Wednesday, 3:49 p.m. PST The Hughes Fire increased to 8,096 acres, spreading northeast and triggering 12 evacuation warnings and 10 evacuation orders for adjacent areas. Wednesday, 1:17 p.m. PST The Hughes Fire spread to 5,054 acres in a largely mountainous area.

At least 28 people are believed to be dead and more than a dozen others remain unaccounted for as multiple wildfires rage across Southern California.

Fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, a series of ferocious wildfires erupted the second week of January and roared across the Los Angeles area.

The fire threat remains critical in Southern California, where thousands of residents were under evacuation orders Wednesday as fire crews battled the out-of-control Hughes Fire near Castaic, a suburb in the foothills and mountains of northern Los Angeles County.

The Hughes fire has burned through 3,407 acres since it started late Wednesday morning, according to local officials.

Eaton Fire initially started 6:18 p.m. Jan. 7 in Los Angeles County. Since its discovery 15 days ago, it has burned 14,021 acres. A fire crew of 2,104 has been working on site and, as of Wednesday afternoon, they managed to contain 91% of the fire. However, investigations into the cause are ongoing.

Firefighters are responding to a brush fire in the Castaic area of Los Angeles County Wednesday morning, according to the Angeles National Forest.

The Hughes fire seen from Magic Mountain has started north of Castaic and has exploded to more than 5,000 acres in under two hours on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, in Castaic, California. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS) (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

A brush fire erupted amid powerful winds Wednesday afternoon in the Castaic area in the northern region of Los Angeles County, spreading quickly to 10,176 acres near the freeway, officials said.

Multiple firefighting aircraft have been deployed north of Los Angeles in LA County to counteract the spread of a new fire that has taken hold in the area.

Firefighters were dispatched to the intersection of Brechtel Street and Grand Avenue at around 3 p.m. after learning of the blaze, according to the Riverside County Fire Department.