More than 30,000 people are under evacuation orders as a new wildfire rapidly spreads in the mountains of north Los Angeles.
The Hughes Fire broke out on Wednesday morning and has burned more than 10,000 acres near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
As of Wednesday night, it was 14% contained, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said.
At least 28 people have died and more than 14,000 structures destroyed since the devastating wildfires broke out more than two weeks ago.
The two largest fires are still burning, with the Palisades Fire 68% contained and the Eaton Fire 91% contained.
In his first interview since his inauguration, President Donald Trump said the federal government should not “give California anything” unless it changes its water policy and criticised the state’s handling of its forests.
However, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said they were in a “very different” situation now compared to 16 days ago.
He said more than 4,000 firefighters had been assigned to the fire and despite the region being under a red flag warning, the winds were not as fast as they had been when those fires broke out.
“The situation remains dynamic and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand,” Marrone added.
Winds in the area were at around 42mph in the afternoon but were expected to increase to 60mph by later in the evening and Thursday, the National Weather Service said on the social platform X.
As a result, firefighting aircraft was able to dump tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant.
No structures or homes are reported to have been damaged or destroyed.
Robert Garcia, Angeles National Forest fire chief, said: “The conditions that we’re under aren’t as severe as what we’ve been facing over the last week or two, but what you saw (Wednesday) is indicative of the conditions that we’re in, in terms of the vegetation.”
The area where the fire is burning is known for its dry, grassy hills, fire officials added, making the fire conditions there “critical,” according to Garcia.
Joe Tyler, director of Cal Fire, also warned that while they had a “robust response” to the new fire, they are “not out of the woods yet”.
The National Weather Service extended a red flag warning through to Friday morning for most of Los Angeles and Ventura counties as Santa Ana winds continue to move through the area, Marrone said.
The winds are expected to intensify across Southern California, peaking late Wednesday into early Thursday.
While forecasts indicate a decrease in strength by Thursday afternoon, conditions will still be strong enough to sustain fire weather concerns through Friday morning.
Meanwhile, Los Angeles officials in the south began to prepare for potential rain even as some residents were allowed to return to the charred Pacific Palisades and Altadena areas.
Gusty weather was expected to last through Thursday and precipitation was possible starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
“Rains are in the forecast and the threat of mud and debris flow in our fire-impacted communities is real,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a Wednesday morning news conference.
Fire crews were filling sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleared drainage pipes and basins.
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