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As the Hughes Fire raged on Wednesday, people living around Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County pondered the question of whether to stay or go.
The danger felt very real as the Eaton and Palisades wildfires ravaged other parts of the county.
Greg Wolf, 64, was searched with his family at his home in Castaic despite an evacuation order. Ash was falling and there was a lot of smoke in the sky, but he said they stopped because the wind seemed to die and the fire seemed to be south of them.
Mr Wolf said he often ignored fire warnings. But this time he was scared.
“What happened in Altadena and the wind power in the Palisades — I’ve never seen anything like it in California,” he said.
Driven by strong winds, the Eaton and Palisades fires grew rapidly and caused widespread destruction in Altadena and Pasadena northeast of Los Angeles, and in Pacific Palisades and Malibu to the west. These two were among the most destructive fires in California history.
The Hughes fire appears to have grown at a similarly alarming rate, burning more than 8,000 acres by 4 p.m., just four hours after it started.
Most of the fires were in and around the Castaic Lake area, but there were evacuation orders in the wider area. The evacuation zone includes Northlake Hills Elementary School, Castaic Elementary School and Castaic Middle School. Other schools were closed as a precaution, though not under evacuation orders.
Manny Trujillo saw the fire spread to a dry creek bed across the street from his home in Castaic. There had been a fire nearby, he said, but nothing like this. As the flames got closer, he couldn’t decide whether to leave or not.
“I don’t want to be alarmed,” he said. “But what do you take?”
The fire initially threatened Lake Hills Community Church, which overlooks Castaic Lake, but lead pastor David Cummings said the building appeared to be intact. He watched from the church’s security camera and saw firefighters on the scene before the power went out.
Half of the church’s 140 members live in Castaic.
“We could have moved them to a house in Santa Clarita, but now some of those houses have been moved and we’re moving again,” Mr. Cummings said.
The fire has reached the northern part of Santa Clarita, said Mayor Bill Miranda. He said he did not know of any damaged buildings in the city, which is located south of the lake and is home to about 225,000 people.
Some of the residents did not take advantage of it.
Residents of the Camino Azar cul-de-sac in Santa Clarita’s new Tesoro Highlands community fled Wednesday afternoon, after watching the fire grow for hours and staring at each other.
“It’s going very fast,” said Immanuel Chiang, 57, as he blew through thick smoke northwest of his hilltop community. “I just came and started packing.”
Like his neighbours, Mr Chiang moved into the new development just three months ago.
Mr. Miranda said he was confident in Santa Clarita’s preparations, with a recreation center, including the animals, and a command center built near Castaic Lake. The area has experienced fires before: In 2019, the Tick Fire burned nearly 5,000 acres.
“We’re experienced with fires, that’s a good thing,” he said. “But with so many fires, it’s not a good thing.”
Mr. Miranda urged people to be prepared, noting that the wind is coming tonight and could change quickly.
On Wednesday evening, some of the Castaic evacuees gathered at the Ralph’s store. Among them were Ted and Jennie Hartman, who were preparing to go to neighboring Valencia to have dinner with their 7-year-old son.
Around noon, her son’s elementary school notified her that all children needed to be picked up. At 4:00 p.m., the family heard the official honking the horn to say they needed to leave.
“I think they were concerned about the fire,” said Mr. Hartman, 57, a civil servant who has lived in Castaic since 1986 in an area of mostly one-story homes.
When they go to dinner, the Hartmans say they don’t know where they will sleep tonight.
