LOS ANGELES — Two new wildfires joined the ongoing Los Angeles blazes on Wednesday, one running out of control through the Angeles National Forest north of town, and another threatening the ritzy Bel Air neighborhood.
The Sepulveda Fire broke out around 11 p.m. Wednesday night, and although the fire has only burned around 45 acres so far, the Bel Air neighborhood, home to the mansions of the Hollywood elite, was evacuated, according to CalFire.
That fire is now 60% contained and evacuation orders have been lifted.
But farther north, the Hughes Fire is running rampant through the wilderness in northern LA County.
Driven by strong, southerly winds, the Hughes Fire has been feeding on the dry, desert shrubland of the Angeles Forest. And although the large Castaic Lake blocked its progress, it has been creeping around the lake and now brushes against a community of around 20,000 people.
That fire’s “nuclear” rampage, as one expert described it to The Post on Wednesday, torched more than 10,000 acres in less than a day and is only 16% contained.
The Eaton Fire, by comparison, burned 14,000 acres in two weeks — a relatively small area for wildfires — although it reduced whole neighborhoods in LA County, near Pasadena, to cinders.
The Eaton Fire has been nearly completely contained and some residents have been allowed to return to their homes — or what is left of them — although it could be days or even weeks before that fire fully burns out.
Meanwhile, firefighters continue to make progress against the Palisades Fire, which has now been 72% contained after wiping out some of the most expensive real estate in Los Angeles.
All told, the total price tag of this month’s fires could top $250,000, according to one estimate.
Fortunately, rain forecasted for the weekend could dump an inch or more of water on the still-burning blazes, however, authorities have warned of potential flooding, mudslides, and deadly road conditions as the rain washes down the scorched, ash-covered hillsides.