Hughes Brush Fire Shuts Down 5 Freeway, Forces 31,000, Including Inmates, To Flee

LOS ANGELES, CA — A fast-moving brush fire broke out near Castaic Lake where powerful wind gusts quickly drove the fire to more than 10,000 acres Thursday, forcing 31,000 people to flee and shutting down the Golden State (5) Freeway.

The blaze, dubbed the Hughes Fire, broke out at about 11 a.m. and stormed across more than 9,000 acres within a handful of hours, sending thick plumes of smoke across the region and briefly closong the Golden State (5) Freeway in both directions. Even after the weeks of catastrophic fire devastation in Los Angeles County, the explosive speed of the Hughes Fire is stunning. In addition to protecting the lives of thousands of residents in the path of the flames, authorities also have thousands of jail inmates to evacuate or make shelter in place.

SEE ALSO: Castaic Lake Fire: See Hughes Fire Perimeter, Evacuation Areas

The blaze is burning through heavy, dry fuels as gusting Santa Ana winds push the flames across the challenging terrain.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said about 31,000 people were being evacuated from the area, and another 23,000 were under evacuation warnings as of early afternoon.

Luna said the sheriff's Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic was under an evacuation order, and about 476 inmates were being moved to a neighboring facility, likely the North County Correctional Facility. In an interview with KCAL9, Luna said the department consulted with the fire department, and the roughly 4,600 inmates being held at the jails in the area were sheltering in place, noting the concrete structures. But he said buses were being moved to the jails in case conditions changed and inmates need to be moved.

The Hughes Fire broke out in the late morning and quickly ripped through nearly 8 square miles (21 square kilometers) of trees and brush, sending up an enormous plume of dark smoke near Lake Castaic, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that are burning for a third week.

The South Coast Air Quality Management District has issued a smoke advisory due to the Hughes Fire, saying smoke from the blaze will likely most directly impact areas such as the San Gabriel Mountains, the 5 Freeway corridor and Santa Clarita. Areas such as the San Fernando Valley, Malibu and Pacific Palisades may also be affected.

Offramps along Interstate 5, a major north-south artery, were closed as flames raced along hilltops and down into rugged canyons. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping aircraft tried to prevent the wind-driven fire from moving south toward more populated foothill communities in Castaic, home to about 19,000 people. At least three schools were evacuated as a precaution, the California Highway Patrol said.

The blaze is burning in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the Golden State (5) Freeway near Castaic Lake, in the mountains just north of Santa Clarita, according to Cal Fire.

Crews on the scene reported the fire was spreading rapidly, spotting across Lake Hughes Road and prompting evacuation orders and warnings in the Castaic Lake area and warnings in remote canyon areas near Castaic, according to the sheriff's department.

Firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department and Angeles National Forest were attacking the blaze.

More than a dozen water- and retardant-dropping aircraft were on the scene, including the county's two leased Super Scooper fixed-wing planes.

It was unclear what sparked the fire.

The California Highway Patrol reported the Golden State (5) Freeway remains open in the area of the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake, but the roadway is "affected by the heavy smoke," so motorists are advised to use caution.

Ridge Route Road is closed at Lake Hughes and at Templin Highway. Lake Hughes is closed at Pine Canyon, and Dry Gulch is closed at San Francisquito Canyon Road.

Mandatory evacuation warnings have now been expanded well north of Castaic Lake, west to the Golden State (5) Freeway and stretching as far south of Tapia Canyon Road.

Evacuation orders due to the Hughes Fire have now been expanded to the southwest, into the heart of Castaic. The Castaic Sports Complex, also under a mandatory evacuation order, is being used as a fire command post.

The temporary evacuation point for people impacted by the Hughes Fire has been relocated to Hart High School, 24825 Newhall Ave., Santa Clarita.

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City News Service and the Associated Press contributed to this report.