LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� Evacuation orders were lifted Thursday for tens of thousands of people as firefighters with air support slowed the spread of a huge wildfire churning through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles where dangerous winds gained strength again.
The Hughes Fire and in less than a day had charred nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreation area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) from the devastating that are burning for a third week.
There was no growth overnight and crews were jumping on flareups to keep the flames within containment lines, fire spokesperson Jeremy Ruiz said Thursday morning.
鈥淲e had helicopters dropping water until around 3 a.m. That kept it in check,鈥� he said.
The fire remained at 14% containment. Nearly 54,000 residents in the Castaic area were still under evacuation warnings, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said Thursday. There were no reports of homes or other structures burned.
In San Diego, evacuations were ordered Thursday afternoon after flames erupted near densely populated neighborhoods of La Jolla. The Gilman Fire was spreading through dry brush along streets with large homes not far from the campus of the UC San Diego School of Medicine.
And in Ventura County, a new fire Thursday briefly prompted the evacuation of California State University Channel Islands in Camarillo. Water-dropping helicopters made quick progress against the Laguna Fire that erupted in hills above the campus, where about 7,000 students are enrolled. The evacuation order was later downgraded to a warning.
Though the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk through Friday, winds were not as strong as they had been when the Palisades and Eaton fires broke out, allowing for firefighting aircraft to dump tens of thousands of gallons of .
Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire, which had been closed, reopened Wednesday evening.
Kayla Amara drove to Castaic鈥檚 Stonegate neighborhood on Wednesday to from the home of a friend who had rushed to pick up her daughter at preschool. As Amara was packing the car, she learned the fire had exploded in size and decided to hose down the property.
Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she鈥檚 been on edge for weeks as major blazes devastated Southern California.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been stressful with those other fires, but now that this one is close to home it鈥檚 just super stressful,鈥� she said.
Closer to Los Angeles, residents in the Sherman Oaks area received an evacuation warning Wednesday night after a brush fire broke out on the Sepulveda Pass near Interstate 405. Forward progress was stopped within hours and the warning was lifted.
The low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and strong winds came as firefighters continued battling the devastating . Officials remained concerned that those fires could break their lines as firefighters continue watching for hot spots. Containment of the Palisades Fire reached 72%, and the Eaton Fire was at 95%.
Those two fires have and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they broke out Jan. 7.
Ahead of the weekend, Los Angeles officials were shoring up hillsides and installing barriers to that could cause debris flows, even as some residents were allowed to return to the charred . Precipitation was possible starting Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.
The California fires have overall caused at least $28 billion in insured damage and probably a little more in uninsured damage, according to Karen Clark and Company, a disaster modeling firm known for accurate post-catastrophe damage assessments.
On the heels of that assessment, California Republicans are against suggestions by President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson and others that federal disaster aid for victims of wildfires should come with strings attached.
The state Legislature on Thursday approved a more than , in part to help the Los Angeles area recover from the fires.
Trump plans to travel to the state to see the damage firsthand Friday, but it wasn鈥檛 clear whether he and will meet during the visit.
___
The story has been updated to correct to Castaic Lake, from Lake Castaic.
Christopher Weber, The Associated Press
