The Palisades and Eaton wildfires continue burning in the Los Angeles area, leaving parts of Southern California with devastating fire damage.

The Hughes Fire in Castaic area has burned more than 9,400 acres in just hours. While Los Angeles County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone called it a "difficult fire," he said that crews are "getting the upper hand on containing the blaze."

With high winds driving the flames, a fast-moving wildfire exploded to more than 10,000 acres near the Los Angeles County community of Castaic Wednesday, prompting mandatory evacuation orders for tens of thousands of people.

The Hughes Fire has now burned 8,096 acres in Los Angeles and Ventura counties since igniting late Wednesday morning near Castaic Lake, according to Cal Fire. More than 24,00 people have been ordered to evacuate due to the Hughes Fire. Another 30,000 people are in evacuation warning zones.

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)

As the Hughes Fire continues to blaze near Castaic Lake, residents of Castaic and Santa Clarita find themselves grappling with deteriorating air quality.  The South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has issued multiple advisories,

Santa Clarita, the area affected by the Hughes Fire, is a densely populated community predominantly comprising workers and middle-class families.

Coverage of when the Hughes fire exploded north of Castaic, the areas under evacuation orders and an extended red flag warning.

Original: A brush fire erupted in Castaic, sending smoke over the Santa Clarita Valley. Around 10:40 a.m. Wednesday, first responders received reports of a brush fire on Lake Hughes Road north of Castaic Lake, according to officials. The fire is currently at 50+ acres. Smoke from the fire is visible throughout Santa Clarita.

With conditions improving on the fire lines and containment growing, evacuation orders and warnings were dramatically scaled back Thursday around the Hughes Fire near Castaic Lake. While evacuation orders remained in place for areas around the immediate perimeter of the fire,

Powerful winds and bone-dry conditions could pose a challenge to firefighters battling new wildfires in southern California on Thursday, including a blaze that swelled over the past day and forced tens of thousands of evacuations north of Los Angeles.