The Hughes Fire erupted near Castaic Lake, a reservoir roughly 45 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles where firefighters are still working to contain the Palisades and Eaton fires. The latest update from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) said that the Hughes Fire was 14% contained as of Wednesday night.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said Wednesday that about 31,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders while another 23,000 were under evacuation warnings, the Associated Press reported.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said more than 4,000 firefighters were battling the Hughes Fire, USA Today reported.
The Sepulveda Fire, which broke out late Wednesday along the eastern side of Interstate 405 near Bel Air and the University of California-Los Angeles, initially prompted evacuation warnings but those have been lifted as firefighters contained its spread to about 40 acres, according to CAL FIRE. The Los Angeles Fire Department said no structures were damaged in the blaze.
The Palisades and Eaton fires have destroyed more than 14,000 structures and killed at least 28 people since they broke out on Jan. 7. CoreLogic estimates between 15,000-20,000 homes have been “sufficiently damaged” by the Eaton and Palisades Fires and preliminary residential and commercial loss estimates totaling between $35 to $45 billion.
Find all of our wildfire coverage here.
