoke, leading to temporary closures on Interstate 5 in the Grapevine area, though the highway has since reopened.

Photo: Alert California/UC San Diego

While the new fire rages, the Eaton Fire, which scorched 14,021 acres east of Los Angeles, is 91% contained, and the Palisades Fire, which burned 23,448 acres on the west side of the city, is 68% contained.

Since January 7, these fires have killed 28 people, damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, and led to the evacuation of 180,000 people at one point.

AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses from the wildfires to exceed $250 billion. While some smaller fires have been brought under control, firefighters continue to battle the ongoing blazes in the region.