Tens of thousands evacuated as new wildfire rages near Los Angeles
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Tens of thousands of California residents have been evacuated as yet another wildfire rages near blaze-hit Los Angeles. Firefighters said the Hughes Fire has already decimated more than 41 square kilometres of forest and bushland close to Lake Castaic, which is around 45 minutes away from Los Angeles.
![[*** BESTPIX *** Rapidly Growing Hughes Fire North Of Los Angeles Forces Evacuations]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/23/6/37/-BESTPIX-Rapidly-Growing-Hughes-Fire-North-Of-Los-Angeles-Forces-Evacuations-e12zhjaz.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
The fast-moving blaze has prompted evacuation orders or warnings for around 50,000 people as emergency teams rush to contain the flames. News of the latest outbreak came as the Los Angeles Fire Department continued to tackle ongoing blazes in Eaton and Palisades for a third week — although they are largely contained.
![[US-WEATHER-FIRE]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/23/6/32/US-WEATHER-FIRE-y2b5ck74.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
Luckily, favourable wind conditions allowed fire teams to make considerable progress with the latest fire, of which 14% had already been contained. Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone confirmed: “The situation that we’re in today is very different from the situation we were in 16 days ago.”.
![[US-WEATHER-FIRE]](https://static.standard.co.uk/2025/01/23/6/19/US-WEATHER-FIRE-iv1p3usz.jpeg?quality=75&auto=webp&width=960)
While there are no reports of homes being destroyed by the Hughes Fire, red flag warnings will remain until at least Friday morning as more than 4,000 firefighters work to contain the blaze. Parts of the interstate highway have been reportedly closed off to prioritize access for emergency crews.
It’s been a challenging start to 2025 for many California residents after weeks of deadly fires swept across vast swathes of residential areas. More than 14,000 homes and buildings have been destroyed after flames erupted in Palisades and Eaton on January 7, with a number of Hollywood A-listers also impacted.
