XPost: alt.wildland.firefighting, ca.driving, alt.los-angeles
XPost: alt.fan.rush-limbaugh, sac.politics
https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/hughes-fire-castaic-los-angeles- county-updates/
With high winds driving the flames, a fast-moving wildfire exploded to
more than 5,000 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday — prompting mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of people
in the area.
The Hughes Fire broke out near Castaic Lake, off Lake Hughes Road just
north of Castaic Reservoir Road, before growing to 500 acres within an
hour. By 12:30 p.m., less than two hours after it was first reported by
fire officials, it had ripped through 3,407 acres, according to the
California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
About half an hour later, at 1:03 p.m., it was estimated to be 5,054 acres
with 0% containment, Cal Fire said.
All lanes of the northbound I-5 Freeway were being shut down just north of SR-126, the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans,
announced just before 2 p.m. The detour for drivers is SR-126 with an
alternate route of SR-14, authorities said.
The unincorporated community of Castaic is located in northwest Los
Angeles County, about 15 miles northwest of the city of Santa Clarita and
just alongside the Angeles National Forest. The Santa Clarita Valley is
home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, where a huge plume of smoke from the
Hughes Fire was visible in the nearby area.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 19,000 people were facing
mandatory evacuation orders by 2:30 p.m.
Mandatory evacuation orders were expanded as the wildfire spread to over
5,000 acres in just around two hours, sending people fleeing from the area
as heavy traffic built up along some roads. Authorities were trying to
keep people calm as the situation quickly unfolded — a changing series of
new updates and evacuations being announced just as they were earlier this month.
On Jan. 7, two major wildfires sparked on opposite sides of Los Angeles
County, killing at least 28 people as they tore through tens of thousands
of acres and burned down entire communities, including homes, schools,
churches and grocery stores throughout the especially hard-hit areas of Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
"We're just asking people to- I know it's hard to say, but stay calm and
just listen to first responders," California Highway Patrol Officer Isabel
Diaz said Wednesday afternoon, as the Hughes Fire continued to spread.
"It's a very active and chaotic scene at the moment, and we're just all
trying our best to get everyone out safely."
When the flames first broke out, that area of Los Angeles County —
including the Santa Clarita Valley — was under a Red Flag Warning, with extremely low humidity and Santa Ana winds increasing the risks of
wildfires starting and quickly growing.
"It does have a high potential for spread because we are looking at 32-mph winds as we speak," LA County Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher
Berkoh said. "Those winds are supposed to pick up as the afternoon
progresses into the evening."
Gov. Gavin Newsom said state resources were being sent down to Southern California to help in the battle against the Hughes Fire, with federal personnel from the Angeles National Forest also assisting the firefighting efforts.
"We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide the federal government with whatever it needs to extinguish this fire," Newsom wrote
in a post to X.
With an especially dry winter in Southern California, experts have said vegetation in the region is particularly dry, and therefore, even more flammable than usual. In California, wildfires during the fall and winter months can be especially dangerous due to shrubbery being dried out
through in the summer — which can spark and fuel the fires — along with
the seasonal dry Santa Ana winds that can fan the flames forward.
"This time of year is especially dangerous," said Fred Fielding, spokesman
for the LA County Fire Department. "It's been almost 300 days since we've
had any significant rainfall."
Currently, Angeles National Forest — where the Hughes Fire broke out — is closed to the general public for the protection of natural resources and
public safety. The closure runs from Jan. 19 through Friday, Jan. 24.
Last summer, the Post Fire burned more than 15,000 acres in an area of Los Angeles and Ventura counties just north of the Hughes Fire.
Evacuation orders and warnings
A map showing where evacuation zones are located — and what areas are
currently facing mandatory evacuation orders or warnings — can be found
here. More information on the latest updates and resources for evacuees
can be found here.
An temporary evacuation center has been set up at Valencia High School,
which is located at 27801 Dickson Dr. Valencia, Calif. 91355. Meanwhile, a shelter for large animals being evacuated is at Lancaster Animal Care
Center and Pierce College while shelters for small animals have been set
up at the Palmdale, Agoura and Lancaster Animal Care Centers.
Los Angeles County residents can sign up for emergency alerts here. The
city of Santa Clarita told residents to visit the city's website here for
the latest updates to ongoing evacuation orders and other information
related to the Hughes Fire.
Mandatory evacuation orders were announced by noon, and about two hours
later, authorities announced new evacuations for even more areas near the
fire.
The following areas have been placed under mandatory evacuation orders as
of 2:15 p.m. PST, according to local authorities.
Castaic Lake
Ridge Route
Paradise Ranch Road
North Lake Elementary
Sloan Canyon Road
Green Hill Drive
Hill Crest Park Way
Hasley Canyon
Romero Canyon Road
Canebridge Area
Charlie Canyon Area
Paradise Ranch
Reys Adobe
Francisquito
Tessoro Del Valle
Bitter Canyon
Sterling Lane
Sterling
Biscaulz
E008 (information on where evacuation zones are located can be found here Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles Forces Evacuations
CASTAIC, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 22: The Hughes Fire burns north of Los
Angeles on Jan. 22, 2025, near Castaic, Calif.
Getty Images
Road closures
All lanes of the I-5 Freeway were being closed north of SR-126, with two off-ramps along the I-5 — at Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road — shut down earlier Wednesday. California Highway Patrol officials reported the I-5
was being affected by heavy smoke stemming from the Hughes Fire so
motorists were told to use caution when driving.
Below is a list of closures current as of 12 p.m. PST on Wednesday, Jan.
22.
Ridge Route Road at Lake Hughes
Ridge Route Road at Templin Highway
Lake Hughes at Pine Canyon
Dry Gulch at San Francisquito Canyon Road
School evacuations and closures
Northlake Hills Elementary in Castaic was evacuated to the Aquatic Center
and Castaic Sports Complex in Castaic, which are both located in the 31000 block of Castaic Road.
Meanwhile, all other schools within the Castaic Union School District were being evacuated Wednesday, with parents and guardians being notified and
told to pick up their children from the campuses, according to school
district officials.
Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School were both evacuated to
the parking lot of a Ralph's grocery store, located at Hasley Canyon.
"Parents need to respond there," California Highway Patrol officials wrote
in a post to X at 12:53 p.m. PST.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
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