LOS ANGELES—A fast-moving brush fire raced across thousands of acres of thick vegetation near Castaic Lake on Wednesday, forcing mandatory evacuations into the heart of Castaic, with warnings stretching toward nearby Santa Clarita and reaching the Ventura County line.
Castaic is an unincorporated community located about 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles.
It comes two weeks after strong winds helped spark multiple deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area that have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 15,000 structures, including thousands of homes.
The new fire, dubbed the Hughes fire, was reported at about 11 a.m. Wednesday in the area of Lake Hughes Road near the Golden State (5) Freeway near Castaic Lake, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection….