A new brush fire has erupted in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles, forcing firefighters to battle a blaze that has already burned 40 acres and is still zero percent contained.
L.A. Crews Battle New Brush Fire Near Bel-Air
Brush Fire Breaks Out in Sepulveda Pass
Firefighters stopped the progress of a new 40-acre brush fire that was burning in Los Angeles near Interstate 405, the Getty Museum and Bel-Air early Thursday morning, officials said.
The Los Angeles Fire Department had issued an evacuation warning after the blaze, called the Sepulveda fire, broke out late Wednesday in the Sepulveda Pass. The Fire Department lifted the warning a few hours later.
“Air support and other aggressive actions have been deployed to fight a new fire just east of the 405,” Mayor Karen Bass of Los Angeles said in a statement.
Firefighters Contain Blaze, But Anxiety Remains
Though firefighters had managed to stop the blaze’s growth, it was still zero percent contained and burning through extremely dry brush on Thursday morning, according to Cal Fire. No structures had been burned, officials said.
The same area saw a devastating blaze in 2017, when the Skirball fire burned 475 acres and destroyed multiple mansions, including one owned by Rupert Murdoch.
Regional Fire Situation
The Sepulveda fire is adding more anxiety to a city where the Palisades and Eaton fires are still burning, two weeks after destroying entire neighborhoods and killing at least 27 people. On Wednesday, amid continuing dangerous fire conditions in the region, another blaze, the Hughes fire, broke out and quickly spread to more than 10,000 acres near Santa Clarita, northwest of downtown Los Angeles.
That blaze forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate and several schools and businesses to close temporarily.
Weather Conditions Fuel Fears
The Los Angeles area on Thursday was expecting more low humidity and dry desert winds that have fueled the fires, with winds peaking around 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. Over the weekend, the weather pattern is expected to change, and Los Angeles may see some rain, the service said.
Nazaneen Ghaffar contributed reporting.
Mike Ives is a reporter for The Times based in Seoul, covering breaking news around the world.
Claire Moses is a Times reporter in London, focused on coverage of breaking and trending news.
