control

The control of the “blue line”

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About a week ago it began to appear in specialized media a war legend that is repeated from time to time: the United States has a kind of Offer switch of the artillery that sells to the rest of the planet. The virality of the story was such that Washington has had to go out. Faced with lose miles of dollars now that Europe Talk about rearmathe nation has denied having something similar to that button in its F-35. The reality is that it does, although otherwise. Europe and the exclusion of the US. To understand why the rhetoric of a hunt is important we must expand the geopolitical map. The European Union has launched the ambitious plan “European Defense Readiness 2030”With the aim of strengthening its defense autonomy, and does so through a significant Increased military spending and a drastic expansion of its industrial capacity to produce local weapons. The initiative arises in a context of growing distrust of the United States, motivated by the signs of a strategic distancing from Europe, the volatility in the supply of weapons and the Trump decisions They have generated alarm among the allies. No doubt, this European turn towards arms protectionism could leave the United States out of billions of dollars in weapons sales contracts, as the new scheme exclusively prioritizes EU member countries and certain close partners, explicitly excluding both the United States and the United Kingdom. Ukraine turned on the fuse. The decision is influenced, among other things, by the abrupt arms and intelligence towards Ukraine during Trump’s mandate, which has generated concerns about the reliability of the American commitment. But there are more, since many of The reports that they have been moving these weeks have generated alarm by suggesting that the United States could have the ability to remotely deactivate armament high -tech as The F-35a fear fed by the operational dependence of these systems regarding the logistics, maintenance and software networks controlled by US contractors. The “truth” of F-35. We tell it A week agobut we are going to expand the abilities that the United States has on the functions of the hunt. Both the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin herself They have categorically denied The existence of A “Kill Switch” (off button) in the F-35 that allows to deactivate it remotely, however, the operational reality of the system equivalent functionally to the same. The F-35 global supply chain in 2018 (important: Turkish companies are currently not participating in the program) As? The logistics structure, maintenance requirements and, above all, proprietary software dependence It makes no country fully operate the F-35 without the constant support of the United States. This restlessness, which began as a rumor in defense circles, has climbed to such an extent that the F-35 Joint Program (JPO) and Lockheed Martin were forced to Issue official statements To placate international concern, stating that all operators have the necessary capacities thanks to “well established agreements.” Again, these statements undoluntarily underline The central problem: The plane is not autonomous for those who buy it, and it only flies if the United States wants to do so. A closed and controlled ecosystem. The F-35 is not just a combat plane, but a PSophisticated software canoformhighly dependent on a global support network controlled from the United States. Its operation It depends on systems such as Alis (Autonomic Logistics Information System) and its successor Odin (Operational Data Integrated Network), tools that not only manage maintenance and logistics, but also handle Critical information such as the Mission Data Files (MDF). It is not a trivial theme. These files define from threat parameters to detection flight routesthrough the fusion of sensors and the electronic war. To get an idea, if a country loses access to Odin or stop receiving updates from its MDF, the F-35 remains practically useless or severely degraded in their operational capabilities. This makes any buyer the closest to a technological hostage of the United States unable to maintain total control of their fleet. The perfect example is understood with the so -called “blue line.” The blue line. As we said, that “data package” of missions planning is a key factor for the survival of F-35. In fact, all this translates into a control of the called as “blue line” (The aircraft route to an enemy zone) projected by the system, which is based on the combination of numerous factorsfrom enemy air defense bubbles to the capabilities of stealth and electronic warfare of the aircraft, as well as the sensors and armaments on board, and the tactics integrated between the F-35 and other assets. It is, at least, one of the most powerful weapons of the F-35, possibly the one that most. In other words, without the absolute control of the blue line, the combat plane and its pilot have little to do when they reach enemy areas, becoming vulnerable to detection and demolition. A system designed for independence. All this leads us to a very simple simile. The logic behind the design of the F-35 is comparable to that of technological products such as the iPhone or the Tesla: complex, closed systems, whose repair or update is deliberately centralized. This implies that every time a critical component is damaged or an update is required, it is necessary resort to US contractors or personnel trained under American standards. In addition, the supply chain involves more than 1,400 suppliers throughout the nation And only 80 in other eleven countries, which demonstrates the absolute dominance of the American industry over the product, even in its exported versions. Billions at stake. With this map of the hunt we can get an idea of ​​the importance of the “trust” of the buyers. In essence, an authentic Fortuna for Washington in a global geopolitical context as unstable as unpredictable. Plus: Donald Trump’s choice, his antiglobalist rhetoric and his questioning of alliances such as NATO aggravated distrust. Governments begin to ask how sure their investment in a system that cannot be completely controlled and … Read more

