Firefighters from Cal Fire, Shasta Lake and Mountain Gate fire departments are working the fire. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Jessica Skropanic is a feature

The Hughes Fire in Castaic, north of Los Angeles, prompted evacuations and shut down a vital part of California's freeway system.

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

The Hughes Fire, reported shortly before 11 a.m. Wednesday near Castaic Lake, prompted evacuation of a 280-square-mile area north of Los Angeles. The map above shows the mandatory evacuation area in red and the approximate perimeter as a black line.

Interstate 5 has been closed down temporarily because of the Hughes Fire. Authorities hurried to the site in Los Angeles and tried to control the fire.

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)

Coverage of the firefighters' battle against Eaton and Palisades fires, including stories about the dangerous weather and victim frustration.

The most serious red flag fire weather warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for swaths of Los Angeles and Ventura counties in California starting

Firefighters are battling a structure fire that started just north of Redding on Friday evening. The fire began at approximately 4:45 p.m. at 13911 Blue Ridge Drive, near Mountain Gate, according ...

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Winds picked up on Tuesday in Southern California and at least a couple of new wildfires broke out as firefighters remained on alert in extreme fire weather two weeks after two major blazes started that are still burning in the Los Angeles area.

A fire that started 1.8 miles away from the UCLA campus on Wednesday evening has been 60% contained. The Sepulveda fire started around 11 p.m. Wednesday near the Getty Center, prompting evacuation warnings bordering the campus.

Parched Southern California could get some badly needed rain this weekend to dampen the prospects of another round of killer wildfires.