Plumes of smoke caused by the Hughes Fire rise over Castaic, Calf., on Jan. 22. (Ethan Swope/Associated Press)
A fire spreading rapidly north of Los Angeles has shut one of California's main transportation arteries.
The Hughes Fire started just before 11 a.m. local time and quickly spread to more than 5,054 acres, spurring evacuation orders around Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. Students from three local middle and elementary schools were evacuated to a grocery store parking lot and sports complex for parents to pick them up, the California Highway Patrol Newhall said in a statement on X.
All northbound lanes of Interstate 5 were closed at about 2 p.m. The vital link between Northern and Southern California was affected by heavy smoke, and Cal Fire said there was "an immediate threat to life."
The wildfire has stoked fresh fears in a region already devastated by two weeks of deadly infernos that have killed 28 people, destroyed nearly 15,000 structures -- most of them homes -- and left thousands displaced. The Palisades and Eaton fires, which caused the bulk of the destruction, are still burning but are now more controlled at 66% and 91% containment, respectively. The area of the new fire is about 45 miles from Pacific Palisades.
Shares of California utilities Edison International and PG&E Corp. fell during late afternoon trading. Edison closed down 6.3% to $58.29 at the market close. PG&E dropped 5% to $16.44. A spokesperson for Edison said the utility is looking into the situation. PG&E representatives were not immediately available for comment.
"Due to the Hughes Fire in Castaic, the I-5 through the Grapevine will be closed for an unknown duration," CHP said on X.
Winds of 37 miles per hour were fanning fire, according to the National Weather Service. They are expected to get progressively worse overnight, said Rich Bann, a forecaster with the U.S. Weather Prediction Center. Humidity across the region, which hasn't seen rain for weeks, is crackly dry and gusts of more than 50 miles per hour are likely through Jan. 23.
"Obviously this just creates all kinds of havoc with wildland fire behavior," Bann said. "This creates conditions where you get that explosive fire growth."
Critical fire weather conditions affecting more than 9.3 million people are forecast to last through Jan. 23, according to the U.S. Storm Prediction Center. Forecast models say the worst winds will occur Thursday.
The winds can whip flames across the landscape causing the fires to spread, but they can also pick up embers and transport them miles away starting new blazes, Bann said.
There is a chance light rain will begin to fall across Southern California starting Jan. 24, but firefighters will have to get through the next day and half with little help from nature until then.
Cal Fire Battalion Chief David Acuna said the Hughes fire is "primarily burning through brush and grass" in dry terrain. Cal Fire had crews and equipment prepositioned in the Castaic area, which were "immediately applied for use," he said, but the fire has still grown quickly as winds begin to pick up.
"We're just kind of buckled in," Acuna said. "We've been going for a little over two weeks now."