Now the app has given them more control over their children’s accounts

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Tiktok has established itself as una of the most popular applications Among adolescents. Although it is presented as a harmless platform, Full of dancessongs and Life Hacksmore and more voices warn about their possible negative effects on the youngest. Some studies point to an increase in cases of depression and eating disorders, while many parents They express their concern for the time their children spend doing Scroll non-stopneglecting other activities of your day to day. New tools for parents. The Tiktok social network, owned by the Chinese firm Bytedance, has announced New functions aimed at better protecting adolescents. These include the possibility that parents or guardians establish daily and customizable time limits. For example, it is possible to configure a maximum of 30 minutes during the week and expand that time during the weekend. Once the limit is reached, the application will be blocked automatically, and can only be unlocked with a code held by the responsible adult. 11 tricks to dominate Tik tok These tools not only allow to adjust the time of use to each specific case, but also offer parents the option to block the app at any time: during a family meal, school hours or when they consider it appropriate. In addition, they can see who follows their children, who are still and who has blocked them. Soon, the company states, a function will also be enabled so that adolescents can notify their parents every time they denounce a content they consider inappropriate. Parental Control in Tiktok: How to activate new tools for parents. Once the parental control tools are known, many parents will want to know how to activate them to manage the use that your children make of Tiktok. The process is not complicated and only requires fulfilling some basic steps. The first thing is that the father or legal guardian must have a Tiktok account. From there, you must enter your profile (below right), touch the three -line menu icon and access Settings and privacy. Within that section you will find the section Family synchronization. Tiktok will ask if it is the legal tutor. If the child has his mobile by hand, just scan a QR code from that device. If not, you can send an invitation through WhatsApp, Instagram, text messages or any other channel. Once sent, there are 48 hours to accept the link and complete the link. When both accounts are synchronized, the adult, in addition to those mentioned, may establish daily limits of use, control who can contact the minor and decide whether their account is public or private. The above tools. As we said, Tiktok has already launched the new parental control tools in much of the world. However, the users themselves, including adolescents, already had some control options for a long time. Among them stands out the function Time on screenwhich allows you to establish pauses in the use of the FEED of videos and configure reminders to go to sleep. These options can be activated from Settings and privacy > Time on screen. Images | Tiktok In Xataka | The videos of AI have broken the Instagram and Tiktok algorithms. Welcome to the new “AI landscape”

A Falcon 9 rocket rented without control over Poland. Poland has now fired the dome of its space agency

