New fires erupt in Southern California ahead of President Trump's expected visit
Several new fires have erupted in Southern California ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the state.
New fires roared to life from Santa Clarita to San Diego, burning thousands of acres from Jan. 22-23 as Santa Ana winds fueled the flames.
President Trump is traveling to fire-ravaged California on Friday and will also pay a visit to western North Carolina, where widespread damage from Hurricane Helene remains.
Trump will first stop in Asheville, North Carolina, before heading to the Los Angeles area, where he will observe the damage from wildfires that have killed more than two dozen people, destroyed entire neighborhoods and forced desperate evacuations.
Firefighters have made progress in bringing the 10,400-acre Hughes Fire in the city of Castaic under control, containing it by 36% since it broke out on Wednesday about 40 miles north of Los Angeles.
Over 50,000 people are under evacuation orders, and nearby roads have been shut down, according to The Associated Press. Multiple aircraft, engines and bulldozers have been dispatched to help battle the blaze.
The cause of the Hughes Fire is still under investigation.
A little over 100 miles down the coast from Los Angeles, two new blazes erupted Thursday afternoon in San Diego County.
The Border 2 Fire has exploded to more than 4,000 acres and prompted an evacuation order Friday morning. The fire is spreading through the Otay Mountain Wilderness, near the U.S.-Mexico border.
While the Border 2 Fire area is not densely populated, “There is a threat to critical communication infrastructure,” said the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire.
The Gilman Fire, south of La Jolla, also started Thursday and scorched 3 acres before it stopped moving forward, Cal Fire said.
The historic Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed 28 people and torched more than 40,000 acres since Jan. 7, have not grown much in size in over a week.
AccuWeather Forecasting Senior Director Dan DePodwin and AccuWeather Climate Expert Brett Anderson discuss the top headline related to climate change in the Jan. 24 edition of Climate In The News.
Much-needed rain in the forecast
A shift in the weather pattern will cause humidity to rise and rain to return to Southern California over the weekend, helping firefighters battle the Hughes Fire and other blazes burning across the region.
"Just about every location in coastal Southern California, as well as the Southern California mountains, should at least get in on some showers this weekend," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dave Houk said.
Los Angeles County Public Works is already distributing sandbags to those who need them, especially near the new burn scars, where there is an elevated risk of flooding.
In addition to providing much-needed precipitation, the upcoming rain will help to improve the air quality across the region, which has reached unhealthy levels in the wake of the recent wildfires.
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