New California Fire Spreads to 5,000 Hectares in Just Two Hours, Evacuations

New California  Fire Spreads to 5,000  Hectares in  Just Two Hours, Evacuations Ordered
A NEW  FIRE broke out north of Los Angeles today, exploding in size and  prompting thousands of evacuation orders in a region already  reeling from the effects of  massive wildfires.
Fierce flames  engulfed the mountains near  Lake Castaic, quickly spreading to cover 5,000  hectares in just over two  hours.
The fire was  ignited by strong, dry Santa Ana  winds, which blew through the area, pushing a  large cloud of smoke and embers ahead of the  flames.
Evacuations were ordered for 19,000 people around the lake, which  is about 35 miles north of Los  Angeles and  near the city of Santa  Clarita.

A large plume of smoke  from the Hughes Fire rises from  Lake Castaic as seen from a  neighborhood in Santa Clarita,
"I'm just praying our house  doesn't burn  down," one man told KTLA  television as he  loaded his  car. The fire came  as the Los Angeles area  is still  reeling from two  massive wildfires that  have killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of  structures.
Robert Jensen  of the Los Angeles County  Sheriff's Department urged  anyone in the area  affected by the new blaze to  evacuate immediately.
"We've seen the devastation caused by people  not following those orders in the Palisades and Eaton  fires," he  said.
"I don't want to see that in our community  again. If  you've received an evacuation order, please  stay out."

A rescue boat  makes its way through the waters of Lake Castaic  toward plumes of smoke  from the Hughes Fire  raging in the mountains near the lake in Castaic,  California.
Television footage showed police driving  through the  area urging people to get  out. Helicopters and planes were on the scene dropping water and retardant on the  fire, footage  shows.
That fleet included two Super Scoopers,  large amphibious  aircraft that can carry hundreds of  gallons of  water.
Crews from  the Los Angeles County Fire Department and  the Los Angeles National Forest also  attacked the  fire from the  ground.
It was not immediately clear what  caused the fire, but it occurred during red flag fire conditions  — when  forecasters say strong winds and low humidity create  favorable conditions for  the fire  to spread quickly.

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