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The fall of several remains of A Falcon 9 rocket from Spacex in Poland He has caused another fall weeks later: that of the president of the Polish Space Agency, fulminated by the government of his country. A little context. In the early hours of February 19, the second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, which had failed by exorbiting two weeks before, rented without control in the earth’s atmosphere. The 13.8 meters long propeller by 3.66 meters in diameter disintegrated over northern Europe. The fragments that survived the heat of the reentry They fell near the city of Poznan. A meter and average length tank, covered with carbon fiber, hit the enclosure of an electrical material warehouse without causing damage. A warehouse employee gave the police to the police. The initial answer. The next day, the Polish Space Agency (PoSA) said he had reportedly informed various institutions of the Polish government about the incident. His space security department said, always monitor threats of artificial space objects, such as rockets. Spacex exorbitous normally the Falcon 9 on the ocean, far from populated areas. In this case, a technical failure after the deployment of the Starlink 11-4 mission on February 2 made the second stage of the rocket You will not be able to meet your engine To re -enter controlled. The rocket spin around the earth until entering the atmosphere due to gravity and atmospheric braking. He did it on February 19 at 4:43, Poland time. Contradictions. The appearance of several fragments of Falcon 9 in different parts of Poland triggered an internal crisis. Krzysztof Paszyk, the Minister of Polish Development and Technology, went out to contradict Posa, stating that the Polish Space Agency had not informed the authorities as he said, and asking for urgent explanations to the president of Polsa, Grzegorz Wrochna. On February 28, Pols European Spaceflight. To further complicate things, on March 2 Polsa suffered a cyber attack that forced her to disconnect her Internet systems until day 5. The dismissal. Finally, on March 11, the Ministry of Development and Technology of Poland officially announced the dismissal of the president of Polsa, Grzegorz Wrochna. The president was fired for inappropriate management of the uncontrolled fall of remains of Falcon 9 over Poland. For his part, Spacex clarified that I was collaborating with the Poland government in the tasks of recovery and cleanliness, and that there were no toxic materials present in the remains. The company has a specific phone and email to inform the remains of its rockets: 1-866-623-0234 and recovery@spacex.com. Image | Posa In Xataka | Spacex has given explanations about the rocket that rented without control in Europe: again a leak of the second stage

TSMC is willing to take control of Intel chips factories. What you don’t want is to do it alone

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The administration led by Donald Trump has asked TSMC to help rescue intel semiconductor factories. This is at least what media support almost always as well informed as Reuters either SCMP. If so, This initiative of the US government It changes everything. If the Trump administration did not agree with this strategy, its viability would be very small, but its support invites us to take this possibility very seriously. According to these TSMC media, it is preparing a proposal that will present both Intel and the US government to take control of Integrated circuit production plants of this American company. However, this Taiwanese chips manufacturer does not want to face this solo challenge; He prefers to do it with other companies that presumably also interested in participating in the management of Intel factories. According to the sources of ReutersTSMC managers are talking to their Nvidia, AMD, Broadcom and Qualcomm counterparts with the purpose of constituting a joint company that is responsible for plant management. TSMC would not have a participation in any case greater than 50% in this Joint Venture. At the moment there has been no official confirmation that supports these negotiations, but at the current situation this information is very credible. In any case, this plan will not come to fruition if it does not have the approval of the Donald Trump government. Some Intel relevant employees want to keep control of factories Ben Sell, Vice President of Intel Technology Development, confirmed At the end of last September that the 18A node already has the maturity necessary to enter large -scale production in 2025. and also assured that it will benefit from the resources that have been reallocated since the 20A node. In the current scenario the 18A node will be the true protagonist. In fact, and this is really important, Intel has confirmed which will receive a maximum of 3,000 million dollars within the framework of the ‘Chips and Science Act’ program to manufacture semiconductors for the US government in a reliable way. Lithography 18a is the best opportunity that Intel has to resume direction and improve its competitiveness The name of this plan, “Safe Enclave”, reflects one of the requirements required by the Administration: Chips must occur in the strictest confidentiality. And, as we can intuit, these integrated circuits They will be manufactured in the 18A node. This integration technology is definitely the best opportunity that Intel has to resume course and improve its competitiveness. In fact, voices are being raised within the company itself that demand a little patience to give this node the opportunity to place Intel on the path of recovery. This statement by Joseph Bonetti, main manager of Intel engineering programs, expresses this vision very well: “Intel leaders, Board of Directors of Intel and Donald Trump administration, please do not sell or give the control of Intel Foundry to TSMC just when Intel is taking the technological front and starting to take off. It would be a terrible and demoralizing error.” Bonetti also maintains that Intel is not lagging for its competitors, and that the advances that their engineers are achieving in the field of chips production are very important. At the current situation there is no doubt that the 18A integration technology is the best Intel asset to recover health, but it is important that we do not overlook that its technicians have been calibrating more than a year and adjusting their first teams of lithography of extreme ultraviolet (UVE) and haute opening manufactured by ASML. Intel has them in its Hillsboro (USA) plant. The first tests with this machine presumably They made them at the end of 2024and in 2025 the preliminary tests that pursue to manufacture integrated circuits in the 14A node will begin. It sounds exciting. We will follow the track to this machine very closely to keep you aware of all progress. Image | Intel More information | Reuters | SCMP In Xataka | Bill Gates has radiographed Intel. And his diagnosis is overwhelmingly accurate

