The Clay Fire has sparked in Riverside County on Tuesday night as wildfires continue to plague Southern California.
The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.
As winds across the Southern California area are calmer than their peak and firefighters are making progress, the threat to the fire-weary region remains with Santa Ana winds expected to continue in the coming days.
Santa Ana winds will continue whipping through Southern California through Thursday, sparking fears that progress made fighting wildfires that have scorched over 40,000 acres and left 28 dead could be reversed and more blazes could break out.
The Hughes, Sepulveda and Laguna fires are among the latest blazes for Southern California during a fourth consecutive day of red flag fire weather warnings.
Parched Southern California was forecast to face more dangerous winds on Wednesday but could get some needed rain this weekend, dampening prospects of another round of deadly wildfires while raising the possibility of challenges like toxic ash runoff.
Non-native grasses and eucalyptus trees brought to California centuries ago for agriculture and landscaping have reshaped the state’s fire dynamics.
Strong Santa Ana winds returned to Southern California on Tuesday sparking several new fires in San Diego just two weeks after blazes killed 27 people in LA. | ITV National News
The artificial intelligence behind Alert California is interpreting camera footage so firefighters can predict how a column of smoke will grow into a wildfire.
At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.
Firefighters are battling a new brush fire that erupted in San Diego County near the U.S.-Mexico border, as they also race to contain the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake.