Thousands told to evacuate after two new blazes start in Los Angeles County

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued to more than 31,000 people in the vicinity of two new wildfires north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Evacuation orders and warnings were issued to more than 31,000 people in the vicinity of two new wildfires north of Los Angeles on Wednesday.

The Hughes fire near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County began Wednesday morning and now covers more than 10,000 acres or 15 square miles. It was 14% contained at 4 a.m. local time (7 a.m. ET), according to Cal Fire.

The Hughes fire was being fed by high winds and dry conditions, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna told reporters, but according to an update from the interagency fire information center it had not destroyed any structures.

A new brush fire began late Wednesday in Sepulveda Pass, growing to 40 acres near the densely populated Sherman Oaks neighborhood and UCLA, but its progress was stopped. Los Angeles Fire Department issued an evacuation warning for residents in the area at 11:46 p.m. (2:46 a.m. ET Thursday) but later ended the alert at 2 a.m.

In addition to the approximately 31,000 people under mandatory evacuation orders, another around 23,000 were under evacuation warnings, meaning they should be prepared to leave if told to do so.

https://www.nbcnews.com/weather/wildfires/hughes-fire-evacuation-los-angeles-rcna188834

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