Mandatory evacuation orders and warnings have been issued for a fast-moving wildfire that has burned at least 500 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday morning, authorities said.
The blaze has been dubbed the Hughes Fire and is located off Lake Hughes Road, just north of Castaic Reservoir Road near Castaic Lake, according to the Angeles National Forest. It was first reported just before 11 a.m. by officials with the Angeles National Forest and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
Around 11:30 a.m., Los Angeles County Fire Department officials confirmed the wildfire had grown to 500 acres.
“It does have a high potential for spread because we are looking at 32 mph winds as we speak,” LA County Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh said. “Those winds are supposed to pick up as the afternoon progresses into the evening.”
At the time, Cal Fire reported the wildfire was moving with a “rapid rate of spread,” the flames breaking out while that area of the Santa Clarita Valley was under a Red Flag Warning, with extremely low humidity and Santa Ana winds increasing the risks of wildfires.
