New California fire spurs evacuations as residents endure dangerous winds | California wildfires

Additional evacuations have been ordered for residents near a large, fast-moving wildfire north of Los Angelesas the dry south ca It was hit with another round of dangerous winds before possible rain over the weekend.

The Hughes Fire broke out late Wednesday morning and quickly destroyed nearly 5,000 acres of trees and brush, sending up a massive plume of dark smoke near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 km) from the fires. Eaton and the ruined Palisades. Which burns for the third week.

Slopes were closed along Interstate 5, a major north-south artery, with flames rising along hilltops and into rugged canyons. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping planes tried to prevent the wind-driven flames from moving south toward more populated communities in Castaic, home to about 19,000 people. At least three schools were evacuated as a precaution ca The highway patrol said.

The fire was burning in the north of a large county Prison complexAs of Wednesday afternoon, the Los Angeles Police Department said the agency was transferring 476 incarcerated people from the Beaches Detention Center to the correctional facility in neighboring North County.

The ACLU of Southern California is urging the county to remove people from the prison complex, which is located within a mandatory evacuation zone and includes four facilities; The prisons hold more than 4,700 people, including 1,200 people with mental health problems, according to the most recent data available from last year.

“I’m really scared. I assume the mandatory evacuation zone means the fire department thinks everyone needs to leave to preserve their lives,” said Melissa Camacho, a senior staff attorney at the ACLU of Southern California. She said the prison receiving the transferred residents is already overcrowded, adding She fears the complex won’t have enough buses to carry out thousands of quick evacuations: “They need to move people now.”

The city’s mayor’s spokesman did not immediately comment on whether mass evacuations were being considered.

Meanwhile, to the south, Los Angeles Officials were bracing for possible rain even as some residents were allowed to return to the charred areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The stormy weather is expected to continue until Thursday.

“We’re going to see another round of critical fire conditions across Southern California,” Todd Hall, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said Wednesday morning. “At this point, it feels like a broken record.”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass issued an executive order to accelerate cleanup efforts in burn areas and mitigate the environmental impacts of fire-related pollutants. Crews were ordered to remove vegetation, shore up hillsides and reinforce roads ahead of possible rain.

Los Angeles County supervisors also approved an emergency proposal to install flood control infrastructure and expedite sediment removal in fire-affected areas.

Experts have warned that toxic threats may be lurking in disaster areas. The ashes of homes and cars may contain the remains of a large number of… Potentially hazardous materialsIncluding lead, battery acid, arsenic and carcinogens found in the plastics used in their manufacture. Meanwhile, wildfires increase the risk of mudslides by making the landscape vulnerable to rapid erosion in the event of a rainstorm, says Joshua West, a professor of geosciences at the University of Southern California. He said The Guardian last week. In January 2018, for example, severe storms struck an area of ​​Montecito that had burned in the previous weeks. Triggered by a mudslide Who killed 23.

In an effort to prevent such disasters, Los Angeles County supervisors approved an emergency proposal to install flood control infrastructure and accelerate sediment removal in fire-affected areas.

About 60 to 80 percent of precipitation is expected in Southern California starting Saturday, and most areas are unlikely to receive more than a third of an inch (0.8 cm) of rain, according to Ryan Kittle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Los Angeles office. However, localized thunderstorms could drop up to an inch, which would be a worst-case scenario if there were enough flows on the scorched hillsides to stir up debris.

“But even if it doesn’t rain this time, it could be good training for those communities because this is going to be a threat that they’re going to have to deal with for months or years,” Kettle said.

Fire brigades were filling sandbags for local communities.

Winds calmed somewhat Tuesday afternoon after peaking at 60 mph (97 km/h) in many areas, but gusty conditions were expected to continue. Red flag warnings for dangerous fire risks have been extended until 8pm Thursday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

“Our concern is the next fire, the next spark that causes the next wildfires,” said David Acuna, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Another concern was that the two major fires still burning, the Palisades and Eaton fires, could break containment lines as firefighters continue to monitor hot spots.

Fire engines and water-dropping planes stationed in strategic locations allowed crews to quickly extinguish several small fires that appeared in Los Angeles and San Diego counties, officials said.

Cal Fire said evacuation orders were lifted Tuesday because of the Frears Fire, which broke out near a mall in San Diego, and partly because of the Lilac Fire, which burned through dry brush after threatening some buildings. Nearby crews have completely contained the Pala Fire, another small blaze. The Clay Fire in Riverside was 40% contained Tuesday night and evacuation orders were lifted.

Southern California Edison on Tuesday preemptively cut power to more than 60,000 customers in five counties to prevent new fires caused by winds that toppled electrical equipment. Electricity was later restored for most people. The company was considering precautionary closures for an additional 187,000 customers on Wednesday.

Authorities urged residents to review evacuation plans, prepare emergency tools, be aware of fires, and report them quickly.

Bass also warned that winds can carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during a recent wind event in Santa Ana.

Low humidity, dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have claimed at least 28 lives and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out on Jan. 7. The Palisades Fire is 68% contained and the Eaton Fire is 91% contained.

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the causes of the fires but has not issued any findings.

Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, claiming that Southern California Edison equipment started the fire. On Tuesday, the judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the company to submit data from departments in the area where the fire started.

Questions also appear About why some residents of Altadena, where the majority of deaths were found, delayed receiving the evacuation warning.

Donald Trumpwhich was criticized Response to forest fires He said during his inauguration speech on Monday that he would travel to Los Angeles on Friday.