Thousands told to evacuate after two new blazes start in Los ...

The Hughes Fire ignited weeks after two nearby blazes left at least 27 people dead and engulfed thousands of homes in the Los Angeles area earlier this month, in what the city's fire chief has called one of the worst disasters in the history of Los Angeles.

Wednesday's winds were not as strong as those that fueled the Eaton and Palisades fires on Jan. 7, when authorities were unable to use aircraft to drop flame retardant, Marrone said.

On Wednesday, firefighters were able to drop tens of thousands of gallons of retardant to help halt the spread of the fire, he said.

"Had you been here a few hours ago, the situation looked much different and much more threatening," Marrone said.

A section of Interstate 5 that stretches through a mountain pass north of Castaic Lake that was closed Wednesday later reopened in both directions, the California Highway Patrol said on X. The agency added that off ramps to Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road, both on I-5 north, remain closed.

A lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called for the immediate evacuation of 4,700 jail inmates in four facilities around the lake that are under a warning to flee the area.

A spokesperson for the sheriff's department, which operates the jails, said that 476 people in one of the facilities were being moved to another jail.

The cause of the fire was under investigation.

The fire broke out after a return of winds and dry conditions created a critical fire risk. The area remained under "red flag" warnings through 10 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said, adding that wind gusts of up to 65 mph could be expected in the mountains.

Experts have pointed to the link between climate change and the conditions that make fires like those that have roared across Los Angeles in recent weeks more likely.

Images broadcast by NBC Los Angeles showed massive plumes of smoke soaring above the region and giant flames scorching what appeared to be a ridge line.

Video from the station showed residents who had refused evacuation orders hosing down their homes and sealing exterior events to block embers.