Aerial attack helps firefighters maintain the upper hand on a huge fire north of Los Angeles

A large wildfire in the mountains north of Los Angeles was contained with the help of nighttime helicopter water drops, as firefighters worked to increase containment while remaining vigilant for dangerous winds that could return. The Hughes Fire broke out on Wednesday, scorching nearly 41 square kilometers of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area, in less than a day. This location is about 40 kilometers from the Eaton and Palisades fires, which have been burning for three weeks.

Fire spokesman Jeremy Ruis said on Thursday (Friday AEST) that the fire did not spread overnight, and firefighters were extinguishing spot fires to keep the blaze within containment lines. “We had helicopters going until about 3 a.m. dropping water. That held the fire in place,” he said. Currently, the fire’s containment rate remains at 14%. On Wednesday, more than 50,000 people received evacuation orders or warnings.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office did not provide new information about evacuations. There have been no reports of homes or other structures being burned. Meanwhile, about 80 kilometers to the southwest in Ventura County, a new fire has led to the evacuation of California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo. Water-dropping helicopters quickly contained the small Laguna Fire that broke out on the hills above the campus, which has about 7,000 students. The evacuation order was later downgraded to a warning.

Although the area remained under a red flag warning for extreme fire risk until Friday, the winds were not as strong as when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing firefighting aircraft to drop tens of thousands of liters of retardant. Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire were reopened on Wednesday night. Kayla Amara drove to the Stonegate community in Castaic to retrieve items from a friend’s house, who had rushed to pick up her daughter from preschool. As Amara was packing her car, she learned the fire was rapidly expanding, so she decided to hose down the property.

Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she has been on edge for weeks since the major fires in Southern California. “The other fires have been very stressful, but now that this one is so close to home, it is even more stressful,” she said. Firefighters continue to battle the destructive Palisades and Eaton fires as low humidity, extremely dry vegetation, and strong winds persist. Officials remain concerned that these fires could breach containment lines, and firefighters will continue to focus on hotspots. The Palisades Fire is 72% contained, and the Eaton Fire is 95% contained. Since breaking out on January 7, the two fires have caused at least 28 deaths and destroyed more than 14,000 structures.