Hughes fire presently 9400 acres up from 500 acres this morning in Castaic, California

 

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Live updates: Hughes Fire in Castaic expands to 8,000 acres

The Hughes Fire is one of three major fires burning in Los Angeles County.

Published 2 hours ago • Updated 8 seconds ago

Live

What to Know

• The Hughes Fire started at about 10:30 a.m. in Castaic north of Los Angeles.
• Evacuations were ordered in the area near Lake Hughes Road off the 5 Freeway.
• A red flag warning was in effect for parts of Los Angeles County, indicating high fire danger.
• The fire in critically dry brush expanded to about 3,400 in two hours before growing to more than 8,000 early Wednesday afternoon.
• Water-dropping aircraft were deployed ahead of strong winds expected in the afternoon.
• The fire is one of three major fires burning in Los Angeles County.
• Parts of the 5 Freeway north of Los Angeles were closed due to the Hughes Fire.

The Hughes Fire forced evacuations in the northern LA County communities of Castaic. Follow live updates below.

9 MINS AGO5:15 PM PST

31,000 people are now under evacuation orders

By Maggie More

A whopping 56,000 people are now are under threat from the Hughes Fire, according to authorities who spoke at a 5 p.m. press conference.

31,000 people are under evacuation orders. Another 25,000 people are in zones facing evacuation warnings.

The number of people affected by evacuation orders and warnings has increased dramatically in the last hour.

See maps of evacuation areas and road closures, and get a full list of affected zones, here.

16 MINS AGO5:08 PM PST

Hughes Fire expands again to 9,400 acres

By Maggie More

The Hughes Fire now sits at more than 9,400 acres, according to LA County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone.

Marrone shared the update in a 5 p.m. press conference about the fire. The fire exploded from 5,000 acres to 8,096 acres at 3 p.m., after starting around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The fire is still 0% contained.

31 MINS AGO4:52 PM PST

What to know about smoke from the Hughes Fire

By Jonathan Lloyd

Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Smoke from the Hughes Fire seen from Santa Clarita, California, US, on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025.

Smoke from the Hughes Fire could be seen in LA and Ventura counties. David Biggar has an update on where that smoke is heading.

Where is smoke from the Hughes Fire heading? David Biggar reports for the NBC4 News. 

38 MINS AGO4:46 PM PST

What types of aircraft are fighting fires in LA County?

By Jonathan Lloyd

Water-dropping helicopters, a modified DC-10 and more are among the aircraft deployed to fight fires in LA County, including the Hughes Fire in Castaic.

Cal Fire has a guide to what's in its airborne fleet.

43 MINS AGO4:41 PM PST

LA Zoo to close due to red flag warning

By Karla Rendon

The Los Angeles Zoo announced it will be closed Wednesday and Thursday out of an abundance of caution due to the Red Flag warning.

Operational Update: Out of an abundance of caution, the L.A. Zoo will be closed to the public on Thurs., Jan. 23, due to the continued Red Flag conditions and the precautionary closure of Griffith Park. Additional updates will be posted here and at https://t.co/jj97J9Hh0i. https://t.co/ZW8NXmYFgc

— Los Angeles Zoo (@LAZoo) January 22, 2025

49 MINS AGO4:35 PM PST

MAP: Here's where there are fires burning in LA County

By Maggie More

There are now three major fires burning in Los Angeles County.

Take a look at the affected zones with the map below, to see which locations are under evacuation orders and where there are evacuation warnings in place.