What you need to know
The Hughes Fire started around 10:30 a.m. in Castaic, north of Los Angeles, and grew to about 100 acres in less than an hour. Evacuations were ordered in areas near Lake Hughes Road off the 5 Freeway, and a red flag warning indicating high fire risk was issued for parts of Los Angeles County. The fire caused a thick plume of smoke to fill the hillside, which was covered in dry brush.
Evacuation orders were issued Wednesday after a wildfire broke out in the hills near Castaic, north of Los Angeles, on a day when parts of Southern California were under red flag warnings.
The Hughes Fire, which started in dry brush on a hillside, was reported around 10:30 a.m. near the northbound 5 Freeway at Lake Hughes Road. A thick cloud of smoke, visible from freeways and for miles around, casts a dark shadow over northern Los Angeles County.
There was no immediate threat to buildings, but evacuation orders were issued for some areas. Water-dropping aircraft were deployed approximately 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.
The Hughes Fire is confirmed on Lake Hughes Road north of Castaic Reservoir.
Evacuation orders issued for:
🚨 CAS-Castic Lake
An evacuation warning will be issued in the following cases:
⚠️CAS-Bitter Canyon
⚠️ CAS-Charlie Canyon
⚠️CAS Ridge
⚠️ CAS-Sloan
⚠️ CAS-Green Hill
— SCV Sheriff (@SCVSHEIFF) January 22, 2025
The fire was estimated to be about 100 acres, and fire officials described it as “extremely dry brush.”
Winds are expected to pick up in the area this afternoon and evening. Wind gusts Wednesday morning were between 16 and 20 mph.
Details about how the fire started were not immediately available.
The fire occurred as firefighters tightened containment around two deadly fires in Los Angeles County. Both occurred during the Santa Ana storm on January 7th. The Eaton Fire northeast of Los Angeles is 14,000 acres and 91 percent contained. The Palisades Fire on the Los Angeles County Coast was 23,400 acres and 68 percent contained.
Twenty-eight people were reported dead in two fires that destroyed thousands of buildings.
