LAUREN TAYLOR: Southern California residents are bracing for more fires as continued winds and dry conditions allow more fires to spread and new blazes to start.
Residents as far north as Ventura County and as far south as San Diego and the Mexican border are facing the threat of evacuation orders.
The Hughes Fire started Wednesday, weeks after some of the earliest fires, and has burned more than 10,000 acres.
Firefighting officials say they have contained 24% of the blaze as of late Thursday afternoon.
And in San Diego, residents of the tourist hub of La Jolla briefly faced evacuation orders because of a small blaze, while a separate brush fire burned at least 50 acres in the Otay Wilderness Area near the border with Mexico.
Cal Fire says it has made progress on the two largest fires still blazing. It has contained 72% of the Palisades Fire that has heavily damaged coastal towns including Pacific Palisades, and has contained 95% of the Eaton Fire that damaged many parts of the town of Altadena.
High winds are in the forecast in the coming days, which could make containing the fires a challenge.
But weather officials also expect rain over the weekend, which could provide a major help to firefighters but also poses other risks, including the threat of mudslides.
For Straight Arrow News, I’m Lauren Taylor.
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