Fire-ravaged Southern California grapples with new infernos this week as much-needed rain could unleash more deadly hazards

Exhausted firefighters battling deadly infernos for weeks are now grappling with more wildfires torching Southern California – including one that’s threatening 14,000 structures.

Exhausted firefighters battling deadly infernos for weeks are now grappling with more wildfires torching Southern California – including one that’s threatening 14,000 structures. The Hughes Fire has already torched more than 10,000 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since it ignited Wednesday. As of midday Thursday, the inferno was only 14% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, also known as Cal Fire. The Hughes Fire is north of Santa Clarita, near the unincorporated community of Castaic. More than 14,000 structures are threatened, according to Los Angeles County’s Coordinated Joint Information Center. About 31,000 area residents were under evacuation orders and 23,000 under evacuation warnings Wednesday evening due to the Hughes Fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. Firefighters had a more optimistic outlook for another blaze, the Sepulveda Fire, which started late Wednesday. The brush fire near Interstate 405 and Sepulveda Boulevard in Los Angeles has stopped moving forward, the city’s fire department said. About 250 firefighters “jumped on this very quickly, and we were able to keep it to only 40 acres” after the blaze started late Wednesday, said firefighter David Ortiz, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department. “The Santa Ana winds are blowing against this fire, so we had that in our favor.”