The outbreak of another wildfire in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles (LA) has led to the evacuation of over 31,000 people in the region, News Reporter Kelly Smyth writes.
The Hughes Fire broke out on the morning of January 22, with the fire growing to be two-thirds of the size of the Eaton Fire in a short amount of time. Experts suspect this is due to 60km/h wind speeds, which may be progressing the spread of the flames.
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) set out a quick response to the Hughes Fire, with more than 4,000 firefighters working on the blaze and an additional 1,100 deployed in Southern California in anticipation of further fire outbreaks.
Currently the Hughes Fire’s burn is primarily of dry grassland, although the fire is expected to continue to grow due to increasing windspeeds. Conditions which would further the growth of the fire were also forecasted, with low humidity lasting through to January 23. The US National Weather Service has implemented a red flag warning for most of LA County until January 24, with the potential for loss of life being noted.
The outbreak of the Hughes Fire comes following the already devastating Eaton and Palisades Fires, which erupted earlier in the month on January 7. The Palisades Fire spread across 23,713 acres and damaged over 7,400 structures, while the Eaton Fire damaged over 10,000 structures in downtown LA. The deaths of 27 people across the two blazes have been confirmed by LA County officials, although this figure could rise as the blaze continues.
Both the Palisades and Eaton Fires are now considered contained by Cal Fire, with both being between 77% and 95% contained as of January 24. Additional smaller blazes had broken out following January 7, including the Sunset Fire, which are no longer active.
As the fires continue, experts warn that economic losses from the fires could rise to $50 billion USD, which would be the costliest in the region’s history.
The direct cause of the wildfires has not been determined. While climatology expert John Abatzoglou believes the fires may be human caused, he does not believe it to be intentional.
When speaking with Inside Climate News, climate scientist Daniel Swain stated global warming and extreme weather conditions are to blame. This comes as the state has seen just 0.16 inches (4.1mm) of rain since May, leading to drought-like conditions.