LOS ANGELES, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- A fast-moving brush fire erupted Wednesday in Los Angeles County, and has burned over 10,000 acres (40 sq km) by Wednesday night, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
The blaze, dubbed Hughes Fire, broke out around 11:00 a.m. local time in the area of Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake, about 80 km northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It quickly expanded to over 8,000 acres (32 sq km) in less than 6 hours, and had crossed the county line to the neighboring Venture County.
As of Wednesday night, the fire is 14 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. No structures have been reported damaged or destroyed, Los Angeles County Fire Department Chief Anthony Marrone told a press briefing Wednesday evening.
Approximately 31,000 residents in the area are under evacuation orders, while 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, said Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna.
"We have over 4,000 firefighting personnel assigned to the incident," Marrone said. "The situation remains dynamic and the fire remains a difficult fire to contain, although we are getting the upper hand," he said.
Students from middle and elementary schools in the Castaic community were evacuated on Wednesday afternoon, and the Castaic Regional Sports Complex was also under a mandatory evacuation order, which was used by firefighters as a command post.
The Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic evacuated 476 inmates to the nearby North County Correctional Facility.
The National Weather Service (NWS) Los Angeles warned Wednesday afternoon that high winds were expected to continue in Southern California throughout the afternoon and overnight, further inhibiting firefighting efforts against the wildfires raging in the region.
"DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER environment thru Friday, peaking on Thursday. Any new fires can grow fast and out of control. Stay aware of your surroundings," NWS Los Angeles warned.
The entirety of Angeles National Forest is closed to the general public through Friday, according to the U.S. Forest Service.
Los Angeles County has been inundated with deadly blazes this month. The Palisades and Eaton fires, the largest ones in the most populous county of the United States, have killed 28 people, sparked numerous mandatory evacuations, and destroyed thousands of structures. ■
