Thousands of Southern California residents have been told to leave their homes as a new wildfire has erupted north of Los Angeles, spreading across about 41 square kilometers (16 square miles) in a matter of hours.
The blaze, called the Hughes Fire, is burning near the popular recreation area around Castaic Lake, about 64 kilometers (40 miles) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, which have just been contained since erupting on January 7. has also not been completely controlled.
mass withdrawal orders
More than 31,000 people were told to evacuate, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said, while more than 20,000 were in areas affected by evacuation warnings.
There were no immediate reports of properties destroyed by the new fire.
A portion of Highway 5, a major transportation route, was temporarily closed while officials said sustained winds were increasing fire danger.
two big fires kept burning
Firefighters have made progress fighting two other wildfires in the Los Angeles area in recent days.
The Eaton fire near Pasadena was said to be 95% contained as of Wednesday, while the Palisades fire on the west end was said to be 95% contained. Los Angeles was about 70% contained.
More than 15,000 buildings have been destroyed or damaged by the Eaton and Palisades fires, which also killed at least 28 people. More than 20 people are still missing.
Climate scientists say human-induced climate change, primarily through the burning of fossil fuels, is contributing to making such fires more frequent and severe.
tj/nm (dpa, ap)