LOS ANGELES: A fresh wildfire that erupted on Wednesday (January 22, 2025) in an area north of Los Angeles has rapidly spread to over 9,400 acres. Driven by strong winds and dry vegetation, the blaze has prompted mandatory evacuations for more than 31,000 residents.

The Hughes Fire, located approximately 80 kilometers north of Los Angeles, has further stretched the capacity of firefighters already battling two major fires in the region. These earlier fires have been largely brought under control, but the new blaze has added to the pressure.

Within hours of flaming, the Hughes Fire grew to nearly two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of the two massive wildfires that have been devastating the Los Angeles area this month.

Officials issued grave warnings to those in the Castaic Lake region of Los Angeles County, citing an "immediate threat to life." Southern California remains under a red-flag warning due to extreme fire risks caused by powerful winds and dry weather.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna stated during a press conference that mandatory evacuation orders are in effect for approximately 31,000 individuals, with an additional 23,000 residents under evacuation alerts.

The Angeles National Forest announced the closure of its entire 7,00,000-acre park in the San Gabriel Mountains to visitors due to the ongoing fire threat.

In preparation for rapid fire outbreaks, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) deployed about 1,100 firefighters across Southern California. More than 4,000 firefighters are actively working to contain the Hughes Fire, according to Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

Southern California has experienced a severe drought, with no significant rainfall for nine months, creating highly flammable conditions. However, some relief may be on the way as rain is forecasted from Saturday to Monday, offering hope to exhausted firefighters.

Helicopters have been drawing water from nearby lakes to douse the flames, while fixed-wing aircraft have been dropping fire retardants on affected areas. Local news footage showed flames spreading dangerously close to the water’s edge.

Interstate 5, a major north-south highway, was temporarily shut down in the Grapevine mountain pass due to thick smoke reducing visibility. Firefighters managed to suppress enough of the fire to reopen the highway, Marrone confirmed.

Meanwhile, progress has been made on the two deadly fires that began on January 7. The Eaton Fire, which has burned 14,021 acres east of Los Angeles, is now 91% contained. The larger Palisades Fire, which has scorched 23,448 acres in western Los Angeles, is 68% contained.

Containment refers to the percentage of a fire’s perimeter that firefighters have successfully brought under control.

Together, these two fires have devastated an area almost equivalent to the size of Washington, D.C. Since their outbreak, they have claimed 28 lives and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures. At the peak of the crisis, 180,000 residents were under evacuation orders, according to county officials.

Private weather forecaster AccuWeather has estimated the damage and economic losses from the fires at over $250 billion.

In addition to the major blazes, several smaller wildfires across Southern California have been extinguished or mostly contained over the past two weeks