Parental control depends on a subscription

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It is Sunday, February 2, and that means one thing: that the Mobile World Congress begins. The doors have not yet been opened, but the brands have begun to make presentations. One of them is Global HMD. The brand, which until relatively little manufactured nokia mobilesnow signs the smartphones with their own name, HMD, and it has been seen in the city to launch a new batch of products. One of them is a mobile for young people. And yes, it comes tied to a subscription. HMD Fusion X1. That is the name that HMD has given its new terminal, a device that has been developed in collaboration with Xplora. This brand may be familiar, since it is known for its Smart Watches with GPS for children. The company has not revealed its specifications or mentioned anything about the price, but it has commented that its key point (parental control) depends on a monthly payment. HMD Fusion X1 | Image: Xplora Parental control (payment). Leaving aside the technical characteristics, the Quid of this terminal resides in the Xplara subscription, whose price starts from 4.99 euros per month. According to HMD, this subscription “offers parents a total control over the experience of use of the smartphone of their teenage children (…) while offering a device for which young people can be excited.” What does it include? In HMD’s words, for 4.99 euros a month, parents can customize access to the internet applications. According to the company, this “allows parents to choose to restrict social networks and internet navigation or limit them.” Likewise, continuous monitoring of the location in intervals of 20 seconds with safe areas, emergency calls, low battery alerts and remote access to the device for parents is included. HMD Fusion X1 | Image: Xplora A “school mode” has also been added that “guarantees that distractions are reduced to a minimum during school hours blocking specific applications and functions when necessary.” All that, of course, can be controlled remotely from the parents’ phone. And more security. HMD has also announced a collaboration with Safetoneta system that offers “offers protection on the device based on artificial intelligence, automatically detecting and blocking the harmful content before it reaches the user, without depending on external applications that can be eluded.” This will be released in summer, thus being the first brand to do so. Images | HMD, Xplora In Xataka | My first mobile: 11 cheap smartphones for children and adolescents

The US is about to get all the minerals he wanted from Ukraine. The problem is that half control them

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In the terms in which it seems that the United States wants to end the war, Ukraine does not seem to have much to win in A peace agreement with Russia. Except if he brought out his rare earth reserves, those minerals that presume that he counts in large quantity. So much so, that, in 24 hours it is expected that Ukraine firm an agreement of cooperation with the Trump administration with minerals as protagonists. There is more than one problem. The agreement. The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, will meet this Friday with his American counterpart, Donald Trump, in Washington to sign an agreement that gives the United States access to mineral resources Strategic Ukraine. Although Zelensky hopes that this pact will serve as a basis for future negotiations, he has recognized that does not include security guarantees concrete by the United States despite the fact that kyiv had insisted on this point during negotiations. Trump, meanwhile, has justified the agreement as a way that US taxpayers recover part of Help funds sent To Ukraine (the Biden administration raised the investment to More than 100,000 million dollars in assistance), arguing that the responsibility of Ukrainian security should fall in Europe. The terms. While the final details are still unknown, the Ukrainian prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, confirmed that both parties have agreed a preliminary version of the pact. According to this, it will be established An investment fund for the reconstruction of Ukraine, which will be jointly managed by kyiv and Washington on equal terms. Ukraine will contribute 50% of future income generated by their state natural resources, including minerals, oil and gas, and these funds will be reinvested in projects within the country. In this regard, a draft Obtained by the New York Times It suggests that the United States will have the greatest amount of participation allowed in the fund according to its legislation, although You will not have absolute control. Previously, Trump had demanded that Ukraine yield resources for Value of 500,000 million dollars As compensation for military and economic assistance received, but this point has been discarded in the final version. There are no guarantees. One of the most controversial aspects of the agreement is the lack of a formal security commitment by the United States. Zelensky insisted on the inclusion of a reference to security guarantees, although the final version only mentions that the United States “Support Ukraine efforts to obtain necessary guarantees for lasting peace.” No doubt, this does not imply a direct military support or specific commitments in case of Russian aggression. What Trump says. The President has declared that the United States will not provide security guarantees “beyond what is necessary” and that the protection of Ukraine It must fall on Europe. However, he pointed out that the presence of US workers in Ukrainian territory would provide “automatic security”, suggesting that investment in natural resources would deter Russia of attacking these strategic sites. He also said that the United States will continue to provide armament and ammunition to Ukraine “until an agreement with Russia is reached.” Why do minerals matter. We have told it before. Ukraine houses approximately 5% of world reserves of critical minerals, including graphite, titanium, lithium and rare earths, essential for the production of batteries, weapons, wind turbines and advanced technology. Thus, the United States, which seeks reduce its dependence on China In key materials for green technology and defense, see in Ukraine a strategic opportunity. According to The Ukraine Geological Service itselfthe country is one of the richest in the world in essential resources for energy transition and military industry. The problem: half are Russian. The main stumbling block that Ukraine has in the negotiation is that, paradoxically, almost half of its mineral reserves They are on land occupied by Russia Since the invasion in 2022, which has complicated access to these resources. We talk about something else 40% of these resources. To get an idea, the Minister of Economy of Ukraine, Yulia Svydenko, said that mineral resources in territories under Russian control They amount to 350,000 million dollars. In addition, the extraction of these minerals faces a greater obstacle: it is estimated that 25% of the Ukrainian territory is contaminated with land minesespecially in the east of the country, which hinders the development of mining projects without an adequate demin strategy. According to the Halo Trust organization, the nation has 150,000 contaminated square kilometers With these explosives. The Russian counteroffet. Not just that. In a twist of events, and knowing the negotiations, Vladimir Putin has declared in A televised interview that Russia is willing to offer to the United States access to your own mineral resourcesincluding, of course, those located in the occupied Ukrainian territories. In fact, he emphasized that Russia has “significantly more resources of this type than Ukraine” and that he is ready to attract foreign partners to exploit them in the so -called “new regions”in reference to the areas of Ukraine attached by Moscow. Moreover, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, fell importance to Zelensky’s visit to Washington and suggested that the final content of the agreement is not yet at all clear. Putin, meanwhile, mentioned the possibility of collaborate with the United States In the production of aluminum in Siberia, which would indicate an attempt of Moscow for interfering with the negotiations between kyiv and Washington and offering a more viable alternative for the United States. The challenge of access to resources. It is the last of the obstacles with respect to minerals. Despite its enormous potential, the exploitation of these resources Face significant difficulties. As we said, the Russian invasion has left Ukraine without access to much of its mineral reserves, particularly in occupied regions such as Donetsk and Zaporiyia. But, in addition, the country’s infrastructure has remained severely damaged After three years of conflict, which complicates the extraction and transport of materials. An uncertain future. Thus, the agreement that will be carried out in 24 hours is full of edges for Ukraine. … Read more

A Polish called the police for a fallen tank from heaven. It is from a spacex rocket that rented without control in Europe

