Southern California residents are bracing for more fires as continued winds and dry conditions allow more fires to spread and new blazes to start. Residents as far north as Ventura County and as far south as San Diego and the Mexican border face the threat of evacuation orders.
The Hughes Fire started Wednesday, weeks after some of the earliest fires, and burned over 10,000 acres.
Firefighting officials say they have contained 24% of the blaze since late Thursday afternoon.
And in San Diego, residents of the tourist hub of La Jolla briefly faced evacuation orders because of a small blaze. At the same time, a separate brush fire burned at least 50 acres in the Otay Wilderness Area near the border with Mexico.
Cal Fire says it has made progress on the two largest fires still blazing. It has contained 72% of the Palisades Fire, which has heavily damaged coastal towns, including Pacific Palisades. They’ve also contained 95% of the Eaton Fire, which damaged many parts of the town of Altadena.
High winds are in the forecast in the coming days, which could make containing the fires a challenge.
However, weather officials also expect rain over the weekend. While it could be very helpful to firefighters, it also poses other risks, including the threat of mudslides.