Three more fires have erupted in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Riverside counties. One of the measures being used to contain them is the deployment of aircraft that drop water from above.
As wildfires continue to ravage Los Angeles, three new ones have been reported in Hughes, Bernardo, and Clay in California. Here’s what we know about each fire and the measures being taken to extinguish them.
Hughes Fire, Los Angeles County
On January 22, 2025, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) announced on X, formerly Twitter, that a new fire had broken out in the Castaic area, affecting 3,407 acres.
CAL FIRE reported that evacuations are underway, and it, along with its federal partners, has deployed “pre-positioned resources on the initial attack of this fire.” The department is also collaborating with Angeles National Forest, as well as local, state, and tribal partners to contain the blaze.
NEW FIRE in Los Angeles County
🔥#HughesFirehttps://t.co/RAT4A0J3L2
* Castaic area (LA County)
* 3,407 acres
* Evacuations underwayCAL FIRE and local and federal partners are using pre-positioned resources on the initial attack of this fire.
Residents should sign up for… pic.twitter.com/tuemeFOHiz— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) January 22, 2025
Alongside a map showing the affected areas, CAL FIRE urged residents to sign up for Los Angeles County emergency alerts. In an update published on the same day, the department stated that the fire is impacting two counties—Los Angeles and Ventura.
At the time of the update, only 14% of the fire was contained, with 10,176 acres burned. The brush fire is located off Lake Hughes Road, north of Castaic Reservoir Road in Castaic. In addition to CAL FIRE, the efforts to combat the Hughes Fires involve the US Forest Service and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol, Southern Division, also lent a hand. Residents are strongly advised to evacuate to protect their lives and property. They are urged to leave immediately and take their pets and livestock with them.
The following zones have been placed under evacuation warnings: CAS-CAMBRIDGE, CAS-GOLDENSTATE, CAS-GREENHILL, CAS-HASLEY, CAS-HILLCREST, CAS-INDUSTRY, CAS-LIVEOAK, CAS-OAKCANYON, CAS-ROMERO, CAS-SLOAN, CAS-VALVERDE, GOR-E004, and GOR-HUNGRYVALLEY.
Additional areas under evacuation warnings include LAC-E005, LAC-E009-B, LAC-E011-A, LAC-E011-B, LAC-E017, LAC-E018, LAC-E030, SCL-BLACKPINE, SCL-CALEX, SCL-DECORO, SCL-MOUNTAINVIEW, SCL-PACIFICCREST, SCL-RANCHOTESORO, SCL-REYESABODE, SCL-RIONORTE, SCL-WESTHILLS, SCL-RYE, and VNC Zones 2 through 8.
The designated evacuation center is the College of the Canyons East Gym, located at 26455 Rockwell Canyon Road, Santa Clarita, California.
In an update on January 23, CAL FIRE reported that as of 1 p.m. the previous day, the department had deployed four hand crews, bulldozers, 20 pre-positioned engines, and aircraft to support firefighting efforts.
The department stated, “In total, more than 1,100 firefighters were strategically pre-positioned across the region to address the ongoing critical fire weather under Red Flag Warnings.”
As of 1 p.m. (1/22), #CALFIRE has deployed 20 pre-positioned engines, 4 hand crews, 4 bulldozers, and aircraft to support the local response to the #HughesFire in Southern California.
In total, more than 1,100 firefighters were strategically pre-positioned across the region to… https://t.co/Jb3blTCRVb
— CAL FIRE (@CAL_FIRE) January 22, 2025