Los Angeles firefighters are battling flames again as a new blaze called the Hughes Fire burns near the town of Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
The fire grew to more than 5,000 acres within two hours, and residents in the immediate area around Castaic Lake are under mandatory evacuation, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
The blaze has prompted the evacuation of three area schools and thousands of residents as firefighters battle to contain its spread.
The fire spreads at a rapid rate, burning areas the size of a football field every 2 to 3 seconds. Winds in the area are currently around 20 mph and are pushing the flames to the southwest, with gusts of up to 30-40 mph in some places, according to the National Weather Service.
Smoke was visible as far away as Oxnard in Ventura County, city officials said on social media Wednesday. Oxnard is about 50 miles southwest of Castaic.
Images showed a large plume of smoke moving west toward the 5 Freeway as flames burned near Castaic Lake in the grassy hills north of Santa Clarita.
Dense brush in the area is fueling the fire’s rapid spread, according to Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Dana Dierks.
“We’re in pretty steep conditions” and it’s “incredibly dry,” Dierks told CNN affiliate KCAL on Wednesday. “There are houses in the general area and in the immediate area.”
Fire officials previously told KCAL that at least 10 firefighting aircraft had been requested for the aerial assault.
The entire Angeles National Forest is closed to the public until Jan. 24, according to the US Forest Service.
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