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The second stage of a Falcon 9 rocket of Spacex rented last night without control over Europe, illuminating the sky of several Central European countries with flashes as they burned in the atmosphere. Not all the rocket disintegrated. This morning they found a deposit in Poland. Night show. From Germany, From Denmark, From Poland itself. They were not even 5 in the morning, but on social networks they began to appear videos of the Metal remains Burning with drama in the night sky of central Europe. Atmospheric resentments are a show that we are increasing 13.8 meters long by 3.66 meters in diameter. A tank fell in Poland. It is not usual for a Spacex rocket to resent without control, so it is even less common for him to do so in a place as densely populated as Europe. But the rocket did not disintegrate completely and part of the remains fell, without causing damage, on the outskirts of Poznań, a city of half a million inhabitants west of Poland. At 9:20 in the morning, an employee of an industrial plant He warned the police that an object had “fallen from heaven” in its facilities. It was a pressure tank coated with carbon fiber (COPV) identical to the one that appeared on a Washington farm in 2021. Trajectory of the reentry of the rocket on Europe according to astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell On that occasion, it was confirmed that it was A helium deposit of the second stage of a Falcon 9. The object, of a meter and a half of length, is pressurized to 400 bars and is capable of resisting extreme conditions, including the reentry. In the Washington farm left a crater of 10 centimeters deep on the earth, a sample of the speed at which he re -entered the atmosphere. It was a rocket failure. Spacex is the Ryanair of Space, the company that launches most rockets with a difference: two to three per week. Does this mean that we will have to go out with a helmet to the street? Not necessarily. Like most rockets (China has notorious exceptions), The second stage of the Falcon 9 fuel reserve to exorbitite on the ocean with a motor re -desence once the load is deployed. In this case, the remains that fell on Europe are due to a technical failure in the launch of the Starlink 11-4 mission, which He failed to readece his engine to exorbitar on February 2. The rocket spin around the earth to enter the atmosphere naturally due to gravity. He did it on February 19, 3:43 UTC, in a trajectory extended to Ukraine and that coincides with the remains found in Poland. Images | Ludi-e, Adam Borucki (X) In Xataka | A strange object appeared in a Glamping of North Carolina. They were the remains of a Spacex spacecraft

“They are brilliant researchers under the control of an authoritarian government.” Anthropic’s CEO has spoken about Depseek

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In the midst of the stir caused by the latest models of the Deepseek, the CEO of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, has published An analysis on its personal website in which it questions the narrative of the “Chinese miracle” in artificial intelligence. Why is it important. The debate on Chinese capacity to develop advanced AI has monopolized the agenda in recent days after Deepseek’s releaseswhich have come to provoke A 17% drop in Nvidia shares. The facts. Deepseek claims to have developed its model V3 for just under 6 million dollarswhile Amodei explained that Claude 3.5 Sonnetthe last and most advanced Anthropic model, required “some tens of millions” in training. Far from the “thousands of millions” that were speculated. “Deepseek has produced a model close to the performance of US models 7-10 months ago, for a rather lower cost, but not in the proportions that have been suggested,” said the CEO. Deepseek operates with about 50,000 generation chips Hoppera capacity that Amodei considers similar to that of the main American technological ones. According to his analysis, Deepseek’s advances reflect the natural reduction of costs in the sector, estimated at annual 75%. The context. Deepseek has presented two models: V3, which uses traditional training. And R1, which incorporates reinforcement learning. For Amodei, real innovation is in V3, not in R1, which according to him, follows roads already explored by other technological ones. Turning point. The development of an AI superior to human intelligence will require millions of chips and tens of billions of dollars in the coming years. “Between 2026 and 2027 we will see which will be smarter than almost all humans in almost all tasks,” he said. In this scenario, he has defended Export controls as a strategic tool. Amodei has also recognized the talent of Deepseek engineers … although he has warned about the implications that a company operates under the control of the Chinese government. For him, The growing efficiency In the development of AI justifies reinforce, and not relax, commercial restrictions. In fact, he has had some words of praise for Depseek’s team, but not for his nation: “They are brilliant and curious researchers who only want to create useful technology, but are subject to an authoritarian government that has committed human rights violations and He has behaved aggressively on the world scene. “ In Xataka | “Google gives you links, perplexity gives you answers”: we talk to the CEO of the startup that wants to kill the father Outstanding image | Techcrunch

