California, January 22
A new wildfire north of Los Angeles on Wednesday quickly spread to more than 9,400 acres (38 sq km), prompting mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people.
Within hours Wednesday, the new blaze grew to two-thirds the size of the Eaton Fire, one of two large blazes to ravage the Los Angeles area. Officials issued a warning for people in the Castaic Lake area of Los Angeles County, while much of Southern California remained under a red alert for high fire risk due to strong, dry winds.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told a press conference that about 31,000 people were under mandatory evacuation orders and another 23,000 people faced evacuation warnings. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marron said more than 4,000 firefighters were working on the Hughes fire. –Writers
