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(Bloomberg) -- Firefighters across Southern California made progress battling new blazes amid gusty winds, as forecast rain on the weekend offered the potential for relief.
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The Hughes Fire, which erupted Wednesday in rugged terrain north of Los Angeles, has engulfed more than 10,000 acres (4,047 hectares) and was 24% contained as of Thursday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, known as Cal Fire. The Sepulveda Fire, which started early Thursday near the Getty Center art museum and the city’s affluent Bel Air neighborhood, was 60% contained after burning 45 acres.
In Ventura County east of Oxnard, the Laguna Fire that started Thursday morning had scorched 50 acres and was burning out of control, according to Cal Fire. California State University Channel Islands said it had been ordered to evacuate the campus. Another small blaze broke out Thursday afternoon near San Diego, in the wealthy coastal enclave of La Jolla, forcing some residents to flee.
President Donald Trump planned to travel to Los Angeles on Friday to survey the fire damage after criticizing California Governor Gavin Newsom’s response to the disaster. On Thursday, Newsom was expected to sign legislation directing $2.5 billion for response and recovery efforts.
Dry winds were forecast to batter Los Angeles and Ventura counties throughout the day Thursday before subsiding overnight, the US Storm Prediction Center said. Red flag warnings will start to be removed in the Los Angeles area Friday morning, before long-overdue rain possibly returns Saturday night.
“They do need the rain,” said Brian Hurley, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center. “For a lot of these areas, it is going to be the first rain they have had for a while.”
The new fires come weeks after other blazes killed 28 people, displaced thousands and destroyed more than 16,000 structures. The Palisades and Eaton fires, which caused the bulk of the destruction, are still burning but are now close to containment.
Shares of electric utilities Edison International and PG&E Corp., which have been found liable for sparking some of California’s past wildfires, slid Wednesday as the Hughes Fire spread, although authorities have not announced a cause for the blaze. Shares of both companies were down slightly on Thursday. Edison has cut power to more than 111,000 homes and businesses in the region to prevent live wires from blowing over in the high winds.