Massive fire near Los Angeles balloons as Santa Ana winds pick up

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Eyewitness video showed the skies north of Los Angeles tinted orange on Wednesday afternoon as the Hughes Fire expanded rapidly.

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A smaller blaze, the Sepulveda Fire, was burning along the 405 freeway near the Getty Museum – home to numerous art treasures – in the San Fernando Valley on Thursday. The brush fire, which was 16 hectares and 0 per cent contained, briefly caused part of the heavily travelled highway to be closed and some nearby residents to be evacuated overnight.

Southern California has gone without significant rain for nine months, contributing to hazardous conditions, but some rain was forecast from Saturday through Monday, possibly giving firefighters much-needed relief.

The rain could cause mudslides, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned during a news conference on Wednesday, saying that the city was taking “aggressive action” by installing barriers, removing fire debris and diverting stormwater.

As of Thursday morning, the Eaton Fire that scorched about 5670 hectares east of Los Angeles was 95 per cent contained, while the larger Palisades Fire, which has consumed about 9490 hectares on the west side of Los Angeles, stood at 70 per cent contained, Cal Fire said.

US President Donald Trump, who has sharply criticised California’s response to the wildfires, is expected to visit the area and survey the damage on Friday. During an interview with Fox News on Wednesday, Trump said he may shut off federal funding if the state does not alter its water management.

“I don’t think we should give California anything until they let water flow,” Trump said during the interview at the White House, a day after he issued an executive order to increase the availability of water in California.

Trump says California conservation efforts in the northern part of the state are responsible for fire hydrants running dry around Los Angeles, an assertion that Governor Gavin Newsom has dismissed.

Reuters

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