Progress on LA fire as new blazes erupt in southern California

Evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday for tens of thousands as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles, but new blazes erupted in San Diego County, briefly triggering more evacuations.

- Associated Press

LOS ANGELES:

Southern California is under a red flag warning for critical fire risk through Friday. The area has been facing constant challenges in controlling the fires, as dangerous winds gained strength again on Thursday.

The Hughes Fire broke out late on Wednesday morning and in less than a day charred nearly 41 square kilometers of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 64 kilometers from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

Crews made significant progress by late afternoon on the Hughes Fire, with more than one-third of it contained.

Two new blazes were reported on Thursday in the San Diego area. Evacuations were ordered but were later lifted after a brush fire erupted in the late afternoon in the wealthy enclave of La Jolla near the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine.