A brush fire in a rural part of Los Angeles County exploded out of control Thursday morning, scorching thousands of acres in the Angeles National Forest, and prompting evacuation orders and road closures in the Lake Hughes area. The blaze, dubbed the Lake Fire, was first reported at about 3:45 p.m. Wednesday near North Lake Hughes Road and Pine Canyon Road, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department. At around 4 p.m., officials said the fire was roughly 50 acres. About two hours later, flames covered 10,000 acres, with 0 percent containment. Some of the affected areas have caught fire for the first time since 1968. “It’s pretty explosive fire behavior,” said Angeles National Forest Fire Chief Robert Garcia. “It’s typically what we see a little bit later in the season and often driven by wind. The fuel, moisture conditions, and the fire at this particular location with the slope, it really created the recipe for rapid fire growth.” The Los Angeles County Fire Department has requested more than 400 extra firefighters to join in on the front lines.
Veronica Miracle, a reporter for the local KABC station, captured the terrifying strengthening of the blaze as winds whipped it into a swirling fire tornado.
Read it at KABC
