A brush fire erupted on Wednesday near Castaic Lake, just north of southern California’s Santa Clarita — a Los Angeles suburb behind the San Fernando Valley.
The Hughes fire has been moving rapidly since first breaking out, advancing more than 500 acres in roughly an hour due to the massive winds and dry weather facing the area. Evacuation orders have since been called in. Video shared on social media demonstrated the fire’s growing power:
According to the Santa Clarita Valley Signal, the fire broke out around 10:40 a.m., which prompted quick evacuation orders for Castaic Lake and the surrounding areas:
The fire spread quickly along both sides of Lake Hughes Road to the northeast of the lake, and radio dispatch shortly after 11 a.m. indicated spot fires were popping up near the Ridge Route, approaching Interstate 5.
The incident is being called the Hughes Fire, and was initially reported as near Lake Hughes Road and Dry Gulch Road, but closer to Castaic Lake than Lake Elizabeth, according to radio dispatch traffic.
Initial radio dispatch reports indicated the fire had already reached 50-100 acres and was crossing Lake Hughes Road. Castaic Sports Complex and Paradise Ranch Mobile Home Park were placed under evacuation order as of 11:20 a.m.
It remains unknown if the fire poses a broader threat to the Santa Clarita area, which serves as home to Six Flags Magic Mountain along with a population of 224,028 people. It comes several weeks after the Palisades fire and the Eaton fire devastated the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, burning more than 15,000 structures and killing over 28 people.
Paul Roland Bois directed the award-winning Christian tech thriller, EXEMPLUM, which has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating and can be viewed for FREE on YouTube, Tubi, or Fawesome TV. “Better than Killers of the Flower Moon,” wrote Mark Judge. “You haven’t seen a story like this before,” wrote Christian Toto. A high-quality, ad-free rental can also be streamed on Google Play, Vimeo on Demand, or YouTube Movies. Follow him on X @prolandfilms or Instagram @prolandfilms.
Read the full article here