NEW FIRE BREAKS OUT NORTH OF SAN FERNANDO VALLEY IN LOS ANGELES UPDATE 6 - JANUARY 23

The Hughes Fire seen byond Six Flags Magic Mountain

The Hughes Fire, which broke out shortly before 10:45am this morning near Castaic, north of the San Fernando Valley and east of Interstate 5, is reported to have already burned more than 5,000 acres by 1pm. 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.The Santa Ana winds, which were forecast for Monday and Tuesday this week, and were notably weak on those days, picked up this morning and are blowing at 15mph with gusts to 30mph. This is low enough that firefighting helicopters and aircraft have been able to attack the fire; four aircraft and 50 fire trucks are on the scene. However, the wind is out of the north and has already blown sparks south. The area around Castaic is largely rural, but there is plenty of fuel in the dried grasses on hillsides. The fire is moving south; 34,000 people, including residents of Castaic, were being evacuated from communities south, north and west of the wildfire. At about 2 p.m., a portion of Ventura County near Lake Piru was added to the mandatory evacuation zones. 20,000 others are under an evacuation warning orderSmoke from the fire has now completely obscured the sky over the western San Fernand Valley. Traffic on Interstate 5 is being diverted.

Hughes fire seen from Santa Susanna Pass

A significant change in the weather is in the forecast for Southern California, including the likelihood of rain. An area of low pressure will drop into the region on Saturday, bringing a tenth to a half inch of rain to most areas through Sunday, according to meteorologists. “Local amounts up to one inch are possible across south-facing slopes of the San Gabriel mountains,” the National Weather Service said, adding that thunderstorms are also possible. These are the slopes where the Palisades and Eaton fires are still burning and only partially contained. This will aid firefighting, but it also carries the theat of mudslides in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, should it prove to be stronger than forecast. There is a warning that if the winds pick up, this fire could “go nuclear.”

Hughes Fire seen from Castaic

TAFM HQ - Le Chateau du Chat - is downwind of this fire, but at this point it is more than 20 miles away; there are no canyons in the San Fernando Valley to provide “venturi effect” to strengthen the winds.

There will be further updates.

UPDATE 1:

As of 4pm, the fire had grown to 8,000 acres.

I just watched TV footage of the big firebombers - the BAe-146, the DC-9, the DC-10 and the C-130 - make retardant drops. I think it must have worked because I can’t see the big smoke plume in the sky that was so visible 30 minutes ago. In fact, the northern horizon looks clear. Fingers crossed.

UPDATE 2

This is what should have happened on January 7, had the winds not been so strong that the aircraft were grounded. Each of the four big firebombers have now made at least two drops each. The fire looks contained on the east (upwind) side of the fire, which is why I can’t see the smoke pyre. The winds are reported as “moderate.” They’re really beating it down.

I-5 is closed through the Grapevine.

UPDATE 3

As of 6pm, the fire has burned 9,400 acres - mostly in the west toward Ventura County.

I-5 will reopen in the next hour unless smoke blocks visibility.

UPDATE 4 - 10:30PM

The Hughes Fire has consumed 10,176 acres.

Late Wednesday the fire was 14% contained, the Angeles National Forest said. (This what would have been possible January 7 if it hadn’t been for the “hurricane” winds)

No structures have been reported damaged or destroyed so far.

Crews will be working overnight to extinguish any hot spots or flare ups, L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said.

High winds, blowing northeast to southwest, are expected to continue in the area throughout the afternoon and overnight, further inhibiting firefighting efforts, according to the National Weather Service Los Angeles. There could be gusts up to 65 mph. Strong winds and gusts are expected to continue into the later hours and Thursday. the Red Flag warning has been extended to 10am Friday.

Firefighters from the LA County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest were attacking the blaze. It was unclear what sparked the fire, which occurred during persistent red flag fire conditions.

Update 5 - January 23:

The Palisades Fire on the LA County coast was 72-percent contained at 23,400 acres. The Eaton Fire in the Altadena area was 95-percent contained at 14,000 acres, it was announced this morning. The death toll has increased to 28.

“Dangerous fire weather conditions will persist through Friday as fuels remain extremely dry and ready to burn, with Thursday the period of greatest concern,” the National Weather Service in Los Angeles said this morning. “Any fire that starts can grow fast and out of control.”

Another brush fire started along the Sepulveda Pass near Bel Air Wednesday night. As of 9 a.m., ramps that were closed on the 405 Freeway near the Sepulveda Fire have reopened, but traffic remains slow in the Sepulveda Pass. (thank god I don’t have to go to the VA today - Tuesday’s drive was bad enough)

In Ventura County, firefighters and water-dropping aircraft responded to the new Laguna Fire at about 9 a.m. off Laguna Road in the Oxnard plains. As of 10 a.m., the new fire expanded to 15 acres west of Cal State University Channel Islands in the Camarillo area. The campus has been evacuated. Winds were gusting at 20-30 mph in the area.

So far this year, the state firefighting agency has reported 255 wildland fires that burned about 50,600 acres. At this time last year, 87 fires that burned 4 acres were reported. The five-year average is 139 fires and 457 acres burned.

Extreme drought expanded into parts of Los Angeles County as a dry start to the wet season continues in fire-prone Southern California, according to this week's U.S. Drought Monitor report.Extreme drought, the second-most severe category in the weekly report, was limited to extreme southeast California last week, but parts of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties are under the category in the report released Thursday. About 11 percent of California is in extreme drought. 33 percent of the state, including northern Los Angeles County, is in severe drought.

The California fires have caused at least $28 billion in insured damage.

California Republicans are pushing back against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republicans that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires should come with strings attached. Trump plans to visit the state to see the damage firsthand Friday, but it wasn’t clear whether he and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will meet during the visit.

More updates to come.

UPDATE 6

Thursday morning the evacuation instructions for dozens of LA County zones were either lifted or downgraded as residents were allowed back home. In Ventura County, the warnings were removed in all zones.

As of noon today, fire officials also said containment of the Hughes Fire had increased from 14% earlier in the day to 24% while the burnt acreage remained steady at 10,176. Firefighters in northern Los Angeles County forged ahead in their effort to tamp down the fire, establishing control lines to stop the blaze from expanding into populated areas

The Sepulveda Fire that broke out last night along the eastern side of the 405 freeway, initially prompted evacuation warnings, but those have been lifted as firefighters contained its spread to about 40 acres. The Los Angeles Fire Department said no structures were damaged in the blaze.

Overall, things are looking up.