Firefighters have halted the advance of a new wildfire north of Los Angeles after it spread rapidly, as California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $2.5 billion relief package for the fire-devastated region.
Termed the “Hughes Fire”, located around 80 kilometres north of Los Angeles, broke out on Wednesday as emergency services continued to battle two fires on the city’s eastern and western flanks that have burned for more than two weeks.
The blaze burned some 10,176 acres (41 square km) but that figure held steady throughout the day as 4,000 firefighters dropped water and retardant from the air and used hand tools and hoses on the ground.
Containment, a measure of the perimeter that is under control, grew to 24%, up from 14% earlier in the day, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said on its website.
The Hughes Fire had led to evacuation orders for 31,000 residents and evacuation warnings for a further 16,000 people as it sent plumes of smoke over hilly terrain in the Castaic Lake area near Santa Clarita.
