Another massive fire erupts in Los Angeles; over 50,000 evacuated
What's the story
A new wildfire, named the Hughes Fire, has erupted in Los Angeles, prompting evacuation orders for over 50,000 residents.
The blaze erupted on Wednesday morning near Lake Castaic and has rapidly spread across 9,400 acres with no containment reported by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL Fire).
The fire comes just weeks after recent wildfires in the area, including the Eaton and Palisades fires.
Fire update
Status of ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles
The Palisades fire has burned 23,448 acres and is 68% contained. The Eaton fire has burned 14,021 acres and is 91% contained.
In in San Diego, the Lilac Fire is under 95% containment, while the Clay Fire in Riverside is at 45% containment.
Evacuation orders have been issued for several areas, including Northlake Hills Elementary School and Castaic Elementary and Middle Schools.
Students from these schools were moved to safer locations such as a store parking lot and sports complex.
Twitter Post
No containment reported yet
Location for reference included. #hughesfire pic.twitter.com/c1Y5MsDs0o
— FirePhotoGirl (@FirePhotoGirl) January 23, 2025
Response
Firefighting efforts and road closures amid wildfire
The Los Angeles County Fire Department has deployed aerial resources to drop fire retardant as winds gusting up to 48km per hour fan the flames.
LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said more than 31,000 people have been ordered to evacuate with another 23,000 under evacuation warnings.
Interstate 5 was closed for about 48km to facilitate emergency operations but is expected to reopen soon.
Weather forcast
Residents express anxiety over proximity of wildfires
According to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, the fire is difficult to contain, but crews have the upper hand.
Because the winds were not as severe as they were two weeks ago, Marron said air crews were able to dump thousands of gallons of fire retardant on the southern side of the fire, where flames were moving.
However, the National Weather Service reported that gusts in the area were forecast to reach 60 mph by late evening into Thursday.