New fire breaks out in Los Angeles; 5000 acres gutted in two hours

LOS ANGELES: A new wildfire has broken out in Los Angeles. The wildfire that started at 2:45 pm local time has burned 5,000 acres so far. Efforts to extinguish the fire are ongoing. 19,000 people have been ordered to evacuate. Strong dry winds are challenging rescue efforts. The fire is spreading near the Castaic Lake, 80 kilometers north of the city.

A warning has been issued to areas such as Castaic Lake, Paradise Ranch, Green Hill, and Cambridge. The new wildfire comes before Los Angeles is completely free from the wildfires that started in early January.

Evacuations were ordered for 31,000 people around the lake, which sits around 35 miles (56 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita.

Residents received emergency alerts after a new fire erupted north of Los Angeles.

The fire came with the greater Los Angeles area still suffering after two enormous fires that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of structures.
Robert Jensen, of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, urged everyone in the impacted area of the new blaze to leave immediately.