On January 22, 2025, inmate firefighters walked into an out-of-control fire during the Castaic Hughes Fire in California and cut the fire line using only hand tools and a chain saw.
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LOS ANGELES — Firefighters made more progress Thursday on a fire fast moving brush fire The volcano erupted north of Los Angeles on Wednesday and within hours grew to thousands of acres amid high winds, officials said.
The Hughes Fire, which started near Castaic Lake, was 36% contained at more than 10,000 acres as of Thursday evening, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
No buildings were destroyed, officials said.
The fires prompted mandatory evacuation orders for more than 31,000 people on Wednesday. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said they had been lifted as of Thursday afternoon, but about 54,900 people were still under evacuation warnings, meaning they should be ready to leave if ordered to do so.
“This fire was a violent, fast-moving fire in the Santa Ana wind-driven fires,” Cal Fire Battalion Chief Brent Pascua said Thursday. The fire was set as the area received high winds and The severe fire weather warning comes more than two weeks after the devastating Palisades and Eaton fires in the Los Angeles area, Killed at least 28 people and destroyed thousands of homes.
Fire officials said the fire broke out at 10:24 a.m. Wednesday near Lake Hughes Road near Castaic Lake in northern Los Angeles County. Dry, dead brush provided it with plenty of fuel, Pascal said.
The cause is under investigation.
A second fire also broke out in Sepulveda Pass on Wednesday, growing to 40 acres near the densely populated community of Sherman Oaks and UCLA, but the fire Stopped, Cal Fire says 60% contains by Thursday. The area is still “Red Flag” Warning As of 10 a.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said, although Thursday is the day of greatest concern. “Any fire that occurs has the potential to spread quickly and get out of control,” the agency warned.
Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone said the winds that helped fuel the Hughes Fire on Wednesday were not as strong as the hurricane-force winds that fueled the Palisades and Eaton fires on Jan. 7. These winds prevented firefighting aircraft from taking off.Experts point out the link The relationship between climate change and factors that have made fires in Los Angeles more likely in recent weeks.
The Palisade and Eaton fires devastated entire communities and the city’s fire marshal called them among the worst disasters in Los Angeles history.
eaton fire, destroyed the community of altadena and burned homes in other cities, with more than 14,000 acres 95% contained Thursday, fire officials said. More than 9,400 buildings, including homes, were destroyed.
The Palisades Fire damaged or destroyed thousands of structures in Pacific Palisades and Malibu and along the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. The fire has burned more than 23,400 acres and was 72% contained as of Thursday, Cal Fire said said in update.
Both fires occurred during Santa Ana’s extreme winds, with gusts exceeding 80 mph that are characteristic of hurricane strength, creating what officials called a firestorm.
The cause of both fires remains under investigation.
