The firefighters fought to keep the upper hand on a huge and Forest fire moving quickly Who swept the steep mountains north of Los Angeles and led to the sending of evacuation orders or warnings to more than 50,000 people.
THE Hughes fire Fleed late Wednesday morning and charred in less than a day almost 16 square miles (41 square kilometers) of trees and brush near Lake Castaic, a popular leisure area about 40 miles (64 kilometers) of fires Devastators of Eaton and Palisades which are burning for a third week.
The flames of the Hughes Fire burn trees in Castaic, California, Wednesday January 22, 2025.
Photo AP/Ethan Swope
Although the region is under a red flag due to a critical risk of fire, The winds were not so strong As they had been when the fires of Palisades and Eaton broke out, allowing firefighting planes to pour tens of thousands of gallons of fireproof product. The fires of Palisades and Eaton have killed at least 28 people and destroys more than 14,000 structures Since their breakdown on January 7.
Fires in California caused at least $ 28 billion in insured damage And probably a little more in uninsured damage, calculated Karen Clark and Company, a disaster modeling company known for its specific post-catastrophe damage.
Meanwhile, California Republicans oppose the suggestions of President Donald Trump, the president of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson and other Republicans according to which federal aid in the event of a disaster for victims of forest fires should be accompanied by conditions. Trump plans to go to the state to see the damage by himself on Friday, but he was not clear if he and the Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom would meet during the visit.
Hughes fire
On Wednesday evening, about 14 percent of Hughes fire had been mastered.
“The situation in which we find ourselves today is very different from that in which we were 16 days ago,” said Los Angeles County Firefighters, Anthony Brown on Wednesday evening.
The red flag warnings were extended until 10 am on Friday in the counties of Los Angeles and Ventura. More than 31,000 people were ordered to evacuate Hughes fire, and 23,000 others are the subject of evacuation warnings, said the Sheriff of the County of Los Angeles, Robert Luna. No house or other structure was burnt down.
Scene of firefighters under the fire of Hughes on Wednesday January 22, 2025, in Castaic, California.
AP photo/Marcio José Sánchez
Certain parts of Interstate 5 near the Hughes Fire which had been closed reopened on Wednesday evening.
A 30-thousand (48 kilometers) section of the main North-South artery had been closed to emergency vehicles, to move equipment and avoid accidents due to smoke that was moving there. The crews on the ground and on board water widths tried to prevent the fire caused by the wind from moving through the highway and to Castaic.
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Marronous said that because the winds were not as strong as it is two weeks ago, the crews of the planes were able to drop a fireproof product on the southern side of the fire, where the flames moved, a-t -It declared. More than 4,000 firefighters were mobilized to fight fire, he said.
Winds in the region were blowing in gusts at 42 MPH (67 km/h) in the afternoon. They had reached up to 65 MPH (105 km/h) in some mountain pockets on Wednesday evening, according to David Roth, Meteorologist of the National Weather Service.
Kayla Amara went by car to the Stonegate district, in Castaic, to recover objects from a friend who had rushed to get her daughter in nursery school. While Amara was preparing the car, she learned that the fire had grown and decided to water the property.
“Other people also water their homes. I hope there is a house here where to return, “said Amara while the police were running through the streets and the flames swallowed up the trees on the side of the hill in the distance.
Amara, a nurse who lives in the neighboring city of Valence, said that she has been nervous for weeks while important fires devastated South California.
“These other fires have been stressful, but now that it is close to us, it’s just extremely stressful,” she said.
Fire of Sepulveda
An evacuation warning was issued for Sherman Oaks after a bush fire broke out on the Sepulveda pass, near the I-405 motorway.
The fire was reported for the first time shortly after 11 p.m. Wednesday, but Los Angeles firefighters announced Thursday morning that the progression was stopped on around 40 acres (16 hectares) and that the evacuation warning had been survey. No structure was damaged and no injuries were reported, the firefighters said, but the firefighters stayed on the scene.
The Hughes fire burns in Castaic, California, Wednesday January 22, 2025.
AP photo/Jae C. Hong
Eaton palisades and fires
Low humidity, dry vegetation and violent winds occurred while firefighters continued to fight the fires of Palisades and Eaton. Officials are concerned about the fact that these fires could break their containment lines while firefighters continue to monitor the hot spots. The confinement of the fire of Palisades reached 70 percent and that of Eaton, of 95 percent.
The Los Angeles authorities began to prepare for possible rains even though some residents were authorized to return to the charred areas of Pacific Palisades and Altadena. Gusts of wind should last until Thursday and precipitation would be possible from Saturday, depending on the weather services.
“Pins are planned and the threat of mud and debris flows in our communities affected by fires is real,” said Kathryn Barger supervisor at a press conference on Wednesday morning.
The firefighter teams filled sandbags for the communities while the county employees installed barriers and rid the pipes and the drainage basins.
The mayor of Los Angeles, Karen Bass, warned that the winds could transport ashes and advised Angelenos to visit the city’s website to find out how to protect themselves from the toxic air during the last wind event of Santa Ana. The director of public health of the County of Los Angeles, Barbara Ferrer, warned that the ashes could contain heavy metals, arsenic and other harmful matters.
“Even a brief exposure can potentially cause skin irritation and cause more serious problems,” said people on Wednesday, asking people to wear protective equipment during cleaning.
Luna said Wednesday that her department was still investigating 22 reports of active people who were active in the two fire zones. All the missing missing are adults, he said.
The Federal Office of Alcohol, Tobacco and Fire Weapons investigates the causes of fires but has not published any conclusion.
Several proceedings were brought by people who lost their house in Eaton’s fire, alleging that the equipment of Southern California Edison had triggered the fire. On Tuesday, a judge supervising one of the proceedings ordered the public service to produce data from the circuits located in the area where the fire started.
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Weber reported from Los Angeles. The journalists of Associated Press Ethan Swope in Castaic, Hallie Golden in Seattle, Jaimie Ding in Los Angeles and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.
& Copy 2025 The Canadian Press