Firefighters struggle to control large fire north of Los Angeles

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CASTAIC, California, USA — Firefighters were trying to stay ahead of a huge, fast-moving wildfire that swept through rugged mountains north of Los Angeles and left more than 50,000 people under evacuation orders or warnings. The Hughes Fire began late Wednesday morning and in less than a day had burned nearly 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Castaic Lake, a popular recreational area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) away. of the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires that have been burning for three weeks. Although the region was under a red flag warning for critical fire risk, winds were not as strong as when those fires started, allowing firefighting aircraft to drop tens of thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the new fire. By Wednesday night, approximately 14% of the Hughes Fire had been contained. “The situation we are in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago,” Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said Wednesday night. (John Locher/Associated Press) (Café de Leche / Matthew Schodorf) Red flag warnings were extended until 10 a.m. Friday in Los Angeles and Ventura counties. Officials remained concerned that the Palisades and Eaton fires could break their containment lines as firefighters continue to monitor hot spots. More than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate from the Hughes Fire, and another 23,000 are under evacuation warnings, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said. No houses or other structures burned were reported. Parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire that had been closed reopened Wednesday night. County police officers return to their vehicle after observing flames caused by the Hughes Fire along a road in Castaic, Calif.ornia, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP) A 48-kilometer (30-mile) stretch of the main north-south artery had been reserved for emergency vehicles, to move equipment and to prevent accidents due to smoke crossing the highway. Crews on the ground and in water-dropping aircraft attempted to prevent the wind-driven fire from crossing the interstate and heading toward Castaic. Marrone said since the winds were not as strong as they were two weeks ago, aerial crews were able to drop fire retardant on the south side of the fire, where the flames were moving. More than 4,000 firefighters were assigned to the fire, he said. Winds in the area were blowing at 67 kilometers per hour (42 miles per hour) in the afternoon. They had reached 65 mph (105 km/h) in some mountain spots by Wednesday night, according to David Roth, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Kayla Amara drove to the Stonegate neighborhood in Castaic to pick up items from the house of a friend who had run out to pick up her daughter from preschool. While Amara was packing up the car, she learned that the fire had dramatically increased in size and decided to spray the property with a hose. “Other people are also spraying their houses with hoses. I hope there is a house to return to,” Amara said as police cars raced through the streets and flames engulfed trees on a hill in the distance. Amara, a nurse who lives in nearby Valencia, said she has been on edge for weeks as massive fires devastated Southern California. “It’s been stressful with those other fires, but now that this one is close to home it’s just super stressful,” he said. To the south, Los Angeles officials began preparing for possible rain as some residents were allowed to return to the charred areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The windy weather was expected to last through Thursday and rain could begin as early as Saturday, according to the National Weather Service. “Rain is forecast and the threat of mud and debris flows in our fire-affected communities is real,” Supervisor Kathryn Barger said during a news conference Wednesday morning. Firefighters spray water on the Hughes Fire in Castaic, California, Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025. (Ethan Swope/AP) Fire crews filled sandbags for communities while county workers installed barriers and cleaned drainage pipes and basins. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass warned that winds could carry ash and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to learn how to protect themselves from toxic air during the latest Santa Ana wind event. Health Director Los Angeles County Public Prosecutor Barbara Ferrer warned that the ash could contain heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful materials. “Even brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritation and lead to more serious problems,” Ferrer said Wednesday, asking people to wear protective gear while cleaning. Low humidity, bone-dry vegetation and high winds came as firefighters continued to battle the Palisades and Eaton fires, which have killed at least 28 people and destroyed more than 14,000 structures since they began Jan. 7. The fence on the Palisades fire reached 70%, and the Eaton fire was at 95%. Luna said Wednesday that his department was still investigating 22 missing person reports from both fire zones. All of the people reported missing are adults, he said. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating the causes of the fires but has not released any findings. Several lawsuits have been filed by people who lost their homes in the Eaton Fire, alleging that Southern California Edison equipment caused the fire. On Tuesday, a judge overseeing one of the lawsuits ordered the utility to produce data from circuits in the area where the fire started.

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