With high winds driving the flames, a fast-moving wildfire exploded to more than 5,000 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday — prompting mandatory evacuation orders for thousands of people in the area.
The Hughes Fire broke out near Castaic Lake, off Lake Hughes Road just north of Castaic Reservoir Road, before growing to 500 acres within an hour. By 12:30 p.m., less than two hours after fire officials first reported it, it had ripped through 3,407 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire.
About half an hour later, at 1:03 p.m., it was estimated to be 5,054 acres with 0% containment, Cal Fire said.
All lanes of the I-5 Freeway through the Grapevine, the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans, announced that northbound lanes are closed at SR-126 while southbound lanes are closed at Grapevine.
The unincorporated community of Castaic is located in northwest Los Angeles County, about 15 miles northwest of the city of Santa Clarita and just alongside the Angeles National Forest. The Santa Clarita Valley is home to Six Flags Magic Mountain, where a huge plume of smoke from the Hughes Fire was visible in the nearby area.
Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said 19,000 people were facing mandatory evacuation orders by 2:30 p.m.
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Mandatory evacuation orders were expanded as the wildfire spread to over 5,000 acres in just around two hours, sending people fleeing from the area as heavy traffic built up along some roads. Authorities were trying to keep people calm as the situation quickly unfolded — a changing series of new updates and evacuations being announced just as they were earlier this month.
On Jan. 7, two major wildfires sparked on opposite sides of Los Angeles County, killing at least 28 people as they tore through tens of thousands of acres and burned down entire communities, including homes, schools, churches and grocery stores throughout the especially hard-hit areas of Altadena and Pacific Palisades.
“We’re just asking people to- I know it’s hard to say, but stay calm and just listen to first responders,” California Highway Patrol Officer Isabel Diaz said Wednesday afternoon, as the Hughes Fire continued to spread. “It’s a very active and chaotic scene at the moment, and we’re just all trying our best to get everyone out safely.”
When the flames first broke out, that area of Los Angeles County — including the Santa Clarita Valley — was under a Red Flag Warning, with extremely low humidity and Santa Ana winds increasing the risks of wildfires starting and quickly growing.
“It does have a high potential for spread because we are looking at 32-mph winds as we speak,” LA County Fire Department Captain Sheila Kelliher Berkoh said. “Those winds are supposed to pick up as the afternoon progresses into the evening.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom said state resources were being sent down to Southern California to help in the battle against the Hughes Fire, with federal personnel from the Angeles National Forest also assisting the firefighting efforts.
“We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide the federal government with whatever it needs to extinguish this fire,” Newsom wrote in a post to X.
With an especially dry winter in Southern California, experts have said vegetation in the region is particularly dry, and therefore, even more flammable than usual. In California, wildfires during the fall and winter months can be especially dangerous due to shrubbery being dried out through in the summer — which can spark and fuel the fires — along with the seasonal dry Santa Ana winds that can fan the flames forward.
“This time of year is especially dangerous,” said Fred Fielding, spokesman for the LA County Fire Department. “It’s been almost 300 days since we’ve had any significant rainfall.”
Currently, Angeles National Forest — where the Hughes Fire broke out — is closed to the general public for the protection of natural resources and public safety. The closure runs from Jan. 19 through Friday, Jan. 24.
Last summer, the Post Fire burned more than 15,000 acres in an area of Los Angeles and Ventura counties just north of the Hughes Fire.
Evacuation orders and warnings
A map showing where evacuation zones are located — and what areas are currently facing mandatory evacuation orders or warnings — can be found here. More information on the latest updates and resources for evacuees can be found here.
A temporary evacuation center has been set up at Valencia High School, which is located at 27801 Dickson Dr. Valencia, Calif. 91355. Meanwhile, a shelter for large animals being evacuated is at Lancaster Animal Care Center and Pierce College while shelters for small animals have been set up at the Palmdale, Agoura and Lancaster Animal Care Centers.
Los Angeles County officials established another temporary evacuation center at Hart High School at 24825 Newhall Ave, Santa Clarita, CA 91321.
Los Angeles County residents can sign up for emergency alerts here. The city of Santa Clarita told residents to visit the city’s website here for the latest updates to ongoing evacuation orders and other information related to the Hughes Fire.
Mandatory evacuation orders were announced by noon, and about two hours later, authorities announced new evacuations for even more areas near the fire.
The following areas have been placed under mandatory evacuation orders as of 2:15 p.m. PST, according to local authorities.
- Castaic Lake
- Ridge Route
- Paradise Ranch Road
- North Lake Elementary
- Sloan Canyon Road
- Green Hill Drive
- Hill Crest Park Way
- Hasley Canyon
- Romero Canyon Road
- Canebridge Area
- Charlie Canyon Area
- Paradise Ranch
- Reys Adobe
- Francisquito
- Tessoro Del Valle
- Bitter Canyon
- Sterling Lane
- Sterling
- Biscaulz
- E008 (information on where evacuation zones are located can be found here.)
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Road closures
All lanes of the I-5 Freeway were being closed north of SR-126, with two off-ramps along the I-5 — at Parker Road and Lake Hughes Road — shut down earlier Wednesday. California Highway Patrol officials reported the I-5 was being affected by heavy smoke stemming from the Hughes Fire so motorists were told to use caution when driving.
Below is a list of closures current as of 12 p.m. PST on Wednesday, Jan. 22.
- Ridge Route Road at Lake Hughes
- Ridge Route Road at Templin Highway
- Lake Hughes at Pine Canyon
- Dry Gulch at San Francisquito Canyon Road
School evacuations and closures
Northlake Hills Elementary in Castaic was evacuated to the Aquatic Center and Castaic Sports Complex in Castaic, which are both located in the 31000 block of Castaic Road.
Meanwhile, all other schools within the Castaic Union School District were being evacuated Wednesday, with parents and guardians being notified and told to pick up their children from the campuses, according to school district officials.
Castaic Middle School and Castaic Elementary School were both evacuated to the parking lot of a Ralph’s grocery store, located at Hasley Canyon. “Parents need to respond there,” California Highway Patrol officials wrote in a post to X at 12:53 p.m. PST.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
