In Pictures

New rapidly growing wildfire breaks out north of Los Angeles

A rapidly growing wildfire broke out north of Los Angeles, evacuations ordered for 31,000 people.

A crew battles the fire as the Hughes Fire burns in Castaic Lake — The Hughes fire came as the greater Los Angeles area was on edge after two enormous fires tore through the United States's second largest metropolis. [David Swanson/Reuters]

By News Agencies

A rapidly growing wildfire broke out north of Los Angeles, while two major fires burning in the metropolitan area for more than two weeks were getting under control, fire officials said.

Ferocious flames devoured hillsides near Castaic Lake on Wednesday, spreading rapidly to cover more than 9,400 acres (3,800 hectares) in just a few hours.

Evacuations were ordered for 31,000 people around the lake, which sits 56km (35 miles) north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita.

The United States Forest Service said the entire 700,000-acre (2,800sq-km) park in the San Gabriel Mountains was closed to visitors.

As the new fire raged, the two deadly fires that have ravaged Los Angeles came under greater control, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.

Since the two fires broke out on January 7, they have burned an area nearly the size of Washington, DC, killed 28 people and damaged or destroyed nearly 16,000 structures, Cal Fire said.

Private forecaster AccuWeather projects damage and economic losses at more than $250bn.

New wildfire breaks out north of Los Angeles — Members of a firefighting crew battle the Hughes fire near Castaic Lake. [Ringo Chiu/Reuters]

Firefighting aircraft and ground crews are battling fast-moving wildfire in the Castaic Lake area north of Los Angeles.

Emergency vehicles are on the side of the road as flames from the Hughes Fire race up the hill in Castaic, a northwestern neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, on January 22, 2025. A new wildfire erupted north of Los Angeles on January 22, exploding in size and sparking thousands of evacuation orders in a region already staggering from the effects of huge blazes. Ferocious flames were devouring hillsides near Castaic Lake, spreading rapidly to cover 5,000 acres (2,000 hectares) in just over two hours. The fire was being fanned by strong, dry Santa Ana winds that were racing through the area, pushing a vast pall of smoke and embers ahead of the flames. Evacuations were ordered for 19,000 people all around the lake, which sits around 35 miles north of Los Angeles, and close to the city of Santa Clarita. (Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP)

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