WASHINGTON ( WNAM MONITORING): A new wildfire tore through Los Angeles County Wednesday, burning more than 500 acres in just over an hour after it was first reported.
The rapidly-spreading Hughes Fire is burning north of the small community of Castaic, located northwest of the city. Several evacuation orders have already been issued with other communities facing evacuation warnings.
The fire was assessed to be at 50 acres when it was first reported at 10.53 a.m. local time (1853GMT), but quickly spread to more than 500 acres by 12.15 p.m. (2015GMT), according to data from CalFire, the California state fire agency.
It remains 0% contained as firefighters scramble to address the inferno.
The blaze is the latest to strike the greatest Los Angeles area after a series of fires began to sweep through America’s second-largest city on Jan. 7. The first inferno, the Palisades Fire, has devasted the upscaled coastal community of the Pacific Palisades while another major blaze, the Eaton Fire, tore through wide swathes of the foothill city of Altadena.
A total of 11 people were killed in the Palisades Fire while 17 died in the Eaton Fire amid mass devastation in both communities that has left many residents scrambling to find new homes.
They are now 68% and 91% contained, respectively, after more than two weeks of expansive firefighting efforts.
