A terrifying new wildfire burning out of control north of Los Angeles that torched 5,000 acres in just hours Wednesday could “go nuclear,” a wildfire expert warned.
That blaze is now called the Hughes Fire, and although it has not reached urban areas, authorities have issued an evacuation order for nearby communities, including roughly 18,000 people in the town of Castaic.
At about 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, a huge column of smoke was spotted in the wilderness near Santa Clarita, California, prompting first responders to request four aircraft and 50 fire engines, according to the fire monitoring organization Watch Duty.